Displays & Signs

The holiday force has awakened earlier than ever at Walmart with the Aug. 28 launch of a major initiative called Toy Week.

Walmart has released its top toy list of 25 products and announced details of a layaway program that is less restrictive than prior years. The program begins Aug. 28, two weeks earlier than last years, and those participating will find the price point of eligible items has been reduced to $10 with a minimum basket size of $50, there is no account opening fee and only a 10% down payment is required.

Gisele Bundchen may have retired from the runway, but Stuart Weitzman knows the supermodel still appeals to fashionable shoppers.

So the retailer has enlisted the celebrity mom to star in the brand's first TV commercial, which will premiere during this year’s MTV Video Music Awards on Aug. 30.

New York – In a first, West Elm, a Williams-Sonoma subsidiary, will make its products available outside of the brand’s own stores and website.

The Williams-Sonoma subsidiary said it has entered into a partnership with U.K. department store retailer John Lewis to open an in-store shop in the newly renovated John Lewis flagship on Oxford Street in London. The shop will open on Sept. 3, following the launch of a branded West Elm shop online at Johnlewis.com.

New York -- Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, New York, has nabbed yet another online jewelry company looking to test brick-and-mortar.

Target is looking to return to the days when shoppers flocked to its stores for fabulously designed products, thanks to new directon from CEO Brian Cornell.

According to Ad Age, the company is refocused on wooing shoppers once again with a renewed emphasis on design that is "fab and functional," one of Target's core areas where the retailer really stands out in the crowded mass market field.

Read more about Target's design focus by clicking here.

Burlington, Mass. -- Another iconic brand has opened its own freestanding store.

Ice hockey equipment giant Bauer Hockey, founded in 1927, has opened its first-ever physical store, in the Boston suburb of Burlington, Massachusetts. The 20,000-sq.-ft. store, called “Own the Moment Hockey Experience,” is the first of 10 locations the company plans to open in the United States and Canada. A second is set to open this fall, in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Indianapolis -- Two of the nation’s largest athletic brands are teaming up.

The Finish Line has joined with Puma for the launch an in-store shop concept called the Puma edge at Finish Line.

Finish Line will open 10 initial Puma shops within targeted retail locations across the country and online at FinishLine.com in August. The experience includes expanded product offerings with a unique approach to marketing and content creation designed specifically to connect the Puma brand to the Finish Line consumer.

Cleveland – Sherwin-Williams is launching a colorful omnichannel program designed to ease the process of selecting paint colors. Called ColorSnap, it integrates online and offline tools and includes a new in-store display.

Sherwin-Williams is launching a new omnichannel tool designed to radically simplify how customers pick a paint color.

ColorSnap is a comprehensive system with an in-store display that helps customers select colors -- in 60% less time than with the previous display, according to in-store testing conducted by Sherwin-Williams. ColorSnap will also be available for iPhone, iPad, Android and online, allowing customers to scan each take-home color chip for instant access to inspirational room scenes.

Retailers open spaces dedicated to the connected home

Sears and Target have looked into the future (a future that some would say is already here) of residential living, and it’s “connected.” The two retailers have both opened spaces that showcase the concept of the connected home — a house where, put simply, appliances and accessories come with digital sensors that connect to the Internet and can be controlled from anywhere via a smartphone.

These so-called “smart” devices span a range of categories, from washers and refrigerators to safety and