Direct To Consumer (DTC)

By Navneet Loiwal, CEO and co-founder of Shopular

Tractor Supply Co. plans to open two pet-focused stores under the new “HomeTown Pet” brand.

The new pet supply retail concepts operated by Tractor Supply Company will open in mid-November in Franklin and Fairview, cities within close proximity to the company’s headquarters.

Carle Place, N.Y. -- 1-800-Flowers.com announced the closing of its acquisition of Harry & David Holdings, a specialty retailer and producer of branded premium gift-quality fruit, gourmet food products and other gifts.

“This combination will propel our total annual revenues to more than $1.1 billion and offers numerous opportunities to accelerate our top and bottom-line growth going forward,” said Jim McCann, CEO of 1-800-Flowers.com.

Seattle - Starbucks Corp. opens its first community store in Korea, located in the Daehakro neighborhood of Seoul, on Oct. 1. Thirty cents from every purchase at this store will go to Green Umbrella ChildFund Korea (GUCFK) to directly support lifelong skills development for youth through the Starbucks Comprehensive Youth Leadership Program.

Lakewood, Colo. -- Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, whose banners include Einstein Bros., Bagels, Noah's New York Bagels, and Manhattan Bagel brands, has agreed to be acquired by JAB Holding Company for approximately $374 million.

The agreement, unanimously approved by Einstein Noah Restaurant Group’s directors, represents a premium of approximately 47% over Einstein Noah’s 30-day average trading price.

Los Angeles -- In its latest management shakeup, American Apparel has named Scott Brubaker as interim CEO, effective immediately. He replaces John Luttrell, who is resigning. Luttrell took the reins of the troubled company in June after the board removed controversial founder Dov Charney from the top spot for alleged misconduct. He also served as CFO.

Brubaker, 43, is a managing director at consulting/turnaround firm Alvarez & Marsal, and has handled interim leadership jobs for specialty retailers, including Eddie Bauer, in the past.

Imagine it’s a breezy Friday morning and tonight is your nephew’s birthday party. It’s completely slipped your mind, and there just isn’t time in your day to go shopping. But you don’t panic because this solution is routine. You go online, find the hottest toy, and hit Amazon Prime Air. Not too long after, a small “Octocopter” touches down on your doorstep to save your day.

A captivating scene. But when you scrutinize the feasibility of this concept, there are many challenges that may push small package drone models into the realm of wishful thinking.

Aussie apparel brand Cotton On is as much about fun-fashion as it is about fast-fashion. The Geelong, Victoria-based brand operates more stores in the United States (124) than Zara and Uniqlo combined, and is an international behemoth with more than 1,300 stores operating globally under 10 different banners, including the 522-unit Cotton On, Cotton Body, Cotton On Kids, FREE by Cotton On and Rubi Shoes.

Growth has been fast and strategic, but peppered with humor, optimism and the occasional dose of controversy.