Starbucks Coffee Co.

Dallas -- The Shops at Park Lane, Dallas, has inked deals with seven new retailers and restaurants, with openings slated for late 2014 and into spring of 2015.  

Whitehouse, Ohio -- Devonshire REIT announced the acquisition of three shopping centers at a total cost of $69.75 million: Maple Hill Mall in Kalamazoo, Mich., Alpine Summit Shopping Center in Grand Rapids, Mich. and Northwest Crossings Shopping Center in Knoxville, Tenn.  

Seattle -– Starbucks Corp. is planning to launch a coffee delivery service in select U.S cities in 2015, the company said during its quarterly investors’ conference call on Oct. 30. The new service will be available to loyalty program members using the chain’s new mobile app.    Starbucks gave few specific details about the service, but the new app, allowing users to order and pay for items, will launch in Portland in December and in other U.S. markets in 2015. 

Westport, Conn. -- Charter Realty & Development said that it has leased space in Parker Harding Plaza in Westport, Conn., to The Shade Store. The Shade Store took 1,600 sq. ft., joining area tenants Patagonia, Nike, J Crew, GAP, Vineyard Vines, Pottery Barn, Coach, Talbots, Williams-Sonoma, Brooks Brothers, Sunglass Hut, Starbucks and many more.    

Seattle –- Starbucks Corp. topped off a generally successful fourth quarter of fiscal 2014 by swinging to net income of $587.9 million from net loss of $1.23 billion the fourth quarter of the prior fiscal year. The removal of a one-time arbitration charge of $2.8 billion helped bring Starbucks into the black.  

By Ben Kaplan, CashStar   It is clear that mobile has an essential role in omnichannel retail, serving as the bridge between in-store and online with shoppers using their devices for product research both in and out of the store, to store and manage points, coupons and gift cards, and increasingly, to make purchases.  

In announcing its new mobile ordering service, Starbucks referenced a "seismic shift in consumer behavior in which many traditional brick-and-mortar retailers experienced a decline in foot traffic compared with significant growth in online shopping" during the 2013 holiday season. Indeed, consumers are increasingly comfortable with bypassing physical stores and purchasing goods online, especially when facing the prospect of holiday crowds and traffic.  

Any retail marketer today understands that the value of a loyalty program lies in the data it collects and the ability to target consumers based on that data. But in today’s omnichannel environment, consumers have expectations on of how retailers are using their information what that data is “buying” them -- expectations that retailers are struggling to meet.

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