Strategy

Oak Brook, Ill. - Ace Hardware has launched the Ace Center for Excellence, a new division designed to share the retailer’s strategies and key principles of customer service.

The center’s goal is to help companies improve upon their customer experience based on Ace’s approach through customized solutions, such as keynotes and workshops.

City of Industry, Calif. – 99 Cents Only Stores Inc. plans to open nine new stores in Arizona, California and Texas between April 16 and April 18. On April 16, 99 Cents Only will open new stores in Canoga Park, Glendora and Vallejo, California.

On April 17, 99 Cents Only will open new stores in Chico and Escondido, California and Houston. On Saturday, April 18, 99 Cents Only will open new stores in Mesa, Arizona and Sylmar and Tustin, California.

Minneapolis – Best Buy president and CEO Hubert Joly now has something in common with Frank Sinatra — you can call him “Chairman of the Board.” Joly will succeed current chairman Hatim Tyabji, who is retiring from the board effective June 9, 2015, as board chairman.

Russell P. Fradin, president and CEO of SunGard and a Best Buy Board member since April 2013, will serve as lead independent director. Tyajbi, CEO of mobile data/video company Bytemobile Inc., has served on the Best Buy board since 2008 and as chairman since 2012.

Denver - The Running Specialty Group, a division of The Finish Line Inc., is entering a strategic agreement with Pear Sports, a mobile fitness and training content platform, for the launch of the RSG training channel, an interactive training platform and tracking tool which will integrate with the retailer’s store based training programs nationwide.

Youngstown, Ohio -- The Picture People will open new studios in four Cafaro malls, according to the Youngstown, Ohio-based mall owner. The studios, which range in size from 1,800 sq. ft. to 2,700 sq. ft., will open by late May in Eastwood Mall (Niles, Ohio), Governor’s Square Mall (Clarksville, Tennessee), Huntington Mall (Barboursville, West Virginia) and Kentucky Oaks Mall (Paducah, Kentucky). In each case, this will be the first location for The Picture People in those respective states.

Livonia, Mich. -- Pet Supplies Plus, the nation’s largest pet retail franchise with more than 300 locations in 25 states, announced it has signed six new franchise agreements to bring its neighborhood pet store concept to Boca Raton, Florida; Tampa, Florida; Stephenville, Texas; Elizabethtown, Kentucky; Hartland, Michigan and Greenville, South Carolina.
 

Phoenix -- CBRE has announced that LeDonna Spongberg, a retail leasing professional, has joined the company’s Phoenix office as a first VP.

Pittsburgh – As part of a wide-ranging fiscal update, Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. is updating its fiscal 2017 sales target to $8.7 billion to $9 billion. The retailer also expects to open 135-150 namesake stores during the next three years, up from the 603 stores it operated at the end of 2014, focusing on new and underserved markets.