Department Store

Hudson’s Bay Co.’s is taking advantage of the views and design of its iconic Calgary building in a new way.   Through a partnership with restaurant group Oliver & Bonacini, the retailer is transforming the entire sixth floor of its 104-year-old building into an event venue. The 18,000-sq.-ft. space, called The Hudson, features meeting rooms on either side of a large common area, and two large event spaces that can accommodate up to 700 people, according to The Calgary Herald.  

For the second time in less than three years, Kmart was hit by a malicious hack.   On Wednesday, May 31, Kmart’s parent company, Sears Holdings revealed that the chain was the victim of a security incident. The company became aware of the attack, which involved unauthorized credit card activity, following certain customer purchases made at some of its Kmart stores. Shoppers were alerted to the breach via email Wednesday evening.   

Fred Segal is designing its new flagship to be more than a just “a store.” Instead, it’s creating “a style and design laboratory.”  

Retailers looking to bring customers in the door need to upgrade the shopping experience with added amenities.    That's according to JLL, whose new report examines how brick-and-mortar retailers can deliver in-store experiences and brand loyalty through added amenities.  The report, JLL’s Retail Amenities Guide, notes that  today's shoppers have countless options when it comes to where they can buy, leaving retailers with fewer opportunities to create brand converts.    

Despite a challenging retail landscape, J.Jill’s same-store sales growth and profits not only climbed, but topped analyst expectations.   For the first quarter ended April 29, the mall-based women’s specialty chain’s overall revenue increased 12.5% to $166.1 million — a jump from $147.7 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2016. This also beat analyst estimates at $162 million.  

In effort to dig out of its sales funk and rebuild its brand, Michael Kors plans to shutter more than 100 full-price stores.  

E-commerce fraud as a percent of sales dollars may be on the decline, however losses still account for billions of dollars.   This was according to the “Q1 2017 Global Fraud Index,” a report from Pymnts.com and Signifyd. The study measures and benchmarks innovations and trends that are reshaping the payments and commerce ecosystem.  

The interim CFO of Neiman Marcus has resigned after seven months on the job.   Michael Fung will step down from his position as the luxury retailer’s interim CFO and COO, effective June 30. Fung temporarily left his retirement to join the company on an interim basis in November 2016.