Displays & Signs

Sears is piloting a concept that could breathe new life into its apparel offerings.    

Nordstrom is extending its hip in-store boutique, Space, to more locations.   The department store retailer is expanding the concept to four additional stores (including sites in Los Angeles, Nashville, and Toronto), which will double the number of locations since it was launched one year ago.  

Back to school sales appear to be rebounding this year after experiencing sluggish growth over the past three years (2013-2015).   That’s according to First Data’s Back-to-school SpendTrend report, which is based on aggregate same store sales activity in the First Data point-of-sale network.   Some of the most significant findings include:  

PetSmart is looking to get a bigger share of the more than $60 billion Americans spent on their pets last year.      The retailer has opened its first-ever PetSmart Pet Spa, in Oceanside, New York. The new store is aimed at offering an enhanced experience and is intended to test out various ideas for consideration within PetSmart’s network of 1,460 plus stores.  

Skechers continues to expand its global footprint.   The brand on Tuesday opened a flagship store in the shopping center at the new World Trade Center in lower Manhattan. With some 1,545 stores worldwide, Skechers anticipates having more than 1,600 locations up and running by yearend.  

Target Corp. has brought its new flexible-format store model to Chicago’s Lincoln Park North.   The 33,000-sq.-ft. store, which features Target’s first Freshii café, has been carefully curated for the neighborhood, and includes home items sized for condos and small space living and artwork that reflects the local culture and community. The creative force behind the bold art installations was hometown artist Cody Hudson and his team at Struggle Inc.  

Online and catalog retailer Garnet Hill is taking a curated collection of its aspirationally styled home and apparel goods on the road with a mobile pop-up boutique.   The experience, created from a converted shipping container, resembles a natural home environment – except that it's shop-able. The mobile pop-up will launch at Garnet Hill headquarters in Franconia, New Hampshire, moving south through New Hampshire, and completing its summer tour in New York City.    

Story, the innovative retail store in Manhattan that totally reinvents itself every few months, has gone nostalgic with its latest revamp.   Story’s new installation, “Remember When,” offers an immersive retro experience that celebrates Nickelodeon’s memorable characters and iconic shows — “Rugrats” and “Sponge Bob” to name just two — from the ‘90s, just in time for the 25th anniversary of Nickelodeon.  

Restoration Hardware has few equals — and spares no expense — when it comes to creating luxurious retail destinations.     The luxury home furnishings retailer’s newest store, at The Gallery at Town Center Plaza, Leawood, Kansas, represents the latest iteration of its next-generation design galleries. The three-level, 56,000-sq.-ft. store includes an entire floor dedicated to the brand’s new concept, RH Modern, complete with an integrated RH Contemporary Art Gallery.  

It’s no secret that Abercrombie & Fitch has been developing a new prototype.   The chain will unveil its new look early next year, at Polaris Fashion Place, in Columbus, Ohio. The store will herald a new direction for the brand with a new aesthetic and updated merchandise selections. It will be situated on the lower level near Madewell.     Abercrombie has already introduced a new look for its Hollister store brand.