Marketing Tactics

The Tile Shop is entering the most populous metropolitan market in Texas   The specialty retailer of manufactured and natural stone tiles has opened its first store in the Houston market, in the suburb of Webster. Throughout 2017, The Tile Shop will open several other stores in the greater Houston area, including a second location in mid-August, in Sugar Land. With the two Houston openings, the retailer will have a total of 132 stores in 31 states and the District of Columbia,   

What's in a name? That's a question Dunkin' Donuts is wrestling with.   In a move to get people to think of the chain more as a coffee destination, the company is considering eliminating "Donuts" from its name, according to several media reports. In a test, the chain will open a new location, in Pasadena, California, that will be simply called Dunkin'. Several other locations will also be given the condensed name.   

The back-to-school shopping season is in full swing, and Office Depot is ready.   With back-to-school spending expected to reach $83.6 billion, an increase of more than 10% over last year’s $75.8 billion, according to the National Retail Federation, Office Depot is eager to grab its portion of this back-to-school wallet share. To achieve this goal, the office supplies retailer is diversifying assortments and stepping up fulfillment efforts.  

American Apparel’s website has been hinting about a summer relaunch for some time — now its parent company is making good its promise.   Gildan Activewear, which purchased the specialty retailer at a bankruptcy auction earlier this year, is preparing to relaunch the brand’s e-commerce website, according to Bloomberg. However, this is only the first project on its list of retail plans.  

Empire Outlets, the outlet center taking shape on the Staten Island side of the Staten Island Ferry, has turned to Manhattan and Holly Nichols to help promote the center.   Nichols’s illustrations have guided campaigns for Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman-Marcus, not to mention New York and Boston Fashion Weeks. Her work has 600,000 followers on Instagram, and originals sell to collectors on Etsy.  

The address of Under Armour’s new brand house in Detroit — 1201 Woodward Avenue — is an historic one in retail. There, in 1917, S.S. Kresge, the forerunner of Kmart, opened its first Detroit “five-and-dime.” The Kresge Building figures in recent retail history, too, as one of the bloc of buildings purchased by Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert in his quest to revitalize Detroit’s blighted downtown.  

L Brands, The Cato Corp., and The Buckle reported decreases in same-store sales, although one still managed to sound an upbeat note about its second quarter.   

Amazon’s investments in the shoe business are paying off.   While 2017 is not even close to over, it is shaping up to being a strong year for shoes on Amazon. The company has already experienced 18% growth year-over-year during the first two quarters, alone. For 2016, Amazon had a total of 35% year-over-year growth, according to a study by One Click Retail.   

Saks Fifth Avenue is partnering with Disney to celebrate the holidays.   Saks' annual holiday window display at its New York City flagship on Fifth Avenue will be devoted to "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." The collaboration with Disney also includes special Disney-inspired fashion, accessories and giftable items created by premier designers and available across Saks' 41 stores in the U.S. and Canada, and Saks.com.   

Uniqlo will be popping up at airports and malls across the nation — but not through retail storefronts.   Putting a new spin on the term “fast fashion,” the Japanese retailer is launching 6-ft.-high vending machines that will enable customers to purchase T-shirts and lightweight down jackets, the Wall Street Journal reported. Merchandise is packaged in boxes and cans.