Sales & Marketing

Food Lion has announced a $110 million investment in its stores as part of its ongoing remodeling initiative.      The chain announced it will remodel 71 stores in the greater Richmond, Va., market in 2017. Looking to make shopping easier and more affordable for its customers, the grocer said it will make a $110 million investment that includes remodeling the Richmond-area stores, additional price investments throughout the year and investments in associates and the community through its hunger relief initiative. 

Following in the footsteps of Warby Parker, Bonobos and the like, another online startup is ready to plant some brick-and-mortar roots.   Brooklyn, New York-based sneaker brand Greats plans to open at least 10 locations over the next two years, according to The New York Business Journal.  

Eighteen year-old online home décor and furnishings brand ATGStores.com has a new name, a new look and a new focus on personalized, one-on-one service.  

Domino’s Pizza now lets customers sync their smart home devices with the ETA of their pizza deliveries.   The pizza giant is partnering with If This, Then That (IFTTT), a free platform that allows users to create connections — or applets — between digital devices and services. By integrating its digital Domino's Tracker, which enables customers to monitor orders from preparation to delivery, into the platform, the company has created Domino’s-branded applets.  

A San Diego strip center that underwent a repositioning and renovation over the past two years is welcoming six new tenants.   The Presidio, which sits below the 18th Century Presidio fortress in the Linda Vista community has transformed its retail lineup with the signings of Rip Curl, Luv Bridal, Hopsy, Babe Kombucha, West Coast Veterinary Hospital, and Sharetea.  

Although Amazon's sales advanced by a respectable 23% over the quarter (do link to our story yesterday), the pace of growth at the online behemoth remains much slower than it was over most of the prior fiscal year. Some of this is the result of a less favorable exchange rate diluting contributions from the international business. However, some is also down to a more challenging demand environment in North America which has limited spending uplifts on products within Amazon's core territory.  

Duluth Trading Co. has hit a milestone of sorts.   The Belleville, Wisconsin-based clothing retailer has opened its 20th location, in Warwick, Rhode Island.    “Opening our 20th retail store in Warwick is a milestone for Duluth and it is also the fourth location in the eastern U.S. to serve our largest concentration of customers,” said Stephanie Pugliese, CEI Duluth Trading.   

After growing its store base through an acquisition last year, Weis Markets is investing $90 million in its growth in 2017.    The budget includes new stores and remodels of existing locations. It also calls for supply chain improvements and continued information technology upgrades.