Walmart

Observant shoppers will have noticed something ominous in recent weeks: the arrival of fall and winter products and holiday marketing/promotions in many stores. As unbelievable as it might seem, considering the fact that much of the country is still experiencing 90-degree heat and a glance at the calendar shows that it is barely September as I write this, the holiday hullabaloo is already underway.

As part of its continued long-term profitable growth strategy, Toys“R”Us has appointed a number of executives to key leadership roles.
 

ECRM compared retail circular advertising in August 2013 versus August 2014 and noted trends occurring across top retail chains. Back-to-school season was in full swing, yet the drug retailers took opposite approaches to their promotions. Walgreens featured multiple BTS promotions on each of its front pages both this year and last. On the other hand, CVS’s front pages did not feature any traditional school/office supplies, instead focusing on the cosmetics category in three of its four August 2014 circulars.

Beachwood, Ohio -- DDR Corp. announced the addition of Nordstrom Rack to The Shops at Midtown Miami, a 98% leased, 645,000-sq.-ft. urban, value-oriented power center in Miami.

DDR created space for Nordstrom Rack through its Project Accelerate initiative announced in May of 2014, whereby DDR is recapturing below-market leases from underperforming anchor tenants and backfilling these locations with best-in-class retailers.

Walmart has reportedly issued a new dress code and staff members are not happy, according to Gawker.

Complex magazine reported that the new dress code “requires certain employees to wear white or navy blue collared shirts with khaki or pants, capris, or skirts,” according to Walmart human resources executive Barbara Simone.

By Joe Tichar, senior VP of corporate operations, DDR, Beachwood, Ohio

Forward-thinking retailers are increasingly leveraging their brick-and-mortar locations to establish omnichannel models that meet the growing consumer demand for a more convenient, more cost-effective and more personalized shopping experience.
 

Ottawa, Canada - Trying to stay competitive with Amazon.com on price may not be the best path to success for department store and discount retailers. According to pricing analysis of 1,000-plus household goods based on Amazon’s own assortment relative to Kohl’s, Walmart, Target and Macy’s conducted by 360pi and Retail Systems Research from March-June 2014, Kohl’s was consistently 30%-60% above Amazon’s pricing for this sample, but also reported the healthiest financials of the group.

New York – Shoppers spent $50.17 billion online during the 2014 back-to-school shopping season, which represents a 16% gain from $43.26 billion in the year-ago period, according to eMarketer. Online commerce during the months of July and August — the main months for back-to-school shopping — accounted for approximately one-sixth of retail ecommerce sales for the year, according to eMarketer estimates, as well as 70.5% of retail ecommerce sales in third quarter 2014.