Corporate Governance

Online home furnishings and decor retailer One Kings Lane is set to open its first store, a summer pop-up.   The 3,500-sq.-ft. space will be located in the upscale resort town of Southampton, New York. It will be open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, and offer an “immersive lifestyle experience,” the company said.  

To the key to omnichannel success is having access to synchronized, and up-to-date business information.   Mattress Firm is partnering with Visionet Systems to create a centralized information repository that integrates all business information across retail channels in near real-time — a move that will improve operational efficiency enterprise-wide.  

Lord & Taylor has entered into a partnership with make-up icon Bobbi Brown.   The department store retailer appointed Brown as creative consultant, and has launched an in-store shop concept, justBobbi, at select Lord & Taylor locations, including its Manhattan flagship, and online. The initiative is the first Brown has entered into since her recent departure from Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, which she founded in 1991.  

The chief executive of Crate & Barrel is out after less than two years at the top.   Doug Diemoz left the home furnishings retailer last week. Most of his responsibilities will be taken over by Neela Montgomery, board chair of Otto Group, the privately owned German company that owns Crate & Barrel, according to Crain’s Chicago Business.  

A potential acquisition could give Amazon some leverage as it expands its brick-and-mortar presence.   BJ’s Wholesale Club is putting itself up for sale, and Amazon has expressed modest internal interest in the chain, according to The New York Post.  BJ’s, which was once a public company, was bought for $2.8 billion by private equity firms Leonard Green & Partners and CVC Capital Partners in 2011.   

Tough times have caught up with Rue 21.   The struggling teen apparel chain plans to close nearly 400 stores nationwide, the Associated Press reported. The shutterings will leave the retailer with about 700 stores nationwide.   Rue 21 confirmed the news in a post on its Facebook page, calling it a “difficult but necessary” decision.   

Walmart hit the century mark in terms of training academies.   The retailer on Monday celebrated the grand opening of its 100th U.S. training academy, in Frontage, Edmond. The academies were first introduced in 2016 and have expanded to 40 states.  

A new retail experience is giving shoppers — and sports fans — the chance to feel like a professional athlete.   Mizuno, one of the world’s largest specialty sporting goods manufacturers and the official baseball gear partner of the Atlanta Braves, has entered the U.S. retail arena with the opening of The Mizuno Experience Center. It is the first retail store to open at The Battery Atlanta, a 400,000 sq. ft. mixed-use development located just outside the Braves’ new home, Sun Trust Park.   

Time was in New York City that new restaurants sprang up in the ground floors of old brownstones in Midtown or tenement buildings in Greewich Village and were deemed worthy or not by the demanding standards of Manhattanites. Not so in New York’s newest neighborhood.  

Walmart reportedly is about to make its fourth e-commerce acquisition in seven months as the chain continues to beef up its online arsenal and fashion offerings against Amazon.       The chain is in advanced discussions to acquire Bonobos, an e-commerce-driven apparel company that designs and sells upscale men’s clothing, according to Recode. Founded in 2007, the brand is known for its hip, stylish threads and expert fit.