Retail

Bay Shore, N.Y. - One in three shoppers have walked out of a store without buying the goods they intended to because of a bad experience with a self-service checkout, according to a new survey from queue management company Tensator. With 84% of respondents admitting to needing staff assistance when using a self-service, nearly 60% of customers actually prefer using more traditional staffed checkouts, the company said.

Other survey findings include:

Apple has announced that Angela Ahrendts, CEO of Burberry, will be joining the company as SVP of retail and online stores — a newly created position — and as a member of its executive team. Ahrendts will report to CEO Tim Cook.

Ahrendts will be charged with overseeing the strategic direction, expansion and operation of both Apple retail and online stores.

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- Black Friday shopping may be on the decline, according to a new study by CFI Group, a customer satisfaction technology and analytics firm. The company’s 2013 Holiday Retail Spending Report found fewer than 25% of consumers plan to spend more than half of their total holiday shopping budgets during the Black Friday/Cyber Monday period. But 45% said they will begin before November, with 61% indicating they'll finish their shopping completely by early December

Hoffman Estates, Ill. – Sears and Kmart are offering members of the Shop Your Way loyalty program a variety of new services for the holidays. For example, Kmart's lease-to-own program through Whynot Leasing, LLC will be available nationwide starting Nov. 22, giving customers a no-credit-required way to take home products immediately.

Rogers, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores is focused on near-term execution to grow its same-store U.S. sales, improve returns in Walmart International and leverage expenses for the full year, company president and CEO Mike Duke said Tuesday at the company’s 20th annual meeting for the investment community.
    

Warren, Mich. — Art Van Furniture has announced the opening of a 46,000-sq.-ft. store in Fort Wayne, Ind., across the street from the Glen brook Mall in January.

With 50 stores across Michigan, Ohio, and Illinois, Art Van Furniture is the Midwest’s largest furniture retailer.

Niwot, Colo. -- Former Wal-Mart executive Greg Sullivan has been appointed general manager of Crocs' Americas region, which includes all of North America, Central America and South America. In this role, Sullivan will be responsible for managing the region's day-to-day operations, including overseeing sales, marketing, finance and human resources functions, as well as the region's wholesale, Internet and direct-to-consumer channels.

Jacksonville, Fla. -- Stein Mart is expanding its presence this fall with four new stores and two relocated stores. The new stores are located in El Paso, Texas; Buford (Atlanta), Ga.; Elk Grove (Sacramento), Calif.; and Watchung, N.J.