Mass Merchant

Publix is joining Costco, Whole Foods and other retailers in providing grocery delivery service through a partnership with Instacart.   Publix announced Wednesday that it would begin its Instacart service in select areas of Miami beginning July 12. Instacart is an e-commerce and delivery service that allows customers to place their grocery orders online and have their items delivered right to their doorsteps. Customers can place orders by visiting www.instacart.com/publix.  

The Walmart Pay mobile digital payment service only began formal rollout in May 2016, but has already reached an impressive goal.   Initially announced in December 2015, Walmart Pay is now available of all of Walmart’s more than 4,600 U.S. stores. Available through the Walmart app for iOS and Android devices, Walmart Pay works at all checkout lanes, and with any credit, debit, pre-paid or Walmart gift card.  

With nearly 1,300 locations spread across 34 states, Ross Dress for Less makes the claim that it is the nation’s largest off-price apparel and home fashion chain. With a mass grand opening of 24 more stores set for July, the chain clearly intends to hold on to that distinction.   New Ross locations will spring up in 14 states, with Wisconsin hosting four of them -- in Brown River, Onalaska, Racine, and West Green Bay.   

Wilder Companies executives have an image upgrade in mind for the Nod Brook Mall in Avon, Connecticut, a 100,000-sq.-ft. open shopping center they bought this week. The affluent bedroom community outside Hartford boasts an average household income of almost $160,000, according to Wilder, which will recast the center as The Shops at Nod Brook.  

Parents are opening their wallets for the upcoming academic year, but being selective in what, where and how they buy.  

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.

Entertainment concepts are the future of retail fun

Retail has been the foundation of shopping centers throughout their existence, but new entertainment concepts are making inroads in traditional retail venues.

Even in mixed-use venues, it’s generally accepted that a critical mass of traditional retail is the highlight, and that other uses are complementary pieces, designed to drive traffic and support the retail component.

Amazon Books is headed to Hudson Yards, the massive redevelopment underway on New York’s west side, according to a report in the New York Post.   The online retailer debuted its bricks-and-mortar retail format last November, at University Village in Seattle, and is set to open a second location, in San Diego, this summer. A third location, at Washington Square Mall, in Tigard, Oregon, is expected to open this fall. The Hudson Yards location would be Amazon’s East Coast beachhead.