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Retail

  • Hardware chain adds retail management platform

    Hefner Ace Hardware knows the only way to expand its breadth is to have data integrity and inventory accuracy.   This was not an easy task for the family-owned, independent operator. When the retailer become an official Ace Hardware dealer in 2015, the retailer tripled its inventory, “and now we maintain 30,000 SKUs,” said Jason Hefner, owner, Hefner Ace Hardware. “Because of that jump in our inventory levels, we needed a system that was better equipped for inventory management and analysis.”  

  • Dunkin’ Donuts expanding in the South

    Dunkin’ Donuts is growing its footprint in Alabama and Mississippi.   The chain signed development agreements with two franchise groups to develop 17 locations throughout the two states during the next several years.   Existing franchisee Birmingham Donut Holdings plans to develop nine new Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in Birmingham, Alabama.  The group currently operates 34 restaurants throughout Alabama and Florida.   

  • Walgreens looks to speed up Rite Aid merger

    Walgreens Boots Alliance is considering a move that would force the Federal Trade Commission to vote on its planned merger with Rite Aid within 30 days.   Walgreens is considering declaring that it has “certified compliance” in its application, which would mean that the drugstore chain believes it has given regulators substantially all the information they need to make a decision, The New York Post reported.

  • Brixmor buys grocery-anchored center in Ann Arbor

    Brixmor Property Group has purchased Arborland Center, a 404,000-sq.-ft. center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for $102 million. The center is anchored by Kroger and Nordstrom Rack and is situated between the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University.

  • Home improvement chain debuts VR-based ‘how to’ classes

    Lowe’s Cos. is embarking on the next chapter of its virtual reality journey.   Starting Tuesday, March 7, the home improvement chain’s store in Framingham, Massachusetts, debuted its “Holoroom How To,” Lowe’s first-ever virtual reality DIY skills-training clinic. As consumers enter the interactive virtual reality (VR)-based environment, they wear an HTC Vive headset to receive “hands-on” tutorials on basic DIY skills, including supplies and steps, needed to complete a project.  

  • Home decor brand shares 3D library

    Wayfair’s newest digital endeavor could be a valuable resource for the design community.    The home furnishings brand released its 3D model library on SketchUp, 3D modeling software used by architects, engineers, design, construction professionals, and members of the global maker community. Through the partnership, Wayfair is releasing approximately 1,000 models to SketchUp’s 3D Warehouse, enabling designers to visualize the company’s furniture and décor products in their designs.  

  • An upbeat Michaels beats Street

    The Michaels Companies reported better-than-expected earnings for the fourth quarter and also issued an upbeat forecast for 2017.   Michaels reported net income of $193.5 million for the quarter ended January 28, up 6.3% from $183.7 million in the year-ago period.    Net sales increased 4.1% to $1.8 billion, from $1.7 billion in the year-ago period. The company attributed the increase largely to its February 2016 acquisition of Lamrite West and sales from 19 additional stores.  

  • The retailer with the best customer experience is…

    Supermarkets and fast-casual restaurant brands took the top positions in an annual ranking of customer experience. Publix, Chick-fil-A, and H-E-B earned top three positions in Temkin Group’s 2017 Temkin Experience Ratings, a cross-industry benchmark of customer experience. Publix had a score of 84%, closely followed by Chick-fil-A and H-E-B, which both scored 83% in the seventh annual rating.
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