Store Systems

Amazon's Echo is in expansion mode just in time for the holiday rush.   The online giant on Wednesday announced five new Echo products, along with several other new gadgets. And none of the items cost more than$150, TechCrunch reported. The new items include Echo Plus, which will do double duty by also serving as a hub for smart home devices.  

More than three-quarters of consumers are shopping at bricks-and-mortar stores just as much as or more than they did a year ago.   That's according to Consumer View, a new quarterly report from the National Retail Federation. NRF is working with Toluna Analytics to produce the report, which is designed to gauge consumer behavior and shopping trends related to stores, online channels, customer loyalty, technology and other issues.  

CVS Pharmacy has brought its new store format to the "crossroads of the world."  

Disney is looking to update its customer experience, offline and online, in what it said represents "the next generation of Disney retail."   The company is testing a new store prototype in select locations, including Century City, Calif.; Northridge, Calif.; Miami, Fla. (opening Sept. 28); Nagoya, Japan; and Shanghai, China. The prototype is designed to bring the magic of Disney to retail through innovative technology, storytelling and cast member interaction, the company stated.  

A tech-savvy retailer with an unusual business model is expanding its brick-and-mortar footprint nationally.    b8ta announced plans to open four new stores, designed by Gensler, with locations in San Francisco, San Jose, Calif. (Santana Row), Houston (Galleria), and New York City. The expansion, which brings the company's total store count to nine, kicks off with the opening of a store in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley neighborhood on Sept. 29.  

Big Lots has finally unwrapped its store of the future.   Located in the company's hometown of Columbus, Ohio, the store has a less promotional, softer look. Gaudy, aggressive signs have been replaced with more traditional aisle markers and color coding have replaced the chain's signs that "shouted" at customers, Columbus Business First reported. Customers are greeted with a big "Hello" on a wall as they enter, with a "thank you" sign on the way out.