Store Systems

Cincinnati – Retailers seeking to attract back-to-school shoppers should make sure they are well schooled in the ins and outs of providing good customer service.

A new LoyaltyOne, Verde Group survey of 2,500 U.S. consumers shows that efficient service, more than price or product availability, drives store loyalty and repeat purchases for shoppers with kids younger than 18 at mass merchandise stores such as Walmart, Target and Staples.

The holiday season is rapidly approaching. For years, gift cards have remained the most requested gifts in America but with the billions of dollars worth of gift cards that will be sold this holiday season, not all will be used. That’s because gifters aren’t always spot on with their purchases and if the card isn’t a match for the consumer it may go unused, a lose-lose for all parties involved.

New York -- Target Corp. is getting rid of its CityTarget and TargetExpress signage, but it is definitely keeping its flexible format store strategy.

Online shopping is driving more sales and foot traffic in brick-and-mortar stores than ever before. In fact, Deloitte expects digital interactions will influence 64 cents of every dollar spent in retail stores by the end of 2015 – that’s $2.2 trillion worth of in-store sales that are aided by e-commerce.

Elgin, Ill. – The latest retail breach to become public knowledge targeted a small chain, but involved a third-party vendor.

Village Pizza & Pub, a two-store local pizza chain headquartered in Elgin, Illinois, was notified on July 27 of a security breach by TransformPOS, the company that provides its POS payment card processing system.

Miami -- Shoppers at The Falls, in Miami, will be able to pick up personal care and over-the-counter items without ever entering a store.

Pittsburgh – Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. continues to expand its portfolio.

The retailer plans to open three new stores Sept. 11. Two of the stores will be located in Alabama and one in Arizona.

Dick’s will open its 13th and 14th stores in Alabama at the Shoppe at Legacy Park in Tuscaloosa and Cullman Shopping Center in Cullman, and ninth store in Arizona at Wilmot Plaza in Tucson. Dick’s will have 628 stores across the U.S. with these openings.

Bolingbrook, Ill. -- Fast-growing Ulta Beauty shows no signs of losing its momentum as the specialty retailer reported better than-expected results for the second quarter and raised its guidance.

On its quarterly earnings call, Ulta said it will launch a national television advertising campaign.

Ulta’s net profits increased 8.5% to $74.2 million, from $60.8 million in the year-ago period, helped by an improved online assortment and less overall discounting.