Events

There are no sure things in business – not even a partnership with Starbucks.

In paperwork filed for a planned IPO, Square revealed that since launching an agreement to process back-end mobile transactions for Starbucks in October 2012 (the coffee chain did not adopt Square reader hardware), it has recorded $309.8 million in revenue but $380.4 million in processing costs.

Downtown Los Angeles is in the middle of a profound revitalization, one that is bringing new energy to a sprawling area that had long been written off as a cultural wasteland — and ghost town after 5 p.m. New residential construction has brought an influx of new residents into the area, with retailers and restaurants rushing in to meet the new demands.

It’s officially fall and, for retailers, this means holiday shopping season is right around the corner. For most, the season is marked by increased sales, both on and offline, and an opportunity to tap the highly profitable demographic of holiday shoppers. Likewise, it’s a chance for merchants to explore new markets and test new locations for possible retail site development.

Eight start-up companies comprising the inaugural class of the newly formed XRC Labs accelerator are looking to have a big impact on the retail industry.

New York-based XRC Labs unveiled the inaugural class of start-up companies participating in its 10-week accelerator program Tuesday evening, Oct. 13 at an event near its headquarters at the Parsons Schools of Design.

Top marketers at Neiman Marcus and Home depot were among a group of marketing executives recognized by the CMO Club this week.

The CMO Club, established to celebrate the marketing industry's brightest leaders and to provide a forum to share their successes with other CMOs, determined four winners in various categories.

The Retail Design Institute, the oldest and largest association for design professionals, and Chain Store Age, the leading authority on retail operations and producer of the annual SPECS conference, are partnering on the Institute’s 45th Annual International Store Design Competition.

McLean, Va. -- Macerich announced that VITA, the new, luxury 30-story residential tower at the mixed-use urban expansion for Tysons Corner in McLean, Virginia, has received the 2015 Award for Excellence from Delta Associates.

GameStop is joining Staples in what could be new trend this year of retailers just saying no to opening on Thanksgiving Day.

GameStop announced Monday that its stores will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday. GameStop’s other brands such as Spring Mobile, Simply Mac, Cricket Wireless stores, and the new ThinkGeek retail store will also be closed on Thanksgiving Day.

Twenty-three year SPECS attendee Randy Pannell, VP of construction for Saks Fifth Avenue, shares his thoughts on SPECS, Chain Store Age’s annual store planning/construction and facilities conference, which will be held March 13-15, 2016, in Dallas. For more on the event, click here.

Why do you attend SPECS each year?
To be honest, in the early years, SPECS was really just a trade show to me. But I soon realized that it was more than that. It really worked!