Events

New York — Sephora is enhancing its omnichannel appeal by taking a page out of Birchbox’s playbook.

The beauty giant will test a beauty subscription service, called Play! By Sephora, in Boston, Cincinnati, and Columbus, Ohio,  in September, reports Women’s Wear Daily, with additional markets to be added in 2016.

Some of the most creative minds in marketing, including some top retailers, were recognized recently when Experian Marketing Services held its inaugural #SuiteLife Awards.

Among the recipients of the #SuiteLife Awards, a play on Experian’s suite of marketing solutions, were American Eagle Outfitters, Neiman Marcus, Bass Pro Shops, Finish Line and Foot Locker. The awards were presented at Experian’s recently held marketing summit attended by more than 1,000 people in Las Vegas.

A Northern California mountaintop retreat was the perfect venue for the nation’s largest arts and crafts retailer to host the inaugural Michaels Makers Summit.

The recent event was intended to serve as a community-building event for the a group of approximately 50 DIY and lifestyle bloggers who comprise the Michaels Makers community.

Kroger and Eckrich came together with a special guest this week to honor -- and surprise -- a U.S. veteran.

The retailer and Eckrich hosted NASCAR driver Aric Almirola at Kroger headquarters to give medically retired Army Specialist John Dietz and his family one year of free groceries at Kroger.

Roseville, Mich. – Developing customer rewards programs costs money, but when done correctly pays big dividends. The National Coney Island restaurant chain has successfully increased guest frequency and spend with its Paytronix-powered Coney Bucks rewards program.

An instant-wins promotion almost doubled new Coney Bucks registrations over the average previous months' registrations. National Coney Island replaced its coupon-based advertising program with the Coney Bucks rewards program, which is built on the Paytronix Rewards Platform.

Chicago -- Some shopping centers are getting dog friendly.

In response to consumer demand for dog-friendly retail centers, nearly 30 JLL-managed properties are now encouraging shoppers to bring their canine companions to the mall for themed events from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. each Wednesday in August.

The newly launched Dog Days program will test the markets’ receptiveness to a dog-friendly shopping experience with four themed nights at participating centers:

Rue21 inc. is launching an unconventional philanthropy initiative designed to resonate with the retailer's target market.

“Now Trending” is a new exclusive online series to chainstoreage.com, featuring trending topics that impact the retail real estate landscape.

In recent years, a very old practice has gotten some new attention: design is once again ascendant in the world of commercial development.

While design never went away, of course, the degree to which great design is being prioritized, cultivated and integrated into the development of memorable spaces and places is noteworthy.