Sales & Marketing

Chick-fil-A is going big in the Big Apple with a location that will also include some atypical features for the chain.    The company will open its third restaurant in Manhattan, on Fulton Street in the Financial District, in 2018. At more than 12,000 sq. ft., it will be the chain's largest location to date, with five levels, complete with a rooftop terrace for dining. It will feature design elements that have never been featured at a Chick-fil-A restaurant before.  

Finish Line missed analysts expectations for its second quarter amid continued heavy promotion in the athletic footwear market.    The retailer reported net income of $2.8 million, or 7 cents per share, for the quarter ended Aug. 26, down from $22.1 million, or 53 cents a share, a year ago.  

Amazon is upping its restaurant delivery program in a move to add some of the nation's best-known chains to its menu.   Olo, a New York-based food delivery service, announced that it is integrating Amazon Restaurants’ delivery service into its ordering platform. The collaboration potentially gives the online giant access to 200 restaurant brands, including Chipotle, Denny’s, Five Guys Burgers & Fries and Jamba Juice, among others.    

Japanese fast-fashion retailer Uniqlo is going all out for denim in Los Angeles.   The company, part of Fast Retailing Group, will open a special store dedicated to denim in the Arts District of Los Angeles this fall/winter. The new "denim concept" shop will be Uniqlo's 47th location in the U.S., and ninth in the L.A. region following the opening at Westfield Santa Anita mall earlier in September.  

Walmart’s new grocery delivery program could give it a huge edge in the online ordering game.

Commercial retail is a unique and rapidly changing space. With the rise of online shopping, retailers are creatively adapting to improve the experience of being in a physical store. Strategies like experiential retail make shopping a personalized and engaging experience instead of a simple transaction.   Retailers are also providing customers with a more tech-friendly brick-and-mortar shopping experience in response to online competitors – the prevalence of self-serve check-out stations being just one example.   

Walmart has tapped a retail veteran to bolster its foothold in its growing online fashion category.   Denise Incandela was named Walmart’s senior VP, fashion, effective October 2, 2017. She will lead the fashion businesses for Walmart.com, Jet.com, and Shoes.com, according to Fashion Network. In her new role, she will report to Walmart’s chief revenue officer Scott Hilton, the report said.  

Microsoft will open its third flagship location, which will also be the company's first retail store in London.    The company announced plans to open a flagship on Regent Street at Oxford Circus. The location, which in the heart of the city's retail district, is just down the road from an Apple flagship.