Corporate Governance

Walmart Pay undergoes big growth spurt
Walmart did not reach its stated goal of rolling out the Walmart Pay digital payment service to every store by the end of June, but it certainly made a lot of headway.
New York grocer reaches out to customers
With 15 regional stores, New York-based Fairway Market needs to compete with larger rivals on quality of experience. To that end, Fairway has deployed the omnichannel retail platform from Index to help better communicate with customers and provide an optimal experience across various touchpoints. The platform includes secure in-store payment solutions that offer processing flexibility and are compliant with EMV and P2PE protocols. Fairway can also accept a variety of tender types, including Apple Pay and Android Pay.

Investment, interest in energy efficiency at all-time high

That’s one of the key findings of The 2016 Johnson Controls Energy Efficiency Indicator (EEI) survey of more than 1,200 facility and energy management executives.
Report: J.C. Penney looks abroad for new tech center

The J.C. Penney Co Inc. is reportedly developing a new IT facility in a popular overseas location.
Home furnishings powerhouse debuts new store design

Pottery Barn unveiled a revamped interior at its newly designed store at The Village at Corte Madera, in Corte Madera, California. Inspired by a modern farmhouse, the 12,288-sq.-ft. location features dramatic high ceilings with exposed wood beams, a skylight in the center of the space, and 11-foot high steel framed doors that open to an outside seating area at the front of the store.
C-store chain expanding

Sheetz is opening four stores in four different states. The family-owned convenience store chain announced four new locations: Morgantown, West Virginia; Morrisville, North Carolina; St. Clairsville, Ohio; and Bethel, Pennsylvania. All will open by July, 7.
Get ready: Kayne West’s next venture is retail stores

Adidas is doubling down on its relationship with Kanye West, the outspoken entertainer who doubles as a fashion designer. The German sportswear giant and West are expanding their very successful Yeezy brand via a new partnership called adidas + Kanye West. The Yeezy-branded collection will consist of footwear, apparel and accessories for all genders that will work across street and sport.
Macy’s May See Changes

Macy’s may be flailing, but the department store icon can’t be accused of taking its struggles lying down. As sales were falling 7.4% in the first quarter of 2016 (numbers that represented the fifth straight quarter of declining sales, and capped off a year in which Macy’s stock prices were nearly halved at 47%), Macy’s continues moving forward on plans to roll out its new off-price Backstage concept – both as a series of new stand-alone stores and as in-store locations integrated inside a number of existing Macy’s stores.
Dick’s Sporting Goods wins bidding war

Dick’s Sporting Goods was the victor on Thursday at the bankruptcy auction for former rival Sports Authority Holdings. Dick’s bid $15 million for the brand name and other intellectual property, beating British-based Sports Direct International PLC’s $13 million bid, according to the Wall Street Journal. Dick’s also had the winning bid at the auction for 31 Sports Authority store leases, for an additional $8 million, the report said.
Report: Visa sues Walmart over alleged PIN pilot

Wal-Mart Stores, which filed suit against Visa in May over debit card authorization, is getting taste of its own medicine.
NRF supports overturning of swipe fee settlement

The National Retail Federation (NRF) is publicly welcoming a ruling striking down the 2012 settlement of a class action lawsuit over Visa and MasterCard’s credit card swipe fees. The ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York overturns a December 2013 approval of the settlement by U.S. District Court Judge John Gleeson.
Westfield World Trade Center recruits veterans

A job fair held in New York this week attracted veterans and their family members looking to fill retail positions at the Westfield World Trade Center mall set to open in August. Some 5,000 attended to apply for some 10,000 positions expected to open there and at Fulton Center in the two months.