Store Systems

Target Canada is on schedule to open 33 additional Canadian store locations spanning across nine provinces, including its first stores in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland.

The retailer plans to open 31 stores Nov. 13, and the remaining two Nov. 22. Target will announce additional store openings beyond 2013 at a later date.  

Shanghai, China -- The Walt Disney Co. announced plans to open its first store in mainland China, in Shanghai. The 53,000-sq.-ft. Disney Store, expected to open in early 2015, will be the company’s largest store to date.

The store will be located in Shanghai's financial hub. It will feature an approximate 10,800-sq.-ft. retail space, and a Disney-themed outdoor plaza area that can be used to host outdoor events. The surrounding area has foot traffic of more than 40 million visitors a year.

Competition from digital entertainment providers may be on the rise, but with an installed base of 43,600 locations, rental activity at Redbox hit a new high in the third quarter and generated traffic for retail partners in the process.

By Carl Meadows, [email protected]

Retailers always prefer clear skies. But from an operational standpoint, more and more are preparing for cloudy days ahead – via cloud computing.

If a retailer is considering the use of a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet for its data rather than using its own physical servers, just how cloud-ready is it? 

Winston-Salem, N.C. — Krispy Kreme has announced the grand opening of a new Doughnut Factory in Doraville, Ga., for Oct. 29. The first 100 guests in line will receive free doughnuts for a year and commemorative T-shirts. The newly constructed, freestanding 2,300-sq.-ft. store includes a drive-through.

Today, Krispy Kreme operates more than 785 locations in 22 countries around the world.

Petco has opened its first store in Mexico and announced plans for continued expansion in Mexico and Latin America through a previously announced joint venture with Grupo Gigante of Mexico. Together, the companies plan to open as many as 50 Petco stores in Mexico and Latin America by 2020.

Starbucks Corp. unveiled its new retail format, Teavana Fine Teas + Tea Bar, with the debut location opening on Manhattan's  East Side. The store features a wide variety of hot brewed and iced teas, tea fusion beverages and  tea-related merchandise. It also offers a range of food items, from salads to flatbreads to pastries and other baked goods, with a bakery-like presentations.

Woodland Hills, Calif. — GrowLife has announced the opening of its seventh store in Santa Rosa, Calif., on Oct. 25.

GrowLife Hydroponics operates in the legal cannabis industry with online and brick-and-mortar stores.