Store Systems

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens helped launch the nation’s first privately funded and comprehensive electric vehicle charging network with an initial station at its drug store at Belt Line Road and Montfort Drive in Dallas. The retailer is working with NRG Energy to install high-powered rapid charging eVgosm Freedom Stations at 18 locations across the Dallas/Fort Worth area,

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens on Friday helped launch the nation’s first privately funded and comprehensive electric vehicle charging network with an initial station at the Walgreens drug store at Belt Line Road and Montfort Drive in Dallas.

The drug store retailer is working with NRG Energy to install high-powered rapid charging eVgo Freedom Stations at 18 locations across the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

After being left for dead four years ago, Pier 1 Imports has recuperated fully to the point where it recently embarked on a new three-year plan to restore growth to the company.

Key elements of the plan call for the acceleration of e-commerce, improvements to existing stores, new store expansion and investments in infrastructure to support the enterprise and improve efficiency.

New York City -- Brooks Bros. said Thursday that it has implemented a mobile optimized website to create a unique mobile shopping experience for its customers, powered by Digby’s Mobile Software Commerce Platform.

With the new mobile presence, customers can now search, review and buy products from Brooks Bros. directly from their mobile devices.

Fort Worth, Texas -- Pier 1 Imports reported Thursday that net income for the quarter ended Feb. 26 surged 65% to $57.1 million, from $34.5 million a year earlier.
 
The home décor retailer cited improving sales, cost control efforts and strong merchandise margins for the substantial improvement.

Pier 1 also announced a three-year growth plan that includes investing $200 million of capital into its operations and starting a $100 million share buyback.

NEW YORK -- Uniqlo, a subsidiary brand of Japan-based Fast Retailing Co., announced that it will open its third New York City location at 31 West 34th Street this fall. The 34th Street store is set to open late in the fall of 2011, following the opening of the company's largest flagshop store on Fifth Avenue in early fall. Uniqlo operates a store in NYC's trendy SoHo neighborhood.

In conjunction with the news of its NYC expansion, Uniqlo announced plans to hire 1,000 retail associates and 100 supervisors from the local tri-state area.

Grapevine, Texas -- GameStop Corp. has selected Adgregate Markets, a leader in secure social commerce solutions, to provide social shopping on its Facebook page through Adgregate’s proprietary ShopFans solution.

GameStop is the first multichannel gaming company to launch a storefront on Facebook and provide true social commerce to more than 1.8 million Facebook fans.

The complexities of running a retail business combined with low margins prevalent in the mass market leave little room for error when it comes to achieving operating profitability. For any retailer to produce a profit is quite an accomplishment, and in the case of Walmart it is even more impressive when factoring in some of the extracurricular activities that go on in its stores.