Mass Merchant

Photo: Marvin Ellison, CEO, J.C. Penney

Troutdale, Ore. -- Time Equities announced the expansion of its Northwest portfolio with the acquisition of Columbia Gorge Premium Outlets, located in Troutdale, Oregon for $28,425,000.

Some major retailers sharply reduced their use of printed free standing inserts (FSIs) last year but the total dollar value of FSIs still grew to a record $515 billion.

The value of free standing insert (FSI) coupons increased 3.7% in 2015 to $515 billion, according to Kantar Media. However, the number of FSI pages distributed fell 8.1% as marketers cut back on pages that didn’t include a coupon. The number of coupons circulated increased nominally versus the prior year, and combined with higher face value led to growth in dollars circulated.

It looks like Trader Joe’s in Westfield, New Jersey, has taken its final curtain call — at least for a while.

The supermarket, which is located in the upscale town’s thriving downtown area, fell victim to the blizzard that walloped New Jersey on Saturday, as part of the roof collapsed, which caused the exterior walls to buckle into the middle of the building.

Oakbrook, Illinois -- Retail Properties of America announced that it has acquired two-properties to add to its portfolio, which include Merrifield Town Center II and Shoppes at Hagerstown, both located in the greater Washington, D.C./Baltimore area. The properties were acquired through an off-market transaction, on an unencumbered basis, for a combined purchase price of $72.7 million.

The need to provide a seamless customer experience is having a big impact on the types of solutions retailers are trying to implement.

According the new Retail Industry Insight benchmark report conducted by Retail Systems Research for SPS Commerce Inc., e-commerce and stores have switched places as the top growth driver for retail IT purchases. Retailers rank growing e-commerce sales as their top priority (75%) followed by improving the in-store experience (53%).

The Southeast’s leading supermarket operator will give new meaning to its tag line “where shopping is a pleasure” when it opens a new small format on the campus

Amazon.com is getting its nose out of books and consumer electronics and into a more fashionable merchandise area.

According to Re/Code, Amazon now offers more than 30 million apparel and accessory items for sale – which totals more than all the products sold at 250 Walmart supercenter stores.

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