Marketing Tactics

Retailers have been known to employ all sorts of clever devices when commemorating a grand opening, but shapewear retailer Spanx takes the practice to a new level.

Home Depot was known to saw a board in half in lieu of a traditional ribbon cutting and outdoor retailer Gander Mountain once had an archer with a razor tipped arrow sever the ribbon. When Spanx opens its fourth retail location on April 11 at the International Plaza mall in Tampa the company plans to commemorate the occasion with a hosiery cutting as part of a “jiggle-free jubilee.”

Walmart has extended an electronics trade-in program to the gaming category and will introduce the sale of refurbished games later this year in a move that could boost traffic to the entertainment department.

New York – Barnes & Noble subsidiary Nook Media LLC, is making its Nook Press self-publishing platform available to authors and publishers in the U.K., France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Authors and publishers in these countries can now upload and start selling their books in these territories through Nook devices and free Nook reading apps, allowing them to reach millions of Nook customers around the globe.

San Francisco -- Gap Inc. plans to open five franchise-operated Old Navy stores in the Philippines in 2014. The first two Old Navy stores will open in Manila in March and there are plans to open three more stores in the second half of the year for a total of five Old Navy stores in 2014.

The first of two Old Navy stores, a dedicated three-story building, will open in the heart of Manila’s fashion and shopping district, Bonifacio High Street, on March 22. The second store will open in the prominent Glorietta mall on March 29.

Jessica Simpson’s plus-size swimwear line is now available at Swimsuitsforall, a leading online retailer for women's swimwear.

The collection features tankinis, swimdresses and plus-size bikinis, including high-waisted bottoms paired with bandeau/halter bikini tops.

Recently, Swimsuitsforall debuted their Designer Boutique swimwear collection, featuring MICHAEL Michael Kors, Anne Cole, Becca ETC, Kenneth Cole Reaction, La Blanca, Carmen Marc Valvo, Badgley Mischka and Jessica Simpson.

 

WWE Slam City is the name of a new kids-oriented entertainment property from sports entertainment producer WWE and Mattel.

The companies said WWE Slam City would include action figures and wrestling ring sets along with a 26 episode series of animated shorts featuring the WWE Superstars in the animated world of Slam City. The first four episodes have begun airing at WWESlamCity.com and Cartoonium on YouTube.

Land of Nod was founded 18 years ago as an online retailer of furniture, décor and bedding for infants and kids but has since become an omnichannel operator with an upscale brand.
 
The company currently operates five stores in California, Illinois and Seattle. Managing director Michelle Kohanzo shared some perspective on what it’s like to work at an omnichannel retailer in the latest installment of This Is Retail from the National Retailer Federation.

Covington, La. And Chattanooga, Tenn. — Phase I of Fremaux Town Center in Slidell, La., opened on Friday, according to the property’s joint developers Stirling Properties and CBL & Associates Properties.

Kohl’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Best Buy and T.J.Maxx anchor the 352,342-sq.-ft. center, which is more than 95% leased.