Store Systems

Photos by Kate Berry

The North Face has unveiled a new store pilot — complete with a Redwood tree — at Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, California.

The 6,500-sq.-ft. store, which is located just across the street from the retailer’s previous location of 24 years, combines the best of digital in-store technology, including virtual reality, with features that speak to the locale and the brand’s DNA.

Serena & Lily has opened a flagship in a landmark structure in Wesport, Connecticut.

The 3,100-sq.-ft., three-story store is located in the historic Kemper-Gunn House, which was built in 1889 in the Queen Anne Victorian style. The retailer worked to preserve the original charm and character of the house, from the elaborate detailing in the exterior façade to saving the interior trim, hardware, hand-carved staircase, and stained glass windows.

At first glance, hardware cooperative Ace Hardware Corp. and video game chain GameStop Corp. are two retailers with little in common. However, both are leveraging their physical stores as fulfillment points for omnichannel purchases.

Ace is the place with in-store pickup

Oak Brook, Illinois-based Ace Hardware Corp. operates more than 4,400 stores and a distribution network of 14 retail support centers (RSCs) across the U.S. The company leverages this physical footprint to help meet the needs of online shoppers.

ADA lawsuits against retailers are on the rise — and even though many suits may be without merit, a retailer still has to defend/answer the allegations.

That was the message Joan Stein, one of the nation’s leading authorities on ADA, brought to the SPECS session, “ADA Non-Compliance: Can You Afford It?” at SPECS.

The retail industry has reached a point of progress with robotics where it is not enough to look at how robots will drive business transformation, but at how they are already doing so.

Following are three key retail areas where robots have already begun to make their presence felt:

Fulfillment and Distribution

After a difficult third quarter of fiscal 2016, Perfumania Holdings Inc. continued experiencing problems in the year’s fourth quarter.

The specialty chain is considering closing an unspecified number of underperforming stores after reporting net income of $2.26 million, down 59% from $5.5 million a year earlier. Lower gross profit and operating income helped slash profit.

April marked the six-month anniversary of the EMV liability shift. After years of discussion and anticipation, that changeover has technically “happened,” but unfortunately, not much good has happened as a result. Even with all the preparation and hype, the payments industry is still playing catch up. Why? Well, it’s a complex picture that requires a bit of history.