Marketing Tactics

One of the most exciting and rewarding things about being part of a tightly integrated national network of retail brokerages is the degree to which that network can serve as a resource unto itself. Fellow professionals from around the country and the world can engage in knowledge sharing about market-specific forces, industry observations and invaluable perspective about the changing face of the industry.

Minneapolis -- CBRE’s Capital Markets Investment Properties Group announced it has arranged the sale of White Bear Marketplace, located in St. Paul Minnesota, on behalf of its client, Oppidan Investment Company. CBRE’s SVP Jim Leary and senior associate Jeff Budish represented Oppidan Investment Company in the transaction.

Online deal provider Groupon has joined an elite group – companies that have sold one billion products.

In Groupon’s case, the product is also known as a “Groupon,” or a limited-time, localized online promotion. It took Groupon, which launched in October 2008, roughly seven-and-a-half years to reach the billion-Groupon mark.

J.C. Penney continues to be a bright spot in the retail sector with impressive increases in same-store sales and earnings, as well as a new marketing campaign that is generating a lot of buzz.

On Thursday, the retailer announced that same store sales grew 4.1 % for the fourth quarter ended Jan. 30. A combination of strong sales growth, accelerated gross margins and disciplined expense reduction resulted in full year adjusted EBITDA of $715 million, a $435 million increase.

Most people do not get a paid holiday for “Leap Day,” Feb. 29.

Then again, most people do not work for online footwear and apparel retailer Zappos. Known for doing things a little differently, such as replacing the traditional bureaucratic management structure with decentralized “holacracy,” Zappos is taking a novel approach to Leap Day.

Chattanooga, Tenn. -- CBL & Associates Properties announced it will be partnership with Girls World Expo. Girls World Expo is an organization that produces one-day events that bring young women together with positive female role models and programming meant to empower girls and help them realize their potential. In 2016, the expo will make stops at 10 CBL centers across the country.

U.S. consumers are willing to use mobile devices during the shopping process, but not so much at the end.

According to a new study of 23,000 global consumers (including U.S. shoppers) from PwC, “Total Retail 2016,” only 22% of U.S. consumers make a mobile purchase at least monthly and only 26% say mobile will become a main purchasing tool for them in the future. Deloitte cites the lack of widespread tools to make mobile purchasing easier, such as buy buttons, currently available in the U.S.

Build-A-Bear is adding two new board members whose backgrounds should serve the company well as it moves forward with its transformation plan.

Build-A-Bear announced that Tim Kilpin and Sarah Personette have been appointed to the company’s board of directors.

Kilpin, 55, will serve as a member of the Audit Committee and as a member of the Compensation and Development Committee. Personette, 36, will serve as a member of the Compensation and Development Committee and as a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

Specialty jewelry retailer Pandora found that combining a leading-edge marketing technique with a tried-and-true advertising format paid dividends during the recent holiday season.

From November 2015 – January 2016, Pandora leveraged the mobile network from location-based marketing provider Outfront Mediato drive traffic to four Miami-area stores. Pandora’s omnichannel approach included nine billboards in Miami, as well as a geo-fencing area that consisted of a five-mile radius around nine local out-of-home assets owned by Outfront Media.