Marketing Tactics

When it comes to display merchandise solutions, most retailers are looking for more space and versatility. Uniweb has dedicated itself to providing both since making its debut in 1970. Company president Cindy Davidson discussed general trends in fixturing and what sets Uniweb, which prides itself as a made-in-America manufacturer, apart from the competition.

With company representatives, Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, local officials and community leaders on hand, Ikea officially broke ground for its future St. Louis store scheduled to open fall 2015.

The 380,000-sq.-ft. location with 1,300 parking spaces will be built along the northern side of Interstate-64 and Vandeventer Ave. on nearly 21 acres in the City’s Cortex Innovation District. The company has contracted with St. Louis-based S. M. Wilson & Co. to construct the project.

After 24 years of patchwork-style growth, Wild Wing Cafe is getting serious about expansion. The chain has debuted its first-ever prototype design and, true to the brand’s roots, live entertainment is critical to the format. From the low-rise stage equipped with a special VIP entrance for musicians to an oversized video wall comprised of more than 20 screens, Wild Wing Cafe takes its motto — “Where Great Food Rocks” — seriously.

Rebates for lighting upgrades are alive and well, with rebate organizations having updated their rebate and incentive programs for 2014. Currently, 71% of the country is covered by an active commercial lighting rebate, according to BriteSwitch, Princeton, New Jersey, which helps large national companies take advantage of rebate and incentive programs that exist across the United States and Canada.

Here is a review of major rebate trends from BriteSwitch: 

New York - A series of new concept Juicy Couture stores will be opened in the U.S. and Canada beginning in 2015. The new stores will be in key, high traffic locations such as New York City, Los Angeles and Vancouver, and will replace existing Juicy Couture stores in the U.S.

Philadelphia — Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust has executed leases with Retail Group of America to bring three international brands F&F, Flormar and SuiteBlanco to the Patrick Henry Mall in Newport News, Virginia. The transactions illustrate PREIT’s strategy for improving portfolio performance by seeking out emerging, first-to-market options.

Believe it or not (and I can barely believe it myself), the critical back-to-school period at the end of summer is right around the corner. While back-to-school is always big for retailers, this year’s period could be an especially important one, as 2014 has been underwhelming so far.

Fast Retailing Co.’s Comptoir des Cotonniers division has launched “Fast Shopping,” which allows European shoppers to purchase items in 20 seconds on their mobile devices via an application from Powa Technologies, London. Shoppers using the PowaTag app can scan items they see on ads in various places to make the purchase and with one click, complete the transaction and have the goods delivered to their home within 48 hours.

The Finish Line takes omnichannel approach to ‘March Madness’

Athletic footwear retailer The Finish Line offers a highly seasonal assortment.

Personalization, localization, interaction, “limited edition” retail and store experience. These are the top priorities — to varying degrees — for retailers as they look to bridge the divide between online and offline retail in the physical space. Here’s a look at how it plays out in three new stores: