Strategy

Sporting goods giant targets women with new format
Pittsburgh – Who said women don’t like sports? Dick’s Sporting Goods certainly never said so.

Dick’s is launching Chelsea Collective, a specialty women's fitness and lifestyle boutique. The first two Chelsea Collective locations will open in August 2015 in Tysons Corner, Virginia at Tysons Corner Center and Pittsburgh at Ross Park Mall.
A.R.E.: Good times ahead, especially for retail construction
New York -- The Association for Retail Environments is bullish on the future.

The organization is predicting good days ahead for the U.S. economy in general and retail construction in particular. According to A.R.E.’s economic advisors, all indicators show that the 2016 economy in the U.S. will grow faster than it did in 2015. And while economic growth will slow in the back half of 2015, it will not be negative.

Instagram commerce is about to explode

Facebook is preparing to make a change on Instagram that will have a big impact on social shopping and retailers.
Saks satisfies foot fetish in Connecticut

Saks Fifth Avenue is putting its best foot forward in a hot category.

The retailer plans to open its first-ever stand-alone 10022-SHOE store in Greenwich, Conn. Expected to open in fall 2016, the new 14,000 square-foot location at 20 East Elm Street will be dedicated to women’s footwear and will be just a short distance from the existing Saks Fifth Avenue location in downtown Greenwich.
Report: American Express sued for misleading investors about Costco

New York -- American Express Co and Costco Wholesale Corp. are at it again.

A lawsuit has been filed accusing American Express of misleading investors about the loss of its contract with Costco after having failed to reveal how significant that business had become to the credit-card company, Reuters reported.
ModCloth makes the leap

New York -- Another retailer is going from clicks to bricks.
Ex-Target tech exec to become CIO at Foot Locker Inc.

Foot Locker Inc. has chosen a new IT chief to drive the company's next generation of technological advances.

The retailer has appointed Pawan Verma as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, effective Aug. 10. Verma succeeds Peter Brown, who retired in April after 38 years with the company.
Verma will oversee the company's global information technology functions and infrastructure, and provide leadership and vision to align technology with strategic business initiatives.
Starbucks to open stores in lower-income urban areas, including Ferguson

Seattle -- Starbucks Corp. is making good on its pledge to spur job growth among “opportunity youth,” or young people aged 16 to 24 who don’t have jobs and aren’t in school.
Smooth sailing for West Marine in Q2

West Marine's renewed focus on omnichannel growth seems to be paying off as the specialty retailer reported a big spike in same store sales in the second quarter.
Skechers running fast

Manhattan Beach, Calif. – Skechers USA Inc., which recently passed Adidas to become the number two athletic footwear brand in the United States, is on the fast track.

The company, whose second quarter sales beat estimates, has carved out a lucrative niche in casual athletic footwear and in kids’ athletic footwear. It is in expansion mode, with plans to open 125 to 135 company-owned and third-party-owned stores later this year.

Sporting goods giant targets women with new format

A.R.E.: Good times ahead, especially for retail construction

Instagram commerce is about to explode

Saks satisfies foot fetish in Connecticut

Report: American Express sued for misleading investors about Costco

ModCloth makes the leap

Ex-Target tech exec to become CIO at Foot Locker Inc.

Starbucks to open stores in lower-income urban areas, including Ferguson

Smooth sailing for West Marine in Q2

Skechers running fast