Events

Target Corp. is bullish on its smaller store concept.   Company CEO Brian Cornell he is “increasingly confident’ the retailer will open “hundreds of “small-format stores, USA Today reported.   We think we have the opportunity to enter many, many new neighborhoods," Cornell said on a conference call.  

Sears’ loyal shoppers will have the chance to preview holiday sales at an exclusive shopping event.  

Street closings and protests related to the election of Donald Trump are severely impacting retail traffic on the priciest retail corridor in the world.   Tiffany & Co., Abercrombie & Fitch, Henri Bendel, Polo Ralph Lauren and other retailers on Fifth Avenue are all being affected, according to the Associated Press.  

Ikea has brought the horrors of the Syrian civil war home to customers at its flagship in Slependen, Norway.   In a joint fundraising effort, the Swedish home furnishings giant, in partnership with the Norwegian Red Cross, has recreated the small, unfurnished apartment of a Syrian mother and her children in the middle of the store. The space is based on a real-life apartment in Damascus, according to CNN.   

The Mall at Prince Georges in suburban Washington, D.C. will welcome a 16,000-sq.-ft. DSW location and an 11,000-sq.-ft. ULTA in second quarter 2017. The signings are part of PREIT’s ongoing strategic plan to re-outfit its centers with “in-demand” retailers.   “The property has just begun its transformation into an elevated, vibrant shopping and dining destination commensurate with the development that has occurred in the surrounding area,” said Joseph F. Coradino, CEO of PREIT.  

The 24-hour Chinese shopping mega-event known as Singles Day brought in record numbers for the country’s e-commerce giant, Alibaba. But it appears that the growth rate is decelerating.    Alibaba Group Holding Limited reported that the total amount of goods and services sold by vendors (known as gross merchandise volume) over its e-commerce sites rose 24% to a record $17.8 billion this year. Last year, by contrast, sales on Alibaba platforms increased 60%.  

Lord & Taylor takes customers on a whimsical winter journey in the 79th annual holiday window display at its Manhattan flagship on Fifth Avenue.    With an Enchanted Forest theme, the five windows portray scenes of a winter wonderland and are filled with 34 hand-sculpted holiday animals. Each vignette is enhanced with over 350 square feet of LED walls. The store’s façade features more than 9,000 ft. of mixed garland, foliage, twinkling lights and holiday music      

Will President-elect Donald Trump be good for Kroger’s business? The retailer’s stock has enjoyed a sharp rise since Trump was named the 45th president.