Displays & Signs

Ikea is hoping to build its fifth store in the state of Texas.   The retailer is submitting plans to the City of Live Oak, Texas, for a San Antonio-area store. Pending approvals, construction could begin in spring 2018, with an opening in summer 2019.     Located approximately 15 miles northeast of downtown San Antonio, the 289,000-sq.-ft. proposed Ikea would be built on 31 acres.  

  The Fung Global Retail & Technology team visited 35 stores throughout the Greater New York City area and Las Vegas on Black Friday for a first-hand view on traffic and sales.  Here are their top five takeaways from their store visits:  Cyber Monday Starts Early for Walmart:  Walmart kicked off its Cyber Monday deals at 12:01am EST on Friday for the first time ever, as it aims to grab customers ahead of its competitors. Last year, the company posted its Cyber Monday deals on the Sunday evening following Thanksgiving.

Inspired by its West Hollywood Design District locale, Lululemon’s new store on Melrose Avenue offers a sleek, stylish and modern shopping environment.    Modern ivy leaf-inspired patterns throughout the interior and exterior, along with the use of reclaimed red wood and iron spot brick, highlight the architectural components of the 2,750-sq.-ft. space.    

To help its shoppers get in the holiday shopping spirit, Express is launching exclusive holiday Snapchat filters. To celebrate the biggest shopping day of the year, Express will roll out a series of five Black Friday and holiday-themed national Snapchat filters throughout the day on Black Friday, Nov. 25. The Express-sponsored filters include "It Runs in the Fam," "But First Coffee," "Black Friday Beast Mode," "Leftovers are Lit," and "The Party Starts Now.”

Furniture manufacturer Herman Miller continues its transformation from a maker of modern office furniture to a lifestyle brand with the opening of its first retail store.     The 6,000-sq.-ft. Herman Miller store is located on the ground and second floors of Herman Miller's flagship building on Park Avenue South in Manhattan. The building houses corporate office space for Maharam, Design Within Reach, and Geiger — all Herman Miller owned companies — along with commercial showrooms for Herman Miller and Geiger.

Restoration Hardware Holdings continues to expand, opening a 60,000-sq.-ft. store in Seattle at University Village.

Canadian outerwear brand Canada Goose, best known for its signature goose-down jacket with fur-trimmed hood, has opened its first-ever U.S. store.   The 4,100-sq.-ft. space is designed to reflect the company’s roots and Arctic heritage. The works of Canadian artisans are showcased throughout the store, which also features gallery-styled displays of vintage pieces from the brand’s archives and a 3,840-pound marble cash-wrap, carved from a single piece of rock and sourced from a quarry in British Columbia.   

Shoppers at select Calvin Klein stores may soon be able to charge their phones while also watching some promotional content.    The specialty apparel retailer is installing complementary in-store phone charging kiosks in approximately nine stores across the United States and Canada, including New York City and Las Vegas. The kiosks, from Veloxity, will be in place just in time for Black Friday.   

The online retailer credited with disrupting the mattress category may be moving into the physical space.   Casper, which delivers its mattresses folded in a box, has plans to open a fleet of physical stores, according to help wanted ads placed on its website, according to the New York Post.   

Plenty has been written about the importance of infusing experiences into shopping centers. Much has been written about placemaking. But not nearly enough has been written about the role a well-thought-out landscape environment contributes to overall experience and the power of "place." It’s more important to women shoppers than you might imagine.