Displays & Signs

Uniqlo is in the final stages of an extensive makeover of its first-ever store in New York City.      Located in Manhattan’s Soho neighborhood, the 10-year-old, 36,000-sq.-ft. store is being redone to the theme of "a new Tokyo in Soho." Scheduled to unveil its new look on Sept. 2, the store was the chain’s first global flagship. Hiroshi Taki, Uniqlo U.S.A. CEO, described it as “an important milestone in the company's plans to expand internationally.”  

The brand known the world over for its iconic crocodile logo has a new retail strategy.   In a move to enhance its brand in the United States, Lacoste is renovating high-profile locations and opening more impactful, larger-format retail stores in the its key U.S. markets, which include New York, south Florida and southern California.   

Another high-profile retail attraction has opened at Disney Springs, Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Florida.   The Coca-Cola store is designed to offer customers an immersive brand experience. Modeled after a 1920s Coca-Cola bottling plant, the store celebrates the history of the brand, starting on the exterior where the glass-accented entry pays tribute to the iconic Coke green glass bottle.    

Grandin Road will step into the physical space in what promises to be a frightening debut.   The direct retailer of home furnishings and décor will open a Halloween pop-up at Macy’s flagship in Herald Square in New York City. The 1,400-sq.-ft. shop will showcase Grandin Road’s Halloween decoration collection, which has grown steadily over the past decade.  

Tuesday Morning is showing off its updated prototype at two locations.   The chain’s expanded store at Preston Shopping Center, Dallas, and new store at Parker Central Shopping Center, in Plano, feature new fixtures, flooring, improved lighting and a redesigned store layout that makes it easier for customers to shop. The format also includes an expanded assortment of goods.  

Sony is set to open a store in Manhattan that will highlight new products and technologies, and host consumer events, film screenings and music performances.

Ninety-three percent of consumers are starting their back-to-school shopping before classes begin and receipts promise to be strong for stores.   Three-quarters of the 2,000 shoppers surveyed by JLL recently said they planned to spend between $100 and $500 on school purchases, and most of those transactions figure to take place at brick-and-mortar locations. Only 19% said they’d buy supplies online and just 25% figured to look to the Web for apparel.  

When it comes to back-to-school shopping, kids have all the power – and they strongly prefer shopping in-store. A recent study by Citi Retail Services revealed that kids wield extraordinary power over back-to-school purchase decisions, and those decisions include shopping for goods in physical stores.  

Smoothie operator Tropical Smoothie Café has refreshed its brand by blending a coastal atmosphere and elevated customer experience – with plans to take the new look and feel to locations nationwide.   "As Tropical Smoothie Cafe continued growing and evolving over the past several years, it became obvious to us that our brand's image needed to follow suit,” said Mike Rotondo, CEO. The company launched the rebranding via a new restaurant design that it plans to introduce to new and existing stores.

Clicks-to-bricks phenomenon Bonobos’ retail journey will soon extend to Manhattan’s Madison Avenue. The company has signed a 10-year lease for 1,725 sq. ft. on the ground floor of 488 Madison Avenue near St. Patrick’s Cathedral.   Neighbors of Bonobos at its new location include Saks Fifth Avenue, Tourneau, Burberry, and Nordstrom’s Trunk Club. The Feil Organization recently completed major renovations on the building, including a two-story glass curtain wall in the office lobby.