Store Systems

Having past the calendar’s mid-point, we thought it would be interesting to take a look at the most viewed stories of the year to date on ChainStoreAge.com. (Based on the results,  the ongoing saga of J.C. Penney remains the industry's biggest story.) Here are the Top 10 stories of the first six months:

A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step, and RadioShack’s quest to makes its 4,300 U.S. stores relevant again began this week with the opening of a new prototype and a re-imagined corporate logo.

Over the weekend, RadioShack opened a store at 2268 Broadway on Manhattan’s Upper West Side that aims to attract tech-hungry shoppers who will find a new level of products, services and excitement in a store that makes the buying experience fun, according to the company.

Chicago -- The Macy’s store in the recently renovated Ohio Valley Mall in St. Clairsville, Ohio, has begun its first full-store renovation since opening in 1979. The single-level 100,000 sq. ft. store will receive new flooring, wall treatments, paint and additional accent lighting. In addition, the renovation will reconfigure the aisles to improve flow and sight lines. Macy’s will remain open throughout the renovation, which will finish up in time for the holiday season.

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. — Leading home furnishings retailer Ikea has extended its partnership with ECOtality, a clean electric transportation and storage technologies company, and plans to add 24 Blink electric vehicle charging stations across eight more locations in the United States.

New York -- RadioShack Corp. unveiled its new concept store, opening a location on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The store showcases a number of the features that will be part of a new generation of RadioShack stores that will be rolled out in locations throughout the United States and internationally over the next several months. The new concept is part of a wider initiative by new CEO Joseph C. Magnacca, who took the reins in February, to turn around the ailing chain.
   

New York -- Urban Outfitters has signed a lease for 56,730 sq. ft. on three levels at W&H Properties’ 1333 Broadway site, where the retailer will create its innovative new “lifestyle center” concept with new features never before seen from the brand, according to Anthony Malkin, president of Malkin Holdings, which supervises the W&H Properties portfolio.

The retailer will take occupancy in September.  

Los Angeles -- Sports Chalet has unveiled a sleek, smaller format in downtown Los Angeles, opening a 27,000-sq.-ft. store at Brookfield Properties’ FIGat7th mall. The center, which opened in 1986, reopened last year after a $40 million renovation.

The modern layout, designed by Gensler, puts the emphasis on education and training, and features a dedicated central area, called the “Expert Center,” for classes and clinics. The new layout also includes flexible fixtures and modules that allow for the store to be transformed overnight.

EVERETT, Wash. — Bealls is looking to Fluke Networks to help it address network issues and monitor the performance of its applications in the wake of the retailer's growing e-commerce business.

Fluke's Visual TruView solution will give the retailer comprehensive visibility into all key systems and applications across more than 500 network locations, enabling immediate remediation of performance issues and minimizing the impact on its 13,000 employees, customers and sales.