Retail

PBTeen is heading to Long Island, N.Y., for the first time. The PBteen store will join sister brands Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids in the first-ever combined location at Walt Whitman Shops, with pass-through access to all three stores. The new store will feature the retailer's new holiday gift assortment.

New York -- Lululemon has named Tara Poseley as chief product officer. She most recently served as president of Kmart Apparel, where she was responsible for the launch of several new product collections to attract a younger and multi-cultural customer.

Previously, she held the position of interim president at Bebe Stores, president of Disney Stores North America (The Children’s Place) and CEO of Design Within Reach (DWR).

In her role at Lululemon, Poseley will oversee the company’s global merchandising and design strategy.

Cambridge, Mass. - GPShopper, a mobile solutions company whose offerings include mobile apps and websites for national retailers, has purchased Akamai Aqua Web Experience solutions to accelerate and optimize the delivery of its mobile technology. Built on the Akamai Intelligent Platform, a globally distributed cloud platform, Aqua Web Experience solutions are designed to provide end-users with optimal Web and mobile application experiences.

Lululemon has appointed Tara Poseley as the company’s chief product officer. In this role, Poseley will oversee the company’s global merchandising and design strategy, working hand in hand with its design team including Deanne Schweitzer, SVP and head of women’s design, and Felix Del Toro, SVP and head of men’s design.

Poseley, who will be reporting to CEO Christine Day, will be responsible for merchandising, inventory, allocation and strategic planning.

New York -- Nearly 90% of Americans repeatedly buy products retailers have on promotion, according to a new survey by Syngera, a global technology startup that uses big data to bring personalized digital experiences to the physical retail store.  In the survey, 85% of respondents said they would return to brick-and-mortar stores when alerted to upcoming sales of previously purchased items.

Salisbury, N.C. -- Bottom Dollar Food will open two new stores on Thursday, Oct. 31, one in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, and one in Ambler, Pa., bringing the market total for the discount grocery chain to 43 stores.

The two new stores add approximately 100 jobs to the greater Philadelphia economy. With the addition of the two new locations, Bottom Dollar Food now operates 62 stores in New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Each store is approximately 18,000 sq. ft.

Waldorf, Germany -- By 2015, retailing will be marked by redefined customer interaction, a new level of real-time customer data, and a global, verticalized supply chain. According to an SAP-sponsored webinar hosted by Chain Store Age on Oct. 29, “Improving Retail Decisions with Big Data and Predictive Analysis,” the plethora of Big Data retailers can now process will make this evolution possible.

Brooklyn, N.Y. -- Lifestyle/Trimco/Viaggio, the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based manufacturer of mannequins, forms, specialty fixtures, fabric applications, seasonal trim and holiday décor, has merged with Almax, the world-renowned mannequin company based in Italy.
 
The new company, Global Visual Group, will make its debut at A.R.E.’s Retail Design Collective, which will be in New York City, December 4-6, 2013.