Retail

Greensboro, N.C. -- Robert H. Ham, a provider of store fixtures and display items, announced that the company has changed its name and brand to Firefly Store Solutions.
 
While Firefly Store Solutions has adopted a new corporate logo, the company’s staff and service remains unchanged.

PARK CITY, Utah — Audio brand Skullcandy has promoted Denny Bruce to head of domestic sales, reporting to the company's CEO, Hoby Darling. 

In this role, Bruce will be responsible for overseeing all Skullcandy brand distribution in the U.S. as well as building out a domestic brand and sales strategy for the company's 2XL and Gaming products.

Warren, Mich. -- Art Van Furniture has opened its first Chicagoland store, in Oakland Park, Ill. The 47,000-sq.-ft. store is also the 53-year-old retailer’s first location out of its home state, Michigan, where it operates 36 stores.

Art Van Furniture will open five more Chicagoland retail stores in the coming months.

Warren, Mich. — Michigan-based Art Van Furniture opened its first out-of-state retail store in Orland Park, Ill., last week with a Motown-themed grand opening celebration.

The new 47,000-sq.-ft. location heralds the opening of five more Art Van stores in the Chicago region in coming months. Locations include Ford City-Chicago, Batavia, Elston Avenue-Chicago and Merrillville-Hobart, Indiana. The new stores will add 600 new jobs to the region.

New York -- Starwood Capital Group LLC, the investment firm headed by real estate developer Barry Sternlicht, has joined the bidding for Saks Inc., according to a report by the New York Post. Starwood Capital invests in retail, office and residential real estate.

The bid by Starwood is worth about $2.5 billion, or $17-$18 per share, according to the report. The amount is roughly equal to a previously existing bid from Canadian retail conglomerate Hudson’s Bay, which also owns the Lord & Taylor department store chain.

Irvine, Calif. – Showrooming is not just something afflicting large retail chains. Eighty percent of small retailers also report being affected by showrooming, with 47% indicating a moderate impact, according to new data from small business software provider Sage North America.

In addition, Sage data finds that $68 of every $100 spent at a local retailer stays in the community where it is spent, compared to only $32 out of every $100 spent at a non-local retailer.

STOCKHOLM — With the U.S. housing market continuing to improve, it's no surprise that Electrolux CEO Keith McLoughlin expects the company's North American division to maintain the strong sales and earnings growth achieved in the second quarter throughout the rest of the year.

Because of the rising appliance consumption in North America, the company anticipates that demand for appliances in the U.S. will increase by 5-7% in 2013.

Skechers USA’s recently remodeled East Coast flagship store on 42nd St. in Manhattan’s Times Square has incorporated five outdoor LED displays and three static displays to make its own statement on one of the world’s most visually noisy stages.