Retailer Campaigns

Birmingham, Ala. – Books-A-Million needs more best-sellers.

A lack of hit books hit fiscal results of Books-A-Million Inc. during the second quarter of fiscal 2015. Net loss grew to $5.8 million from $3 million the same quarter a year earlier, with costs and expenses rising or staying flat in the face of slipping revenues.

Net sales dipped to $107.9 million, from $108.3 million. Same-store sales dropped 0.3%.

New York -- Macy’s is set to unveil its new store banner, the off-price Macy’s Backstage, in the Queens borough of New York City and Huntington, New York, on Sept. 2.

The store offers a no-frills shopping experience, according to the Associated Press, which was given a sneak peek at the new format.

Click here for the story.

Brisbane, Calif. – Bebe Stores Inc. continues to expand its global presence.

Bebe announced it has signed a five-year strategic cooperation agreement with Shanghai-based brand agency Longgoal LLC to open between 60 and 150 Bebe stores, shop-in-shops and third-party retailers in Greater China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. The first store is expected to open in the summer of 2016.

The holiday force has awakened earlier than ever at Walmart with the Aug. 28 launch of a major initiative called Toy Week.

Walmart has released its top toy list of 25 products and announced details of a layaway program that is less restrictive than prior years. The program begins Aug. 28, two weeks earlier than last years, and those participating will find the price point of eligible items has been reduced to $10 with a minimum basket size of $50, there is no account opening fee and only a 10% down payment is required.

Falmouth, Mass. – In The Pink wants its customers to feel connected.

The 10-store specialty chain, exclusively selling Lily Pulitzer branded merchandise, offers a product assortment that makes customers feel a high degree of personal connection. Building on this personal relationship, In The Pink allows customers to direct promotions – in the form of 21-second online videos.

Gisele Bundchen may have retired from the runway, but Stuart Weitzman knows the supermodel still appeals to fashionable shoppers.

So the retailer has enlisted the celebrity mom to star in the brand's first TV commercial, which will premiere during this year’s MTV Video Music Awards on Aug. 30.

Target is looking to return to the days when shoppers flocked to its stores for fabulously designed products, thanks to new directon from CEO Brian Cornell.

According to Ad Age, the company is refocused on wooing shoppers once again with a renewed emphasis on design that is "fab and functional," one of Target's core areas where the retailer really stands out in the crowded mass market field.

Read more about Target's design focus by clicking here.

New York -- Target is leaning on its product design and development team as its works to return to the days when shoppers flocked to "Tar-zhay" for fabulous design and inventive product, according to a report in Ad Age.
 
For a look inside the retailer's design lab, read the full story here.