Gelson's

Lille, France – French home improvement retailer Leroy Merlin, a banner of Adeo Group, will install Pricer's electronic shelf label (ESL) system in all of its 121 stores by the end of 2015. Thirty -five store installations are planned for 2014 and the remainder during 2015.

The project value is estimated at more than $20 million. Leroy Merlin will roll out a mix of Pricer's economical segment-based ESLs along with featured graphic E-Paper-based labels throughout its stores.

Wilmington, Del. — Law firm Rigrodsky & Long, P.A is investigating potential legal claims against the board of directors of Arden Group, Inc. regarding possible breaches of fiduciary duties and other violations of law related to the company’s entry into an agreement to be acquired by global private investment firm TPG, in a transaction valued at approximately $394 million.

Omnichannel technology drives store experience evolution

The store experience isn’t what it used to be. Rapidly developing omnichannel technologies, such as mobile and social, are redefining the very definition of a “store” and what customers can accomplish within. 

In addition, retailers can glean more information about consumers using leading-edge technology. For example, indoor location analytics vendor iInside lets retailers track and analyze store traffic using customer mobile devices to provide a host of data on store operations and processes. 

Compton, Calif. – Numerous law firms have launched investigations into the board of directors of Arden Group, Inc. to determine possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of state law in connection with the sale of the company to the investment firm TPG.

By John Orr, [email protected]

Passive-aggressive, unengaged employees just aren’t that into your customers. Worse, they might be taking it out on customers, whose experience sends them to competitors. Contrast that with the upside of having an engaged staff happy at their jobs and going out of their way to treat customers well.

Los Angeles -- Arden Group, owner of the 16-unit Gelson’s Market grocery chain, said that the company is exploring its strategic options and has hired financial adviser Moelis & Co. to help with the review process.

The options may include a possible sale of the company.

No timeline for any potential transactions has been outlined.

From mobile payments to mining big data for customer insights, savvy retailers are using all the tools at their disposal to engage and connect with shoppers and provide relevant, convenient and personalized shopping experiences across all channels.

As retailers competitively position themselves for growth in 2013 and beyond, there are a number of hot buttons or key considerations that will be driving their strategies. Here is a look at some of the top ones:

Marketing and IT collaboration

Retail chains are keeping a sharp eye on IT solutions that will deliver a fast return on investment and streamline business operations. A step in the right direction is to transition a legacy-based applications to the cloud, but a lack of understanding among the corporate hierarchy can slow efforts.