Retailer Campaigns

From new store prototypes to merchandise changes, Abercrombie & Fitch has been investing in efforts to transform and update its namesake and Hollister brands.     Unfortunately, getting consumers to change their ideas regarding the brands is not proving all that easy, according to Columbus Business First.     

Express Inc. cut its annual profit forecast as the chain struggled with declining sales and weak store traffic in its second quarter.   The retailer reported net income of $10.1 million for the quarter ended July 30, short of Wall Street expectations, down from $21 million, in the year-ago period.   Revenue fell 6% to $504.8 million, also below Street forecasts. Same-store sales, which include online sales, fell 8%, which was worse than analysts expected.  

Retailers can expect a slight rise in holiday sales this year compared to last — fueled largely by the online channel.   That’s according to Kantar Retail, which released the industry’s first 2016 holiday sales forecast. It projects growth of 3.8% for the fourth quarter, a slight increase over the 3.4% growth in the year-ago period.     

Consumers expect to spend the same or less on holiday gifts this year.   That’s according to Berkeley Research Group, whose 2016 Holiday Retail Outlook report also identified five major challenges facing retailers as they head into the holiday season.  

Dollar General is moving into North Dakota, announcing that it has begun construction on five new stores in the state. This gives the discount retailer a footprint in 44 states after having established operations in Maine, Oregon, and Rhode Island in 2015.   The initial North Dakota locations will be in Ellendale, Gwinner, Hankinson, Hillsboro, and Oakes. They’re being built in the chain’s standard 9,100-sq.-ft. format.  

Target Corp. is taking action to put an end to the controversy that erupted in the wake of its transgender bathroom decision.    The retailer will spend $20 million to ensure that each of its stores have a single-occupancy, unisex bathroom by next year, MarketWatch reported.  

The Northfield Crossing Shopping Center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, that featured a Hastings Entertainment store has been purchased by Baker Storey McDonald Properties on behalf of an unnamed client. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.   Meanwhile, RCS Real Estate Advisors announced it would be auctioning off 120-plus store leases for the bankrupted music, movie, and video game retailer. The chain’s inventory was purchased by Hilco Merchant Resourses and Gordon Bros. Retail Partners in a Chapter 11 filing.   

Publix Super Markets is expanding its online outreach by launching the company’s first blog for engaging with customers.   The blog, called Publix Checkout, was created with the customer in mind, the company says. Blog posts will range in topic from recipes, community initiatives and sustainability ideas to holiday entertaining, health and wellness and more. Visitors to the blog can comment on posts or share them on social media sites.