Events

Sizable new standalone sections of Disney brand consumer products have been created at 15 stores worldwide operated by the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES).

The merchandising initiative, dubbed “Disney at the Exchange” features a wide range of Disney, Marvel and Star Wars products and will be available in 15 AAFES installations by this summer. The assortment will include dolls, action figures, role play items and clothing, as well as toys and other merchandise tied to current Walt Disney Company theatrical releases and television content.

Columbus, Ohio – Lane Bryant is opening a new store in Kennesaw, Ga. The store will be located in Town Center at Cobb, right next to the store's previous location at the mall.

The new store is slated to open March 21 and will have a grand opening celebration March 21-23.

Tejon Ranch, Calif. — Slated to open in August, The Outlets at Tejon has announced the appointment of Brian P. Hassett as the new center’s general manager. Hassett brings more than 25 years of experience in the retail industry — more than 10 of them focused on outlet retail — to the post.

Wilson Sporting Goods is celebrating a century of sport with the launch of its “100 Venues in 100 Days” contest.

Participants will have the chance to win daily prizes as well as a grand prize trip to the 2014 U.S. Open Tennis Tournament in New York City.

“Wilson celebrates athletes at every level, from the backyard to the professional player,” said Tom Gruger, VP of marketing. “To kick off our 100th year, we will celebrate our partnership with these athletes as we look forward to the next century of champions.”

Retailers are enhancing shoppers’ digital in-store experience by adding lots of new applications which can overwhelm existing IT infrastructure. That’s why The Bon-Ton Stores built redundant capabilities with the help of Hughes to enable its e-commerce strategy.

Retailers have been known to employ all sorts of clever devices when commemorating a grand opening, but shapewear retailer Spanx takes the practice to a new level.

Home Depot was known to saw a board in half in lieu of a traditional ribbon cutting and outdoor retailer Gander Mountain once had an archer with a razor tipped arrow sever the ribbon. When Spanx opens its fourth retail location on April 11 at the International Plaza mall in Tampa the company plans to commemorate the occasion with a hosiery cutting as part of a “jiggle-free jubilee.”

Colorado Springs, Colo. - Accellos, Inc. is launching a new website dedicated toward the unique needs of home goods retailers located at Profitsystems.com. Profitsystems, recently acquired by Accellos in November 2013 and based out of Colorado Springs, Colo., a retail inventory and point of sale system software provider for home goods retailers.

Land of Nod was founded 18 years ago as an online retailer of furniture, décor and bedding for infants and kids but has since become an omnichannel operator with an upscale brand.
 
The company currently operates five stores in California, Illinois and Seattle. Managing director Michelle Kohanzo shared some perspective on what it’s like to work at an omnichannel retailer in the latest installment of This Is Retail from the National Retailer Federation.