Marketing Tactics

The commercial real estate community is somewhat of a paradox. For an industry that is literally built on the premise of creating new and exciting destinations, there is a tendency to do things the way they have always been done.

E-commerce platform Shopify wants to help social media content creators expand into the world of online sales.

Shopify is partnering with FameBit, a Santa Monica, California-based platform that allows social media influencers and brands to collaborate for product and service endorsements. The new partnership will allow more than 31,000 of FameBit’s influencers to leverage Shopify’s VIP program and technology to expand into e-commerce.

Move over Big Lots and Ollie’s Bargain Outlet. Kmart is ready to begin making opportunistic purchases of closeouts and liquidated good in keeping with its strategic vision to make shopping fun again.

Kmart said its strategic merchandising group is actively sourcing extreme-value deals by purchasing the inventory of liquidated companies and capitalizing on other opportunistic situations to obtain outstanding products and offer unbeatable value.

There are a lot of options in decorating a home, and Los Angeles-based specialty home furnishings retailer Z Gallerie wants to match its offerings to customer tastes.

“We’ve been known for one particular style which our customers love and that we’ve done quite well with,” said Chris Nicklo, VP of customer and chief marketing officer of Z Gallerie, during an interview with Chain Store Age. “But to grow, we knew we would need to appeal to a broader spectrum of customers.”

A Nordic lifestyle store has made its London debut.

Inspired by the hybrid café and retail concepts commonly found in Scandinavia, Blåbär features homeware and accessories from up and coming designers, vintage furniture and its own branded products all in a café environment serving Swedish foods and drinks.

Regional grocery chain Weis Markets says its loyalty program and other promotions helped boost traffic in the third quarter as the company reported an increase in same-store sales.

For the period ended Sept. 26, sales increased 4.1% to $711.9 million while same-store sales increased 4%, compared to the third quarter in 2014. The company says it generated $12.8 million in net income, down 5.4%, compared to the same period in 2014. Third quarter earnings per share totaled 48 cents, compared to 50 cents in 2014.

Bryn and Dane’s announced it will be expanding from three to six locations in Pennsylvania within the next year. The new stores will be located in the Philadelphia Metro Area:

• Bryn Mawr Village in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania; set to open summer 2016
• Atwater South in Malvern, Pennsylvania; set to open fall 2016
• The Franklin, 834 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; set to open early 2017

Traffic and conversion troubles led to a same store sales decrease for fashion retailer Bebe in the second quarter.

For the period ended Jan. 2, net sales decreased 5% to $122.4 million, as compared to $128.9 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2015. The net sales decrease was primarily driven by a comp decrease and store closures. Same store sales decreased 2.5% compared to an increase of 8% in the same period of the prior year. Traffic and conversion declined while average unit retail was flat.

Just in time for Coachella, H&M is teaming up once again with the world-famous California festival by creating a co-branded coed collection.

The H&M Loves Coachella collection will launch in the U.S. in stores on March 24 with a sneak peek online on March 23. The Coachella festival is held yearly in Southern California in April.

Ezra Dabah is launching a curated box service for girls ages 3 to 12. Called Kidpik, the new concept will charge customers only for the items they decide to keep after the alloted trial period, Crain’s New York reported. [Crain’s New York]