Corporate Governance

SHOP TALK
Trending Stores: No two stores are exactly alike at Warby Parker. But the popular eyewear company’s new store in Los Angeles, above, is a particular standout for its celebration of Hollywood’s moviemaking history. The store combines Warby Parker’s signature library-style design and fixtures with such location-specific elements as a classic movie theater-styled marquee with rotating titles, a Hollywood-themed mural, and a display of movie clapboards behind the checkout.
TreeHouse Branches Out
Home improvement start-up is dedicated to healthy, sustainable homes
A start-up home improvement retailer with a green conscience has expanded out of its Austin, Texas, home with a first-of-its-kind store that’s generating lots of buzz.
TreeHouse has opened the nation’s first home improvement “energy positive” (meaning it will generate more energy than it uses) store, at The Hill, a shopping center in Dallas. It’s the start-up retailer’s second location — but not for long. An additional store, planned for the Plano, Texas, area, is due to open this fall.

Top 10 Retail Center Experiences

The Electric Daisy Carnival drew 130,000 young people to Las Vegas on its final day last year. This summer, Billy Joel will sell out his 43rd concert at Madison Square Garden, where floor tickets sell in the $200 range. No matter the age or inclination, people still want to leave the house and be with other people. They just need a really good reason to do so. Here are 10 retail centers that have some of the best reasons:
Spotlight on The Tile Shop

With home remodeling and housing starts on the rise, The Tile Shop is in a sweet spot. The specialty retailer of manufactured and nature stone tiles reported an 8.8% increase in net sales and a 4.9% increase in same-store sales for its first quarter. With 130 stores in 31 states, The Tile Shop displays its tiles in a showroomlike environment that includes full-room tiled displays and a design studio where customers can utilize 3-D renderings to visualize their design ideas.
Food Feeds Retail

The challenges of physical retail have inspired new concepts and new entrants to the supermarket business in America
Amazon expands Prime Now’s international breadth

Amazon has introduced its same-day delivery service in its ninth country. The online giant launched Prime Now in Singapore, giving Prime members free two-hour delivery on tens of thousands of items ordered through the Prime Now app. Merchandise ranges from grocery items like eggs, cold beer and ice cream to general merchandise, such as baby strollers, toys, and consumer electronics. This is Amazon’s debut in the Southeast Asian market.
New life for struggling Bay Area mall

A 40-year-old mall in San Francisco’s East Bay that was put on the auction block has been snatched up by a partnership that pledges to revitalize the “irreplaceable” property. New owners LGB Real Estate Companies and Aviva Investors see a successful, mixed-use future for the 1.1 million-sq.-ft. retail center.
Carter’s sales soar in Q2

Carter’s credits its U.S. retail and international segments, and its new acquisition for a jump in its second quarter sales. Net income for the quarter ended July 1, increased $1.7 million, or 4.8%, to $37.9 million, compared to $36.2 million, in the second quarter of fiscal 2016. Earnings per diluted share was or $0.78, which beat analyst expectations of $0.71 per share, according to Zacks Investment Research.
Mall owners take pay cuts

Macerich CEO Arthur Coppola had the potential for total compensation worth about $12 million in 2016, but his company’s recent proxy filing showed him receiving less than half of that. Coppola is just one of many senior executives of publicly traded mall-owning companies to feel the sting brick-and-mortar’s right-sizing in his pocketbook, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
Build-A-Bear Workshop narrows its loss in Q2, plans new stores

While Build-A-Bear Workshop continues to navigate amid declining store traffic, the company continues to open new stores. Build-A-Bear plans to reopen a location in the Southern California market at the end of September. The company recently closed a store operating in the Downtown Disney District in Anaheim, California.
Coffee giant makes a blockbuster deal in China

Starbucks Coffee Company has closed the biggest transaction in its history. The coffee giant is buying the remaining 50% share of its East China business from long-term joint venture partners, Uni-President Enterprises Corporation and President Chain Store Corporation. The deal is worth approximately $1.3 billion (USD) — the largest single acquisition in the company’s history, according to Starbucks.
Camping World makes a new purchase

The largest U.S. chain dedicated to recreational vehicles is acquiring a new company. Camping World Holdings announced that it will purchase TheHouse.com, an online retailer specializing in bikes, sailboards, skateboards, wakeboards, snowboards and outdoor gear. Both companies will maintain distinct brands, with Camping World focusing on the outdoor camping and RV industry, and TheHouse.com continuing to provide its offering to shoppers with active outdoor lifestyles.