Retail

Denver — Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage has announced the grand opening of a second store in Tulsa, Okla., on Oct. 22.

The store will have its first free cooking class at noon on opening day, with nationally recognized nutrition expert Cary Tamburro, BS, making “Smoothies to Jump Start Your Health.”

 

Salt Lake City -- PECO Net Lease Income Fund (NLIF) has acquired four properties including two Family Dollar stores in New Mexico and two Raising Cane's restaurants, including one in Lexington, Ky., and one in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.

A new marketing campaign from Fruit of the Loom called “Start Happy,” includes an innovative LinkedIn component that rewards those who start a new job with free underwear.

The LinkeIn component is called, “Fresh Gigs,” and runs through the month of October and builds on the central premise of the campaign which is that underwear has the ability to influence the entire day, thus the “Start Happy,” tag line.

Most retailers now have some sort of social presence, but too often it consists of having an account on popular social media networks and little more. Following are five examples of recent retail social media offerings that leverage social media’s unique ability to engage consumers, improve operations and boost profits.

American Eagle – ‘Rock Your Walk’

Plano, Texas – J.C. Penney Company, Inc. has reportedly named Jan Hodges, a senior marketing executive who has been with the retailer for 25 years, to the position of senior VP and general manager of home goods. According to Reuters, Penney CEO Myron Ullman sent out an employee memo on Oct. 3 informing workers that Hodges would assume the new position on Nov. 1.

New York -- Chain Store Age invites retailers, design firms, architects and suppliers to submit entires for its 33rd annual Retail Store of the Year design competition.     For more information and an entry form, click here.   

New York -- While online retail sales continue to rise, regional malls continue to generate profits, according to an SNL Financial LC analysis.

The U.S. Census Bureau has estimated that retail e-commerce sales for the second quarter of 2013 grew by 4.9% over the prior quarter to $64.8 billion, an 18.4% gain over the preceding 12 months. Still, e-commerce accounts for less than 6% of retail sales, according to SNL (www.snl.com).

SAN FRANCISCO — Beauty retailer Sephora has launched Sephora University Beauty Classes, a new program designed to help beauty lovers of all ages and abilities master everything from building a skin care routine to creating the perfect smoky eye.

Now available in more than 60 stores throughout the United States, these complimentary classes are the newest way in which Sephora is striving to further enhance the client experience.