Displays & Signs

CVS Health's decision to stop selling cigarettes is having its intended impact - 52% of those consumers who used to buy their cigarettes from CVS say it is now harder to buy cigarettes altogether, according to a survey commissioned by V2, a manufacturer of electronic cigarette and vaporizer products. Out of that group, 73% called the impact manageable, stating that “buying cigarettes is now harder but I have other options” and 27% said it made buying them “much harder.”

Digital exploration and the customer experience are at the heart of two new concept stores from wireless carrier O2.

The stores were designed to revolutionize the look and feel of a traditional mobile phone shop and provide a destination for people to not just buy a phone, but to learn about the latest technology.

Two of the nation’s leading retail companies, Target and Under Armour, are on board to offer dynamic presentations at the upcoming SPECS conference in Dallas.

Go behind-the-scenes with Target as the retailer reviews its new Open House concept, and details how a decidedly non-conventional retail space has upped the innovation ante while also providing a testing ground for future in-store innovations on a broader scale.

To further differentiate commercial space the trend among architects, restaurateurs, retailers, and developers has been towards sign packages that seamlessly marry the building facade and family of signs.

Move over Big Lots and Ollie’s Bargain Outlet. Kmart is ready to begin making opportunistic purchases of closeouts and liquidated good in keeping with its strategic vision to make shopping fun again.

Kmart said its strategic merchandising group is actively sourcing extreme-value deals by purchasing the inventory of liquidated companies and capitalizing on other opportunistic situations to obtain outstanding products and offer unbeatable value.

A Nordic lifestyle store has made its London debut.

Inspired by the hybrid café and retail concepts commonly found in Scandinavia, Blåbär features homeware and accessories from up and coming designers, vintage furniture and its own branded products all in a café environment serving Swedish foods and drinks.

Just in time for Coachella, H&M is teaming up once again with the world-famous California festival by creating a co-branded coed collection.

The H&M Loves Coachella collection will launch in the U.S. in stores on March 24 with a sneak peek online on March 23. The Coachella festival is held yearly in Southern California in April.

Fashion and department stores, perhaps more than other retail segments, understand the benefits of visual merchandising. Consumers may set out to shop for a specific item, but seeing “that item” curated as part of an outfit with related garments and accessories is a surefire way to upsell complementary apparel.

Build-A-Bear Workshop on Tuesday said it will continue to diversify its store portfolio — including the opening of a branded experience on a cruise ship — as the chain announced disappointing results for its fourth quarter.

The retailer reported a better-than-expected profit of $20.6 million for the quarter, ended January 3, 2016, compared to net income of $11.8 million in the year ago period.

Nordstrom revealed dramatic plans for a massive and elaborate flagship in Manhattan designed to wow residents of a city accustomed to the best retailers have to offer.

The approximately 363,000-sq.-ft. store will encompass four individual properties in the Columbus Circle neighborhood of Manhattan, along Broadway between West 57th and West 58th Streets. Slated to open in 2019, it will be the retailer’s second largest store to date (the largest, at 383,000 sq. ft., is in its Seattle hometown).