Store Systems

A panel of architects, engineers and retailers discussed 2013 California Title 24, Part 6, which is widely acknowledged as the strictest energy code in the United States. And its relevance extends far beyond the Golden State.

“As California goes, so goes the nation,” said Ken Kosinski, construction director, Nike Factory Stores, North America, Nike.

The updated version of the code went into effect on July 1, 2014, and includes a big increase in the lighting-control requirement.

Los Angeles - True Religion has expanded its partnership with Epicor to support omnichannel and digital innovation initiatives. The specialty apparel retailer has selected modules including the Epicor QuantiSense Retail Business Intelligence solution, and the Epicor ShopVisible cloud retail order management solution.

The famous poetic line “water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink” may hold more truth than most retailers realize.

“Less than 1% of water is drinkable and readily available, and less than 1% of that is surface water,” Jerry Yudelson, president, Green Building Initiative, told SPECS attendees.

From international brands dropping anchor on U.S. shores and online players expanding in the physical space to familiar names with new formats and traditional start-ups, there is no lack of new concepts in the brick-and-mortar arena. Here’s a look at some with the biggest buzz.

TreeHouse

An Austin, Texas-based home improvement retailer with a green conscience and niche positioning is ready to branch out. TreeHouse opened in late 2011 in Austin’s Westgate Shopping Center, and has been thriving ever since.

GameStop uses beacons to put customers in charge of store promotions

Retailers often use in-store beacons to push promotions to customer mobile phones as they pass by. But video game retailer GameStop Corp., which operates more than 4,200 U.S. stores, takes a different approach.

“In the store, we have multiple pieces of signage marking the location of beacons,” said Charlie Larkin, senior director of GameStop Technology Institute, the retailer’s in-house IT development center.

JCPenney Co. Inc. is expanding its in-store partnership with Sephora by adding the beauty retailer to more stores.

Seattle – Stockbrokers in need of a quick caffeine fix between bouts of buying and selling have a new resource. Starbucks Corp. is debuting its new express store format on Wall Street in New York, across from the New York Stock Exchange.

The compact 538-sq.-ft. store space is designed to provide a streamlined customer experience and provide what Starbucks calls an “espresso shot” version of visiting its stores. Starbucks is relying upon store design, customer service and technology to provide the convenience it promises.

Vernon, Calif. -- True Religion Apparel Inc. has opened its first global flagship, at 513 Broadway in downtown Manhattan. The 3,000-sq.-ft. space is the brand’s largest and most digitally-savvy store to date, starting with storefront windows that display a continuous stream of video content. The windows are also able to showcase style statements from shoppers themselves.

Inside the store, digital kiosks and iPads provide product-on-demand by offering the entire True Religion collection through an endless digital aisle.