Sales & Marketing

By Adam Blake, VP and General Manager, Department and Specialty Retail, NCR

Unlike most consumers, the retail industry doesn’t take a holiday in the summer. As we head into July, three very different retail companies are very much in the news. One has the industry all abuzz over who will be its next chief, while another has launched a pioneering employee initiative. And the newly appointed chief of the third wants to turn a cult L.A. brand into a global powerhouse. I’m fascinated by all three:

•  Target: At press time, there is no clear front-runner to replace ousted CEO Gregg Steinhafel.

Duluth, Minn. – Specialty young women’s apparel store Maurices plans to open 15 new stores, including seven grand openings and eight reopenings, through the middle of July. The new stores include:

Grand Openings:
June 27: Lufkin, Texas at Lufkin Mall and Greensburg, Indiana, at Greensburg Crossing.
July 4: Aurora, Colorado, at The Gardens on Havana.
July 5: Hoffman Estates, Illinois, at Poplar Creek Crossing.

▲ Understand the assets covered by your leases: Taken together, leases are more than just one of a chain’s largest costs — they are the largest fixed expense, and they are fixed for the long term. As a rule, individual leases average seven to 10 years.

“Understanding that is critical,” said Michael P. Glimcher, chairman and CEO, Glimcher Realty Trust, Columbus, Ohio.

I don’t mean for this column to become a running commentary on the latest goings-on at Amazon.com, but there’s no escaping the fact that after two decades, the e-commerce pioneer remains at the forefront of digital commerce innovation. One area where Amazon has particularly excelled is at creating new form factors for consuming its content and buying its goods, and the recent release of the Amazon Fire smartphone is the latest example.

Fernando Madeira will succeed Joel Anderson as president and CEO of Walmart.com to help the retailer further a growth strategy focused on winning at the integration of physical and digital. Anderson left to become president of fast-growing teen and pre-teen retailer Five Below.

Target is giving customers added incentive to shop online by offering free shipping for all orders of $50 or more.

The new policy, which takes effect immediately, excludes oversize and heavy items, which will be subject to a handling fee.

New York -- Annie Young-Scrivner, executive VP of Starbucks Coffee Company and president of its Teavana business, has joined Macy's board of directors.