Strategy

DEARBORN, Mich. — Workwear brand Carhartt is collaborating with vehicle seat cover protection manufacturer Covercraft to deliver Carhartt duck seat protection for pickups, SUVs, vans and over-the-road work trucks.

Winston-Salem, N.C. -- Working with franchise partner Taco Holding, S.A. de C.V, Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation will open its 100th store in Cancun, Mexico, on July 6. The store will feature Krispy Kreme's new international café-style store design, including hot doughnuts, barista specialists, a kid's zone and a drive-thru.

Los Gatos, Calif. – Crocs will implement Centric Software’s product lifecycle management software. Crocs will implement the full Centric 8 PLM suite to manage its product development process, including concept, design and sourcing.

The company will implement the Centric system on a worldwide basis to hundreds of users, including Crocs suppliers and partners. Crocs will integrate Centric 8 with its SAP enterprise software, according to Dale Bathum, Crocs’ chief product officer.

Having past the calendar’s mid-point, we thought it would be interesting to take a look at the most viewed stories of the year to date on ChainStoreAge.com. (Based on the results,  the ongoing saga of J.C. Penney remains the industry's biggest story.) Here are the Top 10 stories of the first six months:

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — Shop.org, the digital arm of the National Retail Federation, has re-elected Scot Wingo, co-founder and CEO of ChannelAdvisor, a leading provider of cloud-based e-commerce solutions for retailers and manufacturers, to its board of directors.

Wingo was re-elected to the 20-member board for another two-year term by existing Shop.org members along with executives from Belk, HSN, Razorfish, Tory Burch and Urban Outfitters. 

New York -- Urban Outfitters has signed a lease for 56,730 sq. ft. on three levels at W&H Properties’ 1333 Broadway site, where the retailer will create its innovative new “lifestyle center” concept with new features never before seen from the brand, according to Anthony Malkin, president of Malkin Holdings, which supervises the W&H Properties portfolio.

The retailer will take occupancy in September.  

PITTSBURGH — GNC Holdings has elected former PetSmart CEO Robert Moran and former Midas CEO Alan Feldman to its board of directors.

"We are pleased to welcome Messrs. Moran and Feldman to the GNC board," stated Joseph Fortunato, GNC chairman, president and CEO. "Their extensive experience leading global consumer brands and retail operations, both domestically and overseas, and past experience as CEOs of retail businesses should add significant strength to our board as we execute our future strategies."

A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step, and RadioShack’s quest to makes its 4,300 U.S. stores relevant again began this week with the opening of a new prototype and a re-imagined corporate logo.

Over the weekend, RadioShack opened a store at 2268 Broadway on Manhattan’s Upper West Side that aims to attract tech-hungry shoppers who will find a new level of products, services and excitement in a store that makes the buying experience fun, according to the company.