Retail

Nearly one year ago, as lawyers faced off in the first battle over Detroit’s bankruptcy bid, Meijer opened its first store at the Gateway Marketplace shopping center on 8 Mile Road and Woodward Ave. The retailer is not giving up on the economically depressed city, either, as it prepares to open a second location.

New York -- Richard Sharp, the former CEO of Circuit City and driving force behind CarMax, has died due to complications from a rare type of Alzheimer’s disease. He was 67.

Betamax. Zune. Google Plus. These are just a few consumer technology applications that hit the market with a lot of hype and all failed to catch on for the same basic reason. It seems clear that the Barnes & Noble Nook e-reader tablet can now be considered part of this list, although Barnes & Noble has not yet accepted it.

New York - Nine West Group has integrated the LiveEngage customer service platform from LivePerson into its Demandware Commerce platform. The LiveEngage platform has helped Nine West improve customer-reported satisfaction and incremental revenue while reducing support costs.

Stop & Shop is once again looking to promote its store brands by holding its Buy Theirs, Get Ours Free challenge.

During the weeks of June 29 and July 6 and then again the weeks of July 27 and August 3, when customers purchase selected national brand products, they will receive Stop & Shop Own Brands equivalent products free.

San Jose, Calif. – Despite an 8.1% year-over-year drop in traffic and decline of one full conversion point, sales on Father’s Day (June 16) remained essentially flat. According to data from in-store analytics provider RetailNext, a 15.4% increase in average transaction value (ATV) helped sales grow 0.1%.

For the week leading up to Father’s Day, sales declined every day compared to the equivalent day a year earlier. Daily decreases ranged from a high of 10.3% on June 13 to a low of 4% on June 9.

Paris - Most retailers (65%) struggle with getting omnichannel commerce right and cite underperforming technology, changing IT trends and the complex organizational infrastructure as the primary reasons. According to a recent survey from Ipanema Technologies, retailers see the customer-centric experience as including excellent customer service (58%), fast transactions (55%) and interchangeable purchase channels (49%), but only 35% of respondents describe their customer experience as excellent.

Players from 32 countries have poured into Brazil for a month-long contest of extraordinary soccer skill, known as the Copa do Mundo, the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Cheering them is expected to be a total of some 3.7 million fans and tourists, adding an astonishing $3.3 billion USD ($6.7 billion Brazilian Real) to this nation’s economy. According to Brazil’s Ministry of Tourism, the average foreign visitor will attend four Copa do Mundo matches and spend approximately $2,488 during their stay.