Mass Merchant

Starbucks has debuted its in-store Reserve coffee bar concept in downtown Seattle.      The new store combines the educational aspects of the company’s Reserve Roastery format and its rare small-lot Reserve coffees within a traditional Starbucks setting, complete with such regular coffee and Frappuccinos.    It’s estimated that Starbucks locations with the Reserve bar will make up 20% of the company’s global store portfolio over time.   

Detroit is one of the most encouraging and intriguing stories to develop in the wake of the Great Recession. With investment, development, and redevelopment booming downtown, office and multi-family momentum has spurred a retail revival. The Motor City is revving its retail engine and is well on the way to arriving as a true retail destination for the first time in decades.   

Jones Lang LaSalle has announced the hiring of two new vice presidents to handle leasing of third-party-managed retail properties in West Coast markets.  

Walmart continues to grow both its e-commerce and fashion presence.    On Friday, the discounter announced it had acquired the assets and operations of online retailer ModCloth, which specializes in eclectic and quirky apparel and accessories for 18- to 35-year-old women. The company did not reveal the purchase price.  

The ax has fallen: J.C. Penney has released the list of 138 stores it plans to close.   

Dollar General on Thursday reported better-than-expected fourth quarter sales and earnings and said it planned to raise compensation and increase training for store managers.   The discounter also said it plans to open approximately 1,000 stores and remodel or relocate 900 existing stores in fiscal 2017.   

More omnichannel retailers offer buy-online-pickup-in-store (BOPIS) services to shorten their delivery windows. Yet, 60% of shoppers have yet to take advantage of the service.   That’s according to a new report, “Buy Online, Pick-up In-Store” from ChargeItSpot, which was based on responses from over 2,074 shoppers at 20 malls across the country.  

Mobile wallet usage in the United States remains small, and shows no signs of increasing anytime soon.   This was according to “PYMNTS/InfoScout Mobile Payment Adoption,” a new report from PYMNTS.com. The survey, which was conducted in March 2017 among more than 7,655 consumers, said less than one in 20 consumers who have one of the main mobile wallets (Apple Pay, Sam-sung Pay, and Android Pay) use it regularly.