Events

Menomonee Falls, Wis. – Kohl’s Corp. had a relatively flat second quarter of fiscal 2014 compared to the same period the previous year. Net income slightly rose to $232 million from $231 million, while sales fell 1% to $4.24 billion from $4.28 billion.

Same-store sales dropped 1.1%, although Kohl’s said they turned positive in July. Kohl’s plans to open four new stores in fall 2014, including one store which was temporarily closed in the first quarter for a complete re-build.

Walmart’s opponents employed a new tactic this week by launching a repository of negativity under the auspices of The Center for Media and Democracy.

Eden Prairie, Minn. – Supervalu Inc. is hosting the company’s first-ever national sales expo, a three-day trade event, in St. Paul, Minnesota. The expo will feature more than 20 educational sessions and more than 330 expo booths, providing more than 3,900 independent grocery retailers from more 1,250 stores the opportunity to gain insights, merchandising ideas and grocery retail solutions from industry experts.

North Bergen, N.J. - The Vitamin Shoppe will host its latest "Share the Health" expo on Aug. 16, in more than 600 stores nationwide. As part of this event, each store will offer its own specialized festivities, such as free product samples and consultations with local wellness partners.

This marks the ninth Share the Health Expo hosted by the Vitamin Shoppe since 2012. The Vitamin Shoppe stores will host wellness partners from their communities throughout the day, ranging from local gyms and spas to chiropractors and product representatives.

Retail trade event organizer Efficient Collaborative Retail Marketing (ECRM) name media veteran Joseph Tarnowski to the newly created position of chief content officer.

Tarnowski will lead the development of ECRM’s content platform to deliver actionable information and insights to retail buyers and suppliers such as original research and insights from ECRM Data, the company’s business intelligence division.

Supervalu welcomed nearly 4,000 independent grocery retailers to St. Paul, Minn., this week for the grocery distributor’s inaugural national sales expo and trade show.

Washington, D.C. -- The Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates said that import volume at major U.S. container ports is expected to hit an all-time record in August.
 
Retailers concerned about the lack of a West Coast longshoremen’s contract are rushing to bring holiday season merchandise into the country, according to NRF.

Shanghai, China -- M&M’S celebrated the grand opening of its first M&M’S World store in Asia – M&M’s World Shanghai, a 17,000+-sq.-ft. entertainment destination that marks the brand’s fifth M&M’s World flagship store. Current flagships include Times Square, New York; Orlando; Las Vegas; and Leicester Square London.
 
Spanning two floors and combining iconic Chinese landmarks and cultural elements, the store features a large array of candies and M&M-branded merchandise.

Austin, Texas -- A Shoppers Trend report released by RetailMeNot found that, once kids leave the nest, parents are just as ready as their kids to start a new chapter in life. In fact, nearly three-in-four parents (74%) surveyed indicated they would do things differently once their kids leave the house, with traveling (42%), spending time with friends (37%) and pampering themselves (33%) topping the list of changes.

Southlake, Texas -- Retail Properties of America, Inc. announced that Columbia Sportswear's Performance Fishing Gear concept store, plus several additional retailers including Altar'd State (5,162 sq. ft.), Elaine Turner (2,066 sq. ft.), ME SPA – which replaces Coldwater Creek Spa – and J.Jill, have recently opened, or will be opening, at Southlake Town Square in Southlake, Texas.
 
Columbia Sportswear's PFG store, the first of its kind in Texas, will measure 3,456 sq. ft. and is slated to open in late November 2014.