Store Systems

Racine, Wisconsin’s planning commission has overturned the local Regency Mall’s policy to suit the signage requirements of new retailers there, according to a report in The Journal Times.   When J.C. Penney closed its doors at the CBL & Associates-owned mall, the vacant space was favorably distributed among three new tenants. All three, however, had issues with the space allotment for their signs.   

Wal-Mart Stores, which filed suit against Visa in May over debit card authorization, is getting taste of its own medicine.  

An average food retail store leaks an estimated 25% estimated of its refrigerant supply per year. The majority of refrigerant leaks, which are caused by a number of factors, occur in racks and cases. For an individual store, this loss can add up to a sizeable annual expense; for a regional or national chain, the costs can be even more substantial. Additionally, associated labor costs and the potential loss of business because of service disruptions when fixing a leak should be factored in.     

Retailers like to promote and capture impulse purchases, but need to think longer-term for e-commerce.  

Target Corp. is taking its lighting to the next level.   The retailer has entered into an agreement with Acuity Brands for Acuity to provide Target with smart lighting technologies, featuring energy saving LED fixtures and dimming controls.    Target will be installing Acuity’s next generation, smart LED sales floor fixtures, along with the lighting company’s store accent lighting and distribution center site lighting.   

Belkin, which sells accessories for smartphones and tablets, has entered the brick-and-mortar space.   The company has opened a store newly renovated Terminal 6 at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) with the Hudson Group.   The store, which features a charging station, sells a variety of accessories, including chargers, cables, and screen protectors. It carries about 100 skus.  

Wine Riot, an online resource and event creator for wine aficionados, is entering the brick-and-mortar space with some analytical assistance.   Created by Second Glass, a Boston-based wine event provider, Wine Riot provides online data about wine and also serves as a digital platform supporting in-person wine tasting events and exhibitions. As the company prepares to open its first physical store in Boston, it is deploying the RetailNext analytics solution.  

Paperless coupons are supposed to easy, and Walgreens is doing its best to make them that way.   Walgreens customers now have the ability to redeem digital coupons from Walgreens and manufacturers for online purchases, as well as in-store purchases. Additionally, offers can now be “clipped” on product detail pages and in search results on Walgreens.com, and through the Walgreens mobile app.