Bealls, Inc.

Bealls Inc., the 100-year-old privately held operator of over 530 stores, is expanding its retail footprint with a new specialty store format, Bunulu.

Focused on the coastal lifestyle and targeted at outdoor and youth-minded shoppers, the new concept has a more upmarket vibe than Bealls’ other banners. It premiered at Coconut Point Mall in Estero, Florida. Two additional locations — at St. Johns Town Center, Jacksonville, Florida, and The Garden Mall, Palm Beach, Florida — are set to open by the end of this year.

New York -- Department store retailer Bealls Inc. has taken the wraps off its new specialty concept targeted at millennials.

Called Bunulu, the new format made its debut at Coconut Point Mall in Estero, Florida. Two additional locations — at St. Johns Town Center, Jacksonville, Florida, and The Garden Mall, Palm Beach, Florida — are set to open by the end of this year.

New York — Bealls Inc. has taken the wraps off its new store banner targeted at millennials.

The department store retailer debuted Bunulu at Coconut Point Mall in Estero, Fla. Two additional locations at the St. Johns Town Center in Jacksonville, Fla. and The Garden Mall in Palm Beach, Fla. are due to open by the end of this year.

Bealls has come up with a creative marketing campaign to leverage the artistic talent of its customers.

The company has launched the Bealls Florida Artist Competition, which will provide the opportunity for new and established artists to have their artwork produced into a line of Florida-inspired products exclusive to Bealls Florida.

Bauer Hockey: Ice hockey equipment manufacturer Bauer Hockey is throwing its puck in the retail arena. The company will open its first-ever store this summer, in Burlington, Massachusetts, followed by a second location in the fall, in the Minneapolis area.

A look at brands and categories that are growing

I read CSA editor-in-chief Marianne Wilson’s recent “From the Editor’s Desk” column (page 8, March 2015 issue, Chain Store Age) with great interest. Her piece — “The store is back (even though it never left)” — touched on the topic of brick-and-mortar retail expansion and “the relevance of offline retail in an omnichannel world.”

The article got me thinking in more detail about the retail expansion we are seeing in 2015. What brands are growing?

New concepts are the lifeblood of retailing. Here are six new stores — three homegrown formats and three imports — that are currently in the works:

Retailing Today's sister publication Chain Store Age reported this week that new concepts remain the lifeblood of retail.