Consumer Electronics

Redmond, Wash. – Microsoft will open its first flagship location, on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

In addition, Microsoft plans to open 10 new stores across the U.S. in time for the 2014 holiday season, while the flagship New York store is being built. Microsoft has not given a specific timeframe for when the flagship will open, but said it has been planning the store for five years. It will open in a spot currently occupied by luxury accessories brand Fendi, a few blocks south of an Apple store.

By Howard W. Herndon

Bob Russo, general manager, PCI Security Standards Council, offers the following advice about complying with PCI Data Security Standards, including the upcoming October 2015 deadline for U.S. retailers to accept cards with Europay, MasterCard, Visa (EMV)-compliant chips.

No Single Security Solution: “As evidenced by recent high-profile breach incidents, keeping payment data secure in today’s world is an increasingly complex challenge,” explained Russo.

Mixed-use projects have become a consumer home base

The concept of a shopping center as a place where people simply show up to make a few purchases and leave is becoming passé. Increasingly, developers are building mixed-use centers that include residential, office and entertainment components, which turn them more into a consumer home base and less of a functional destination.

Indianapolis - Hhgregg has redeveloped a store in Columbus, Ohio, with a new store format. Developed by real estate company Casto, the store opened Sept. 18, and employs 26 associates.

“Working with Casto to update the Sawmill location allows us to best serve our loyal Columbus-area customers,” said Dennis May, Hhgregg CEO. “Our best-in-class products and expert sales associates make this and our five other Columbus-area stores a destination for a superior appliance, furniture and electronics shopping experience.”

GameStop plans to hire approximately 25,000 employees nationwide as the company prepares for the upcoming holiday shopping season — nearly double the number of people it hired last year.

Fort Worth, Texas - RadioShack's Fix It Here same-day mobile repair service is now available in 32 stores in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area. By visiting their neighborhood RadioShack store, smartphone and tablet owners can have common issues such as cracked screens, broken buttons and damaged charging ports repaired.

Dusseldorf, Germany - E-Plus Gruppe, a German telecommunications provider with 400 corporate stores, is using OneView Commerce Store to become one of the first European retailers merging its digital and physical stores via OneView’s mobile commerce framework. The key drivers for E-Plus Gruppe’s cross-channel initiatives are increasing store traffic through buy online/ship to store; order at the POS; and return at the POS.