eCommerce

The online space doesn’t have a lock on new retail concepts, but with its lower start-up costs and potential audience reach it has proved itself a great breeding ground for disruptive retailers.   Here’s a look at four innovative e-tailers that are generating buzz and revenue increases — enough to place them among the top 15 fastest-growing e-retailers in a recent study.*   Casper

Petco will not be taking it easy this summer.   As part of a 2016 growth plan which includes 26 new Petco stores and one new Unleashed by Petco location, the specialty pet supplies retailer will open five new Petco stores across the country in July. In addition to the five new stores, the company is also remodeling 12 stores in Seattle, one in San Diego, expanding one store in Heath, Ohio, and relocating one store in Middleburg Heights, Ohio.  

Dyson, the consumer electronics brand best known for it pricey vacuum cleaners, has opened a store in the heart of London’s main shopping district.   The sleek, futuristic-looking store, on Oxford Street, is designed to allow shoppers to see and test Dyson’s complete line of vacuum cleaners, fans, heaters, humidifiers and other products, with some 65 items on display. It also has 64 different dust/dirt samples and four floor surfaces available on which customers can to test vacuum cleaners.   

Amazon is bringing its bookstore concept to one of the largest retail projects to ever open in Manhattan.   The online giant is planning to open a bookstore and cafe at Hudson Yards, the massive retail, commercial and residential space being developed by Related Cos. and Oxford Properties Group, the New York Post reported.     Click here to read more.

From investments to support omnichannel initiatives to energy efficiency programs and equipment upgrades, prioritizing and approving capital expenditures has become increasingly complex for retail CFOs.

“Retail CFOs are performing a high wire balancing act these days,” said Rod Sides, vice chairman and retail and distribution practice leader for Deloitte. “Online sales are growing while the traditional business is flat to declining, but still accounts for 80% of the revenue.

Today, when it comes to adding new members to your board of directors, creating a balance between industry experience and innovation is extraordinarily important. Filling board seats with industry veterans and compliance experts may feel comfortable in the short term, but to adapt to today’s savvy and demanding consumer, companies must be more forward thinking.

We’ve all witnessed the recent evolution of the C-suite — companies bringing in new, young talent, often from other industries, to modernize a brand, enhance the store experience or to leverage technology.

The online space doesn’t have a lock on new retail concepts, but with its lower start-up costs and potential audience reach it has proved itself a great breeding ground for disruptive retailers.   Here’s a look at four innovative e-tailers that are generating buzz and revenue increases — enough to place them among the top 15 fastest-growing e-retailers in a recent study.*   Casper

RANDOM NOTES: The North Face unveiled a new store pilot — complete with a Redwood tree — at Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, Calif. The 6,500-sq.-ft. store combines the best of digital in-store technology with features that speak to the locale and the brand’s DNA. Highlights include interior digital “sky windows” that feature artistic, atmospheric content. At the heart of the store stands a reinvented, salvaged Redwood tree. ...