Apparel

SHOP TALK
Trending Stores: The Frye Company’s location in Denver took top honors as Store of the Year in the 2017 Shop! store design competition. With a design that celebrates the artisan heritage of Frye, one of the country’s oldest footwear companies, the 2,460-sq.-ft. store has a warm and comfortable vibe, with a modern ski-lodge aesthetic. Local references include a massive working fireplace dressed with stone from local quarries, and rugs woven with American Indian motifs.
The Squeeze from Bottom-Up, Top-Down
At a time when store closings and consolidations are dominating the headlines, understanding the underlying industry dynamics also requires paying close attention to new store openings. Brands that are expanding their footprints are providing a revealing look at how consumer shopping patterns, priorities and preferences are evolving. In turn, this shows what might be in store for the retail industry ahead.

Thomas Pink Deploys Real-Time Solutions

Menswear retailer bullish on Internet of Things, RFID
While most retailers continue to dip their toes in the Internet of Things waters, Thomas Pink has jumped in with both feet — and is seeing results.
The luxury menswear brand is involved in an IoT proof-of-concept test at its store on Wall Street in downtown Manhattan. Using a cloud-based IoT platform from Acuitas Digital, the retailer has the backbone it needs to seamlessly integrate networking, hardware, software and analytics solutions — all necessary pieces to digitize the physical store.
CSA Talks With RPAI’s Nick Over

How many American moms would love to see their sons grow up to become accountants or lawyers? Nick Over is both, but he decided to apply his skills and knowledge to the challenging world of real estate. After just two years at RPAI, the 36-year-old Over is steering the company into new avenues as its director of development. Chain Store Age spoke with him recently about his current pet project.
Takin’ It to the Street

People and corporations are streaming back into America’s downtowns. Are they chain retailers’ best hope for growth?
“City of stars, are you shining just for me?” sings Ryan Gosling in this year’s hit movie musical “La La Land.” “City of stars, there’s so much that I can’t see.”
Center Stage at SPECS 2017

Retail and restaurant executives, architects, suppliers and other industry professionals involved in store design/planning, construction and facility management gathered together for Chain Store Age’s 53rd annual SPECS conference.
The event, held at the Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee, Fla., focused on the evolution and innovation of physical stores in a digital age, and explored industry trends that are transforming how stores are designed, built, operated and maintained.
Breakout Retailer Awards

Five dynamic retail and restaurant brands — Altar’d State, Bentley’s Pet Stuff, MOD Pizza, Sugarfina and Warby Parker — took home the honors as the winners of Chain Store Age’s annual Breakout Retailer Awards.

The awards, selected by CSA’s editorial board and sponsored by Paint Folks, recognize innovative retail and restaurant concepts that are on their way up —brands that have crossed the “newbie” line, and are well positioned for growth, in store, online, or both.
Quality Trumps Quantity

Shopping center owners added fewer centers in 2016, but demonstrated that less is more
As physical shopping centers battle furiously for customer share, more developers are realizing that bells and whistles aren’t just optional; they’re essential. No matter the size or scope, new shopping centers have to offer something extra to an increasingly discerning consumer — and the group of owners highlighted here is doing just that.
Project Profiles

It’s a big show and there’s a lot to see, but if you have time to check out just a dozen properties, these may be the ones. From a $700-million upgrade to an already successful mall in San Jose, to the erection of an elegant town center on a historic site in Gainesville, to the continued development of a retail icon in Columbus, these properties are the ones moving physical retail forward. Booth numbers are included for your convenience.

Lake Nona Town Center Booth C1124
Teen apparel retailer confirms takeover interest

Abercrombie & Fitch may sell itself. The teen apparel chain on Wednesday confirmed it is in preliminary discussions with several parties regarding a potential transaction with the company. Abercrombie confirmed the news after Reuters reported that the retailer had hired an investment bank, Perella Weinberg Partners, to field takeover interest from other retailers.
Outdoor lifestyle brand makes exec appointments

Timberland has made yet another executive appointment to support its growth strategies. The company named footwear industry veteran Tracy Smith as VP and general manager of Timberland North America. In this role, he will lead the strategic vision and operations of Timberland’s wholesale and direct to consumer businesses in North America, with responsibility for strategy, merchandising, sales, marketing and operations.
Department store retailer hires debt advisor

Hudson’s Bay Co. has brought in professional advice regarding its potential merger with Neiman Marcus. The Canadian department store company has hired a debt restructuring adviser, investment bank Evercore Partners Inc., to review the potential acquisition and provide Hudson’s Bay Executives with ways on how it could proceed without Hudson’s Bay assuming Neiman Marcus’ full debt, according to a Reuters report on CNBC.com.