Events

Vernon, Calif. -- True Religion Apparel Inc. has opened its first global flagship, at 513 Broadway in downtown Manhattan. The 3,000-sq.-ft. space is the brand’s largest and most digitally-savvy store to date, starting with storefront windows that display a continuous stream of video content. The windows are also able to showcase style statements from shoppers themselves.

Inside the store, digital kiosks and iPads provide product-on-demand by offering the entire True Religion collection through an endless digital aisle.

When the International Council of Shopping Centers opens the doors of the Las Vegas Convention Center on May 17 to retailers and shopping center attendees from around the globe, it will unveil a lineup of newly built, underway and redeveloped properties ripe for deal-making.

Leasing interest at RECon 2015 is expected to be high, this despite naysayers who have predicted the demise of the shopping mall. Not likely, say those in the know.

Minneapolis – Doug Baker, CEO of environmental technology firm Ecolab, has been named by Target Corp. as lead independent director of the Target board. Baker, who already serves as an independent director for Target, will replace current independent director Jim Johnson, who is retiring from the board in June after almost 20 years.

On the heels of Amazon’s B2B move, Staples is launching a marketing campaign to lure more small business customers. Staples says it will offer 40% off large posters, banners and lawn signs, and 50% off custom invitations and announcements through June 27.

Wayne, N.J. – If Darth Vader scared you, then you’ll probably want to check out the new online “Star War”s hub that Toys “R” Us Inc. is launching as part of a year-long omnichannel promotion tied to the classic movie franchise, which returns with a new film in December. The hub will showcase video content, event information and more in the coming months.

When CEOs from Walgreens, Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo and other global leaders gather in New York in late June for the Consumer Goods Forum’s Annual Summit, one of the thorny issues to be addressed is that people don’t trust them to do what is right.

Washington, D.C. – The National Retail Federation (NRF) and Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) have filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals saying the National Labor Relations Board’s decision to recognize a “micro-union” of workers in a single department at a Macy’s store in Massachusetts was incorrect. According to the trade organizations, allowing workers in a single department instead of the whole store to organize violates longstanding precedents on union organizing.

Minneapolis – Best Buy Co. Inc., a founder of the MCX retailer consortium that is developing a mobile payment system called CurrentC, will accept Apple Pay in stores starting later in 2015. Apple announced Best Buy’s planned participation in Apple Pay during a call with investors.