Marketing Tactics

Toronto -- Cushman & Wakefield has been appointed retail leasing agent for 100 Bloor Street West, a major shopping mecca in Toronto. Currently occupied by Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma, the flagship retail space represents the largest block of available space on Bloor Street in the past 20 years.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings Corp. on Thursday reported a bigger-than-expected loss in its second quarter – the retailer’s ninth consecutive quarterly loss – amid weak sales. The retailer also announced it may close additional stores on top of the 130 closures already underway this year.

Sears also said Thursday the company plans to explore options with lenders to achieve more long-term capital-structure flexibility in the coming six to 12 months.

York, Pa. -- The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. reported a loss of $36.2 million in the second quarter, narrowed from a loss of $37.3 million in the year-ago period.

Revenue edged up 1.1% to $563.5 million, compared with $557.1 million in the prior year period. Same-store sales increased 1.6%.

“We were pleased that we achieved comparable store sales growth, particularly given the challenging promotional environment and continuation of soft traffic trends,” said Brendan Hoffman, CEO.

Salisbury, N.C. -- Delhaize America banner Food Lion has unveiled a new shopping experience for customers in 31 stores in the greater Wilmington, North Carolina, market, and has announced plans to remodel 45 stores in Greenville as part of the grocery’s "Easy, Fresh and Affordable…You Can Count on Food Lion Every Day" strategy.

New York -- Seiko Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Seiko Watch Corporation, announced the grand opening of its first Seiko boutique to enter the United States at 510 Madison Avenue in New York City.  

The New York Seiko boutique is primarily dedicated to Seiko's collections, but also features boutique exclusives.

Framingham, Mass. -- T.J.Maxx will be opening five stores in the Chicagoland area starting this week and through October.

"The opening of these five stores in the Chicagoland area marks a momentous occasion for our brand," Richard Sherr, president of T.J.Maxx, stated.

All five T.J.Maxx stores will occupy over 122,000 sq. ft. of retail space.

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. on Wednesday reported a 61.7% drop in Q2 earnings. The chain also lowered slashed its annual profit outlook as it continues to deal with weak results in Canada, sluggish U.S. sales and the lingering effects of its data breach.   

Target earned $234 million in the quarter ended Aug. 2, down from $611 million in the year-ago period.

Revenue rose 1.7% to $17.4 billion, slightly above the $17.38 billion analysts had expected.

Las Vegas -- A resident of Las Vegas has launched a shoe vending machine, according to the Las Vegas Business Press. The business was born of a need to change out of high heels and into more comfortable footwear.

Ashley Ross launched Rollasole, a vending machine that dispenses comfortable flats. MGM Resorts International sells the shoes in several of its retail outlets in its Las Vegas resorts. And the shoes can be purchased in stores at Wynn Las Vegas and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas as well.

Atlanta -- Country Club Prep, an e-commerce retailer for preppy apparel, is hosting the grand opening of its first brick-and-mortar store in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Aug. 23. Launched from a basement in 2012 by two former attorneys Matt Watson and Stephen Glasgow, the concept will launch its brick-and-mortar presence at the University of Virginia.

New York -- Lane Bryant announced that American ready-to-wear designer Lela Rose will be creating a limited-edition line exclusively for the special-sized retailer. The collection is set to hit stores summer 2015, and will be sold under the Lela Rose Exclusively for Lane Bryant label.

Lela Rose will be the third designer collaboration for Lane Bryant, joining the Sophie Theallet and Isabel Toledo collections.