Store Systems

Local cues and digital influences on the rise

Signage continues to gain importance in overall branding efforts, as retailers seek to differentiate themselves with signs tailored to local markets and to create department ambiance. And increasingly, there is a lot more participation by marketing and advertising departments in developing signage programs.

“It is not just the construction or store planning departments anymore,” said Tony Camilletti, executive VP, D/Fab, Madison Heights, Mich.

A survey of 87 retailers conducted by Pacific Gas & Electric found many are unhappy with their lighting and are considering LED lighting to save energy. But, at the same time, they lack sufficient information to evaluate products.

Doubling your store count is the type of growth most retailers seek. So 38-unit, Louisiana-based grocery retailer Rouses didn’t complain back in 2007 when it upped its store count in Louisiana and Mississippi from 15 to 32 by purchasing the regional Sav-A-Center chain from A&P. However, for a family-owned business that had previously grown organically, this sudden spurt in its number and distribution of stores created a few issues.

New York -- Artisanal Brands, a marketer and distributor of specialty, artisanal and farmstead cheeses and other specialty food products, has signed a long-term lease on a new Artisanal Cheese Center in New York City with cheese aging caves, production and office facilities, as well as the first retail outlet to be owned and managed by the company.  
   

Retailers will gain $81 billion from the “Internet of Everything,” which is the term given to the connectivity of an increasing number of people, processes and things, in 2013. But according to new research from Cisco Systems, Inc., this only reflects 45% of the potential return.

Bentonville, Ark. – Sam’s Club is opening a new store in Edmond, Okla., on Oct. 3. The new Sam's Club features a shopper-friendly interior layout and measures approximately 136,000 sq. ft., and has created about 130 new jobs.

To remain in the same e-commerce class as its peers, Pennsauken, N.J.-based Becker’s School Supplies, Inc. redeveloped and relaunched its online retail site on the WebLinc e-commerce platform.

“We needed a significant upgrade of our Web presence,” explained Robert Bonczkiewicz, catalog manager at Becker’s. “Competitors in our space are top-notch and we needed to get up to speed.”

New York -- Help CSA determine the Most Innovative Retail Store of 2013 by voting for one of the five stores below. (For photos and info on the nominees, go to chainstoreage.com/multimedia.)