Omnichannel

Walmart has fired another shot at Amazon.   In a move that leverages the retail giant’s vast store and delivery networks and expanding online capabilities, Walmart, starting April 19, will begin offering a discount on merchandise that customers buy online and have shipped to a Walmart store for pick-up. Walmart’s new Pickup Discount program will initially be available only on about 10,000 items, but will be expanded to more than one million of the chain’s most popular items by the end of June.   

Under Armour has brought its experiential “brand house” store concept to downtown Detroit.    The three-floor, 17,000-sq.-ft. space reflects the company’s roots in Baltimore and also pays homage to the history and spirit of Detroit. The design uses athlete imagery and product installations to convey an immersive brand experience and inspire customers.   

Uniqlo is set to open its third location in Canada.   The Japanese retail giant will open a two-level, 20,630-sq. ft. store at Metropolis at Metrotown, Burnaby, this fall. It will be Uniqlo’s first location in British Columbia, with the retailer’s other two Canadian stores in Toronto.   

PetSmart is growing its brick-and-mortar footprint along with its digital one.   The retailer opened 30 stores across the U.S. and Canada in the quarter ending January 29, 2017, for a total of 70 new stores opened in fiscal 2016 to 73.  

J.McLaughlin is in a growth phase. Armed with a new cloud-based retail platform, the chain can more efficiently execute its plan.    The Brooklyn, New York-based retailer is a specialty apparel chain that operates 115 stores and an e-commerce site. In November 2015, private equity investment firm Brentwood Associates acquired a majority stake in J.McLaughlin, and in July 2016, former Ralph Lauren executive Mary Ellen Coyne came aboard as CEO.   

Some of the biggest names in retailing and foodservice used experiences to encourage a high percentage buyers to visit at least once last year.   Specifically, Walmart, McDonald’s and Target had more than five out of six U.S. consumers shopping with them in 2016, according to “The Checkout Penetration Index,” from The NPD Group’s Checkout Tracking.   

Meijer is putting its home delivery expansion plan into motion.   Meijer is preparing to launch its home delivery service throughout Ohio. The service will launch in Cincinnati and Dayton on April 27; Columbus on May 4; and Toledo later this summer.   

Amazon’s upward trajectory is not going to stop anytime soon — and it’s not going unnoticed on Wall Street.