Marketing Tactics

Sporting goods retailer expands New York footprint
Modell’s Sporting Goods will open two stores in the New York metro area on August 25, bringing its total store count to 156 locations. The openings include Modell’s 11th location in Brooklyn, and a store in in Mount Kisco. Both locations will feature a wide selection of top brands such as Nike, Under Armour, Adidas, Reebok, Spalding and more.
Best Buy puts out welcome mat for connected store concept
Best Buy has opened a pop-up dedicated to smart technology products for the home in the rotunda of the nation’s largest mall.

Report identifies holiday shopping challenges

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.
Sears moves to elevate apparel offerings with fashion-forward, in-store concept

Sears is piloting a concept that could breathe new life into its apparel offerings.
Nordstrom doubling down on Space

Nordstrom is extending its hip in-store boutique, Space, to more locations. The department store retailer is expanding the concept to four additional stores (including sites in Los Angeles, Nashville, and Toronto), which will double the number of locations since it was launched one year ago.
PetSmart in pet relief effort

PetSmart is reaching out to help pets stranded by the Louisiana floods The chain and its charitable nonprofit arm, PetSmart Charities, are coming to the aid of hundreds of animals left homeless by the Louisiana floods, which is being called the worst natural disaster to hit the United States since Hurricane Sandy.
First Data report: Back-to-school spending starting to heat up

Back to school sales appear to be rebounding this year after experiencing sluggish growth over the past three years (2013-2015). That’s according to First Data’s Back-to-school SpendTrend report, which is based on aggregate same store sales activity in the First Data point-of-sale network. Some of the most significant findings include:
Now Trending: Augmented retail-ity
Dollar General expands into North Dakota

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.
Dick’s Sporting Goods acquires team business tech firm

Back in January, Dick’s Sporting Goods launched Team Sports HQ in an effort to capture the nation’s lucrative youth sports league business. Today the company announced the purchase of the tech to get it there.
Target, other retailers answer Louisiana’s call for help after ‘Great Flood of 2016’

Photo: Marko Kokic, Red Cross As the national media continues to largely ignore Louisiana’s cries for help after 6.9 trillion gallons of rain pummeled the southern part of the state between Aug. 8 and Aug. 14, retailers such as Target Corp. have answered the call.
Survey: Hispanics rely on phones to make back-to-school choices

Three-quarters of Hispanic shoppers in the U.S. will make back-to-school purchase in stores, but which ones will be strongly influenced by their mobile marketing offers. A survey of 500 Hispanic consumers conducted by mobile ad platform Retale found nine out of 10 saying they’d be using their smartphones to shop and that their dollars would be put toward the best deals.