News Briefs

LL Flooring has a new owner and will have a smaller store portfolio going forward.

The specialty retailer of hardwood flooring (formerly known as Lumber Liquidators) said it has completed the going-concern sale of its business to F9 Investments for the acquisition of 219 stores along with the inventory in those stores, its intellectual property and other company assets. F9, which is LL Flooring's largest shareholder, is run by Thomas Sullivan, who founded the company in 1994.

LL Flooring also announced the completion of its private sale of its distribution center in Sandston, Va.

“We are pleased to have reached these value-maximizing sales to preserve the business and maintain ongoing operations,” said Charles Tyson, president and CEO of LL Flooring. “This marks the start of a new chapter for LL Flooring and we are working closely with F9 Investments to ensure a seamless transition for our customers.”

The deal with F9 was announced in September, less than a week after LL Flooring said it was going out of business and liquidating its assets as efforts to find a buyer failed.

LL Flooring is continuing to work with Hilco Merchant Resources to assist the company in store closing sales at locations that were not part of the agreement with F9 Investments. These locations will continue serving customers through the store closing process. A full list of stores closing can be found on the LL Flooring website at https://www.llflooring.com/store-closings/.

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is serving as legal counsel, Houlihan Lokey is serving as financial advisor, and AlixPartners LLP is serving as restructuring advisor to the Company.

The arrival of Primark, H&M, Warby Parker, Gap, and Kiko Milano have left no space available in the Macerich-owned portion of Queens Center in New York City, according to the big mall owner.

In addition, Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation, which owns the JCPenney building at the mall, expects Burlington to open for business on its first floor in time for the 2024 holiday season.

“The addition of these national brands sets the shopping center apart from other centers in the market," said Macerich’s VP of leasing Richard Madramuthu. "The shopping center’s goal has always been to connect with the community. The addition of these five brands will offer local shoppers and tourists a valuable experience where all their favorite stores can be found under one roof.” 

Prior to the 2023 holiday shopping season, Zara opened a 36,000-sq.-ft. multi-level store at the mall, which remains its only Queens location.

Queens Center, located at the busy crossroads of Queens and Woodhaven Boulevards, has served as a vital retail center in the borough of Queens for 50 years. Other key tenants include Macy’s, Apple, Chick-fil-A, Sephora, Adidas, and Abercrombie Kids.

Shoppers  in select Walmart stores can pick up their groceries and other items and also explore potential job opportunities in their area. 

Staffing solutions company Manpower is opening branch offices, or “job hubs,”  in seven Walmart locations across the country, with the first two now open in Sturtevant, Wis. and High Point, N.C. Five additional Manpower branches are slated to open in late September through early November, in Walmart stores in the following locations:

• Fayetteville, Ga.;
• Humble, Tex.;
• Oak Park Heights, Minn.;
• Dallas; and
• Raleigh, N.C.

"We aim to provide products and services in our stores that enhance the shopping experience and contribute to a better quality of life for our customers," said Tené Green, Walmart senior director. "One of the pathways to a quality life is through employment."

The Manpower job hubs are designed offer one-stop convenience to local job seekers. They provide job seekers with direct access to employment opportunities in the local markets and leverage Manpower’s hiring and skilling programs. 

"We're thrilled to launch these innovative branch offices inside select Walmart locations,” said  Rajesh Namboothiry, senior VP, Manpower, which is part of the ManpowerGroup.“ This initiative reflects our commitment to meeting talent where they are, breaking down barriers, and making it easier for job seekers to connect with us. By staying ahead of industry trends, we're continuously improving how we attract top talent and create exceptional opportunities for both job seekers and employers."

Yesway continue to expand its portfolio.

The convenience store retailer has opened eight new locations under its Allsup’s banner during the past six months, with stores in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. It plans to open more stores by the end of the year, including six in New Mexico (locations listed at end of article).

Allsup’s new, large-format stores span 6,277 sq. ft. and operate 24 hours daily, offering a variety of products that includes the chain’s “world famous” burritos.  Most locations also feature a beer cave, Western Union services, ATMs, and cryptocurrency and digital currency ATMs.

"We are incredibly proud of our teams for driving this accelerated growth,” said Thomas Brown, chief real estate officer, Yesway. “We are excited to bring our unique brand of service and hospitality to more communities and anticipate continued expansion as we look ahead to 2025."

Six Allsup’s stores are set to open in New Mexico by year’s end, with locations at:

•8951 Mountain Vista Parkway, Las Cruces;

•3075 W Main Street, Farmington;

• 23 I-25 Bypass Road, Belen;

•6350 Highway 550, Cuba;

•9501 Gibson Boulevard SW, Albuquerque; and

•2101 Main Street SE, Los Lunas.

Founded in 2015, Yesway is one of the fastest-growing convenience store operators in the United States. The Fort Worth-based company operates 434 stores across Texas, New Mexico, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Wyoming, Oklahoma and Nebraska. It operates primarily under two brands, Yesway and Allsup’s.

A specialty apparel brand is supporting digital transformation with transparency into product development.

Hugo Boss is leveraging the Centric product lifecycle management (PLM) solution and visual assortment boards as the foundation of its digital value chain twin initiative. Digital twins are interactive, artificial intelligence-based virtual models that serve as digital replicas of real-life objects and/or environments.

[READ MORE: Lowe’s tests ‘digital twin’ of two physical stores]

Hugo Boss is undertaking a multi-year project to build a digital value chain twin, which it hopes will aid intelligent decision-making by connecting product creation, planning and execution from demand to supply. Utilizing its digital twin system, Hugo Boss intends to enhance communication with external partners, centralize data, simplify processes and enable product development best practices.

"Our twin program builds the backbone of our tech-driven value chain," said Ivica Maric, executive VP business operations at Hugo Boss. "We made PLM a core focus of our twin program as a ‘single source of truth’ and end-to-end system where our data is transparent, visible to the entire company across all regions and seamlessly connected to our other systems and solutions." 

Headquartered in Metzingen, Germany, Hugo Boss is a global fashion company divided into two brands – Boss and Hugo.

JCPenney’s holiday hiring plans are on par with last year.

The department store retailer is ramping up for the 2024 holiday season with plans to hire more than 10,000 seasonal associates across all locations nationwide. Penney will host a national hiring event, Wednesday, Oct. 16 through Friday, Oct. 18, in stores and online.

Other retailers that have announced holiday hiring plans include Target, which plans to hire 100,000 workers, Macy's and Burlington Stores. 

The Penney event will be focused on hiring for truck teams in October and customer service roles specific to holiday in November. The company will be offering employment on the spot during the hiring event.

[READ MORE: Challenger forecasts 2024 holiday hiring will be down]

The retailer noted that it offers shift flexibility to support “work-life balance.” Also, seasonal associates have the opportunity for continued employment and advancement post-holiday. And all associates will receive an employee-discount of up to 25% off any purchase

“Our seasonal associates play a critical role in making the holidays memorable for our customers,” said Andre Joyner, chief human resources officer for JCPenney. “Whether it is assisting customers in-store, fulfilling orders, or keeping shelves stocked, we offer flexible scheduling, employee discounts, and opportunities for temporary associates to transition to permanent roles after the season. We look forward to finding new team members that embody JCPenney’s Golden Rule – to treat others as we want to be treated.”

Penney also offers unlimited referral bonuses, an inclusive team environment, associate recognition and in-home daycare concierge services.