Events

Under Armour a big winner in A.R.E. Design Awards
Under Armour’s two-story flagship in Chicago took home top honors in the A.R.E.’s annual Design Awards, which were presented Wednesday in Las Vegas.

Designed by Big Red Rooster, a JLL company, Under Armour won the Store of the Year award and also took top honors in the specialty store category (over 25,000 sq. ft.). The 30,000-sq.-ft. store features the sporting goods giant’s “Brand House” format, and blends merchandise and technology with accents of localization.
Starbucks, Target, Westfield Corp. and others team up to boost voter turnout
Democracy Works, a non-partisan, non-profit organization, said on Wednesday it is teaming up with an array of companies, including Starbucks, Target and Westfield Corp., in an effort to boost U.S. voter turnout to 80% by 2020.

The project, called the TurboVote Challenge, is ambitious. The last time the U.S. achieved a voter turnout rate over 80% was in 1888. An estimated 57.5% of eligible citizens voted in the 2012 presidential election.

Target gets one step closer to accelerator launch

Target Corp. has reached an important milestone in its journey to launching a new retail accelerator in partnership with Boulder, Colorado-based start-up accelerator Techstars.

Target initially announced the new accelerator, expected to launch in June 2016, last October. The retailer has now closed the application process, after receiving applications from more than 500 technology start-ups in 45 countries and 32 states. Ideas submitted include connected toys and virtual fitting rooms.
Nike (factory), Lubbock, Texas

Nike’s newest factory store, in Lubbock, Texas, draws inspiration from the area’s local sport culture, with special emphasis on its deep roots in football.

The local imagery in the store includes a declaration to be “Texas Tested,” which responds to the famous suggestion that if you can pass the Texas test, you can pass any test.
New leadership summit focused on CPG solutions

Top merchants from Walmart, CVS Health and Family Dollar are among a group of consumer packaged goods leaders gathering in Chicago soon for a first-of-its-kind event focused on one of the industry’s most daunting challenges.

On May 24, Chain Store Age sister publication Drug Store News and Mack Elevation Forum will host The Future Leaders Summit. The one-day event will feature seven high-impact leaders who will share their ideas and philosophies on attracting talent and leading in a hyper-competitive world.
And the Store of the Year is…
Belk rocks Charleston with annual music fest

While the annual South By Southwest festival was underway in Austin, regional department store operator Belk was connecting with its core customers in the southeast by hosting a festival of its own.
Aaron’s makes a difference in D.C., and beyond

Store managers from 2,000 Aaron’s location gathered in Washington, D.C., for their annual meeting and to participatein a wide range of unique community outreach efforts.

The giving efforts kicked off with a donation event in which Aaron's donated furniture to 28 apartments for families who have experienced homelessness. This effort supports Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser's (pictured above) efforts to ensure safe, dignified housing for all Washingtonians and end homelessness in the District of Columbia.
Hot Canadian brand signs lease for first U.S. store

A popular goose has found a nest in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood.

Canada Goose, best known for its signature goose-down jacket with Arctic Circle logo and fur-trimmed hood, has signed a lease for an approximate 4,400-sq.-ft. store on Wooster Street, The Real Deal reported. The asking rent for the space, according to the Real Deal, was $550 a foot.
This American retailer is joining a select group

Tommy Hilfiger will be inducted into the World Retail Hall of Fame at the 10th Annual World Retail Congress, to be held at the Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai on April 12-14.

Hilfiger introduced his signature collection in 1985. Since then, the business has grown from a single menswear collection to a global lifestyle brand achieving over $6.7 billion in retail sales in 2014. There are over 1,400 Tommy Hilfiger stores in over 115 countries.
GameStop partners with Autism Speaks for Autism Awareness Month

GameStop Corp. is launching an omnichannel campaign to raise funds for a cause that is near and dear to the hearts of many of the retailer's customers.
Top retailers and brands win shopper marketing awards

Photo: Neal Davies, president and CEO, Effie Worldwide, (left) and Amy Hahn, senior VP of marketing, Ahold, (right) present an Effie Award to Matthew Parry, senior director of marketing at Walmart and Haley Prowell, associate marketing manager at Walmart.

Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Walmart and CVS Health were among this year winners of Effie awards, which recognize excellence in shopper marketing.