Store Systems

Hhgregg CFO Robert Riesbeck is acting as interim CEO at the appliance, electronics and furniture retailer following the abrupt departure of longtime executive Dennis May.

Retailers looking for evidence that technology has become a pre-eminent influencer on their industry need look no further.

A market brief from consumer financial services company Synchrony Financial, “10 Things to Know – the Top 10 Retail Trends for 2016,” identifies eight technology-driven developments on its list. In addition to the emergence of new retail holidays and increased spending on pets, the eight IT-focused trends are:

The Tile Shop paved the way for continued growth in the fourth quarter, with an increase in same store sales and profits.

For the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, the specialty retailer reported a 9.8% same store sales increase, a 70.4% gross margin increase, and diluted earnings per share of 7 cents. Net sales grew 13.5% to $71.9 million for the fourth quarter compared with $63.3 million for the prior year quarter. 

Tops Markets, a 167-unit supermarket chain based in Williamsville, New York, is leveraging advanced analytics to transform both its loss prevention and customer service efforts.

Schimenti Construction has created a new space for Kohl’s Corp. to show off its latest collections.

The 4,000-sq.-ft. showroom, at 1400 Broadway in the garment district of Manhattan, acts as a striking backdrop to the retailer’s latest fashions, with large windows, bright spotlights and a gleaming white epoxy floor. The new space is in the same building that houses Kohl’s design offices. The retailer now occupies 100,000 sq. ft. on four floors.

Traffic and conversion troubles led to a same store sales decrease for fashion retailer Bebe in the second quarter.

For the period ended Jan. 2, net sales decreased 5% to $122.4 million, as compared to $128.9 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2015. The net sales decrease was primarily driven by a comp decrease and store closures. Same store sales decreased 2.5% compared to an increase of 8% in the same period of the prior year. Traffic and conversion declined while average unit retail was flat.

Luxury dinnerware retailer Lenox is enjoying a feast of e-commerce delights with the aid of Oracle Commerce technology.

Lenox boosted e-commerce sales 26% during the 2015 holiday season compared to the two previous holiday seasons after deploying Oracle Commerce solutions that improved areas such as search results, recommendations, and targeted promotions. At the beginning of the holiday season, Lenox began targeting promotions for customer segments and launching more complex pricing strategies.

Barneys New York has opened flagship in downtown Manhattan on the same block that the upscale retailer was founded on in 1923 and maintained a presence through the late 1990's.