Omnichannel

By Bill Schild

Same-store sales declined again last year at Fairway Market and the company reported a record loss, but a new same-day delivery initiative with Google Express in Manhattan offers potential for omnichannel growth.
 

The athletic performance-wear giant known for its commitment to innovation goes big in Manhattan, opening its newest and largest “brand house” location to date. With 10,000 sq. ft. of selling space, the store immerses customers in the Under Armour mystique and houses its most comprehensive assortment of men's, women's and children’s apparel, footwear and equipment in the country.

Columbus, Ohio – A subsidiary of Express Inc. has entered into a franchise agreement with Edcon Group, a retail franchise operator in South Africa, to bring the Express brand to South Africa. The Express brand is expected to launch as a store-in-store concept at select Edgars department stores by the end of 2014 with standalone Express store locations to open in 2015.

Express has identified international expansion as one of the company's four pillars of growth and a significant long-term revenue opportunity for the company.

First-quarter sales at Guess fell in North America and Europe. Despite a net loss of $2.1 million, compared with net earnings of $9.9 million in the year-ago period, the company touted strong momentum in its e-commerce business, adding that it remains a key initiative as consumer demand continues shifting to that channel.

New York – Fairway Market has begun working with Google Express to launch an online shopping platform with same-day delivery throughout Manhattan. The shopping interface allows consumers to shop approximately 12,000 Fairway SKUs seamlessly across multiple devices.

The integration of Google Express allows Fairway to leverage Google's technology and distribution network to increase delivery capacity and expand the Fairway footprint.

Atlanta -- Logility, a leading supplier of collaborative solutions to optimize the supply chain, announced its acquisition of privately held MID Retail, Inc., an Indianapolis-based provider of retail allocation and merchandise planning solutions.

Barneys New York has re-launched a search function for Barneys.com, developed in collaboration with Rich Relevance, as part of its efforts to offer shoppers a customized digital shopping experience.

The upgraded function leverages site-wide customer behavior and merchant intelligence to create a personalized search experience that goes beyond collaborative filtering.