Marketing Tactics

Special Report: More Climbers & Fallers
Home furnishings chain adds new hotel location
West Elm is expanding its hotel portfolio — even before it opens its first location. The retailer, a division of Williams-Sonoma, announced Portland, Maine as the newest location for its West Elm Hotels collection. Expected to open in 2020, the 150 room, full-service boutique hotel will be developed on Portland’s waterfront by Portland Foreside Development Company LLC, and operated by hotel development and management company DDK, which is West Elm Hotels’ exclusive operator.

One of the world's fastest-growing character brands opens Times Square flagship

An Asian brand whose characters were originally created for use as emoticons on a mobile messenger app has opened its first store in North America. Line Friends, whose characters include whimsical-looking bears, ducks, bunnies and more, has opened a 4,628-sq.-ft. flagship in Manhattan's Times Square as part of the company's global expansion efforts. It currently operates 84 locations in 11 countries around the globe.
Sporting goods giant cuts full-year outlook and jobs amid Q2 loss

After several years of explosive growth, Under Armour is hunkering down amid increased competition and weaker demand. And the brand, best known for its performance edge, is putting a new emphasis on lifestyle.
Mattress start-up doubles down on Amazon relationship for store success

Amazon is extending its brick-and-mortar brand exposure, once again — albeit in an unconventional way. Mattress retailer Tuft & Needle will open its newest store in October, in Seattle. And the self-funded specialty retailer is relying on Amazon’s technology and services to drive its success, according to ReCode.
Gen Z big on brick-and-mortar

The most digitally savvy generation to date has a soft side for physical stores. Despite being digital natives, 57% of Generation Z say they prefer to shop in-store rather than online, according to a report from CrowdTwist, a provider of multichannel loyalty and engagement solutions.
GameStop does an about-face on Thanksgiving

It's only July, but GameStop has jumped into the ongoing debate about whether stores should be open on Thanksgiving Day. After keeping its stores closed on Thanksgiving for the past three years, the retailer has told its employees that stores will be open for this year's holiday. The change was first reported by gaming website Kotaku.
Godiva, New York City

Godiva has opened its first in-store cafe in the United States, in Manhattan's Rockefeller Center.

The newly renovated store features a seating area where customers can enjoy a new collection of French-style desserts or Godiva’s signature chocolates, along with beverages. Godiva first introduced its cafe concept in London, where it operates a 40-table cafe on the second floor of the famous Harrods department store.
J.C. Penney turns TV show into women's apparel brand

J.C. Penney has entered into an ambitious partnership with a Lifetime reality fashion show. The department giant has launched the first-ever "Project Runway" brand, with the collection inspired by the popular show and its design contestants. Currently available in over 500 Penney stores and online, the line made its debut with a summer preview collection featuring designs inspired by season 15 winner Erin Robertson, with the full assortment planned for Sept. 8.
Chinese mall installs ‘husband pods’

Finally, an experiential retail breakthrough for the guys! The 3 million-sq.-ft. Global Harbor Mall in Shanghai, one of Asia’s largest, has installed “husband pods” to keep men occupied while their wives or other domestic partners shop. Each pod is padded out with a comfortable gaming chair, state of the art monitors, computer, and gamepad where the retail-weary can while away an hour playing vintage games from the Nineties.
Facebook soars in Q2

A jump in mobile ads and daily users contributed to another strong quarter for Facebook — one that also beat analyst expectations. For the second quarter ended June 30, total revenue rose 45% to $9.32 billion. This is a significant jump from $6.436 billion for the same period in 2016. Revenues for the quarter also beat analyst forecasts of $9.20 billion, according to Thomson Reuters. This is the ninth straight quarter that Facebook has exceeded analyst expectations.
Best Buy creates 'Dyson experiences'

A consumer electronics giant is making a move to grab some wallet share from the home category. Starting in August, Best Buy is adding Dyson Demo Experiences – dedicated spaces that will let customers try out Dyson products. Approximately 90 Best Buy stores in the United States will feature the new interactive sections, which will be designed for shoppers to test merchandise.