Events

Grandin Road will step into the physical space in what promises to be a frightening debut.   The direct retailer of home furnishings and décor will open a Halloween pop-up at Macy’s flagship in Herald Square in New York City. The 1,400-sq.-ft. shop will showcase Grandin Road’s Halloween decoration collection, which has grown steadily over the past decade.  

At Home on Friday started trading its shares on the New York Stock Exchange.    The Plano, Texas-based retailer has been growing its store base at a rate of 20% annually for the last three years, reported the Dallas Morning News. It now operate 115 stores in 29 states across the South and Midwest.     

After eight years leading public relations efforts at the International Council of Shopping Centers, Jesse Tron is departing from the association to set up a communications practice at The Dealey Group, a full-service agency.   “We couldn’t support our clients’ demand for PR services, and that was something we wanted to change,” explained CEO JoAnn Dealey in announcing Tron’s appointment.  

In its race to open by early 2017, Bass Pro Shops has launched vertical construction on its 67,000-sq.-ft. outpost at ONE DAYTONA, the retail, dining and entertainment extravaganza underway across from the Daytona International Speedway.   Bass Pro Shops’ general contractor EMJ Construction utilized a 200-ton track crane to raise 30 panels that represent the walls of the structure.   

A diverse mix of retail tech start-ups have been selected to participate in a program aimed at enhancing retail innovation.  

Steve Tanger is more than CEO of outlet giant Tanger Factory Outlet Centers – he is also an effective talking head.     Tanger appeared as a featured guest on CNBC's "Mad Money with Jim Cramer" on Thursday, July 28, and talked about the consistent strength of the outlet market despite a volatile retail industry.   

A Gainesville, Florida, mixed-use project now features a strategically assembled team to lead the property to its planned fall 2018 opening.   According to Butler Enterprises president Deborah Butler, the team of local, national and international design and construction professionals will work with Butler to create a world-class retail and residential core for Gainesville.   The team consists of:  

GNC Holdings on Thursday replaced its chief executive and suspended its earnings guidance. It also reported disappointing second quarter results.     The company has appointed former PetSmart chief executive Robert F. Moran as interim CEO, effective immediately. Moran, a director of GNC, replaces Michael G. Archbold, who has also resigned from the GNC board.  

Simon Property Group reported a 5% drop in net income to $527 million for the second quarter, yet declared positive results based on other measures. Total portfolio net operating income, which tracks comparable property and new property growth, grew 7.4% over second quarter 2015 and growth in comparable funds from operations rose 9.1%.   The Simon board declared a 6.5% increase in its stock dividend for the quarter and raised its guidance for full-year 2016 net income to be within a range of $6.04 to $6.12 per diluted share.

Retailers should be cheered by the latest forecast from the National Retail Federation.    With increases in consumer spending expected to remain solid during the remainder of the year, the NRF on Tuesday upped its forecast for retail sales in 2016 to 3.4%, from the 3.1% forecast earlier.    Online and other non-store sales, which are included in the overall figure, are expected to increase 7% to 10% year-over-year rather than the 6% to 9% forecast earlier.