Sales & Marketing

On the heels of announcing plans to open smaller, “local” stores, lululemon athletica hopes to further extend the breadth of its brand by expanding its ship-from-store service — just in time for the upcoming holiday shopping season.    The program, which currently encompasses 11 stores, will grow to 65 locations, a move that will streamline fulfillment of online orders, Laurent Potdevin, lululemon’s CEO, said during the company’s fiscal second quarter 2016 earnings call last week.  

A newly formed developer called the Maker Bros. has announced plans to build a $150 million mixed-use project in South Austin, Texas, christened the Saint Elmo Market District.   A 40,000-sq.-ft. former school bus factory on the site will be converted into and indoor-outdoor marketplace that will serve as the new home of the Saxon Pub, a celebrated live music hall in Austin. Maker Bros. has apportioned 100,000 sq. ft. of the site for office space, a boutique hotel, and condos.  

Kohl’s comprehensive omnichannel distribution network is about to get even bigger.   The department store chain is preparing to open a new distribution center in Plainfield, Ind., just in time to manage the 2017 holiday season.  

If any retail CEO is going to endorse a candidate in this year’s presidential race, Howard Schultz would certainly rank at the top of the list.  

Wayfair is making it even easier for shoppers to purchase home furnishings and décor from their mobile devices.  

A pioneer in mobile ordering and payment capabilities, Subway is making a bold move to keep its digital strategies innovative.  

U.K. retailer Topshop will debut more than a new fashion line at London’s Fashion Week.    The British fashion brand and Nordstrom teamed up to launch a co-branded emoji keyboard app that features fashion and lifestyle emojis, stickers and GIFs resembling actual Topshop product sold at Nordstrom.   

A new beauty format aimed at men is expanding through franchising.   Hammer & Nails | Grooming Shop for Guys announced it has sold franchise rights for 27 locations in Sacramento, California and in the San Francisco Bay Area, and for 55 franchises in Texas and New Mexico.