Retail

Wolverine Worldwide reported profit declines for the second quarter as the retailer shaved the number of stores it plans to close to 120.

Brooklyn, N.Y. - Home furnishings retailer West Elm will open its first South Carolina retail store in the Charleston on Aug. 13.

The nearly 10,000-sq.-ft. store will open with West Elm’s fall 2015 product assortment, a suite of complimentary design services and feature crafted goods by nine local artists and makers as part of West Elm’s “Local” initiative.

The new store is expected to bring an estimated 25-30 jobs to the Charleston community.

Beaverton, Ore. – Consumers have judged the checkout experience, and found it wanting. According to a new survey of about 2,000 U.S. adults conducted by Harris Poll for barcode technology provider Digimarc Corp., 88% of respondents want their store checkout experience to be faster.

Bon-Ton Stores has hired a 30-year veteran of the retail industry as its chief operating officer.

The Bon-Ton Stores Inc. has named William Tracy to the position of COO, effective July 27. Tracy will have responsibility for stores, information systems, supply chain, distribution & logistics, omnichannel strategy, real estate, and HR.

Hangzhou, China - Alibaba.com is moving to put concerns about the reliability of its suppliers to rest. The global e-commerce platform is upgrading its trade assurance program to give small-to-mid-sized businesses peace of mind when buying from overseas suppliers.

Chicago – Specialty footwear retailer BucketFeet, which launched online in 2011 and entered the world of brick-and-mortar retailing with its first stores (called “studios” in 2013), is seeking to better understand studio shoppers. BucketFeet is partnering with store analytics provider RetailNext to help extend its brick-and-mortar service and shopper experience capabilities.

Gymboree is launching a colorful new campaign aimed at increasing awareness of a cause near and dear to the heart of its core customers.

The retailer has started a new effort to raise money in Gymboree and Gymboree Outlet stores to fund arts and crafts requests made by teachers on DonorsChoose.org. The goal is to fulfill classroom requests in every county where there is a Gymboree retail location.

York, Pa. - The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. has named William Tracy to the position of COO, effective July 27. Tracy will have responsibility for stores, information systems, supply chain, distribution & logistics, omnichannel strategy, real estate, and HR.