DESIGN/CONSTRUCTION

DSW Inc. is making good on its promise to create a foothold in the Persian Gulf.   The footwear giant opened of its first warehouse store in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The new 15,000-sq.-ft. store is located at the Mall of Dhahran.   

The Kroger Co. is looking to extend its share of consumers' food dollars — this time, however, it’s aiming for the dollars spent on meals outside the home.    The supermarket retailer is opening its first-ever full-service restaurant, which will be located next to Kroger's new Marketplace store in Union, Kentucky. In a nod to the year Kroger was founded, the restaurant will be called Kitchen 1883. It will open in late October.   

The maker of what it calls "the world's most comfortable shoes" has set up shop in New York City.   Allbirds, the eco-friendly online brand with a fast-growing and devoted following (especially in the Silicon Valley), has opened its second brick-and-mortar location, in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood. The company opened its first store, on the ground floor of its San Francisco headquarters, in April.  

Pottery Barn is showing off its latest store concept at its just-opened flagship in Manhattan's Flatiron District.   Located in a landmark Beux-Arts styled building, the 17,000-sq.-store features original columns and adorned ceiling accents. It emphasizes local partnerships, design services and exclusive products, including one-of-kind vintage items.   

As retailers consider how to best use their physical spaces in a digital world, Nordstrom is going "local," debuting a small-format retail concept that offers all sorts of personal services, but has no dedicated inventory.   

Online home furnishings and decor retailer One Kings Lane is making its temporary foray into brick-and-mortar retail more permanent.   The retailer opened its first-ever physical location, a seasonal pop-up in the posh resort town of Southampton, New York, at the beginning of summer. But the company said the response to the temporary store was so positive that it has decided to make it a permanent space.  

A start-up that specializes in melted-sandwiches made from high-quality ingredients is looking to go nationwide.   Melt Shop hopes to grow to 100 locations during the next five years across the U.S. and internationally via franchising, The brand, founded in 2011 in New York, currently operates six corporate-owned locations in New York, one at Mall of America, Bloomington, Minn., and one in King of Prussia, Pa. It recently expanded into the Middle East and will open seven locations in the region, with four opening in Kuwait by March 2018.

A Japanese lifestyle brand with a devoted following has opened an outpost in one of New York City's most hip neighborhoods that will serve as a model for future expansion.    Muji has opened a 7,300-sq.-ft. store in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. It is the retailer’s seventh store in the greater New York City area. In addition to New York, Muji has six locations in California, one in New Jersey and one in Boston. It plans to add more U.S. stores next year.  

Amazon is stepping up its commitment to machine learning.   The online giant plans to open a new research and development (R&D) hub in Barcelona, dedicated to machine learning. Amazon expects to open the lab in early 2018, according to The Verge.   Amazon plans to hire more than 100 engineers and scientists for the lab.   

The search is on for Amazon.    The e-commerce giant is currently evaluating where it will open its second company headquarters in North America. The new office, referred to as "HQ2," will be a complete headquarters — not a satellite office. It also could have a similar layout to Amazon's Seattle campus, which employs 40,000 people, and encompasses 8.1 million sq. ft. with 33 buildings, including 24 restaurants.