Store Systems

When the Grand Metropolitan Mall opened in 2013 in Bekasi, Indonesia, just east of Jakarta, it did so with an award-winning design.    

Ulta Beauty reported a 22.2% boost in second-quarter new sales and drove its best comps since the secondquarter 2012 thanks in large part to successful new products and brands as well as growth in e-commerce. Meanwhile, the beauty retailer continues to forge ahead on its new strategic plan.

New York -- Wal-Mart Stores has no plans to join Apple’s newly-announced mobile payments system, Apple Pay, which is due to launch in October.

Wal-Mart is supporting a retailer-owned mobile technology group, the Merchant Customer Exchange, which is launching its own mobile wallet application. The application, called CurrentC, is now in pilot and is expected to be rolled out nationwide in 2015, according to The Washington Post.  Best Buy is also among the retailers supporting CurrentC.
   

IBM and Apple announced a strategic partnership earlier this year that promises to transform enterprise mobility through a new class of business apps. The companies plan to leverage their respective strengths in technology, business intelligence and user experience to create solutions that address some of the retail industry’s most pressing challenges. To better understand what that means, Retailing Today spoke with Jill Puleri, VP and global retail industry leader for IBM Global Business Services.

Jacksonville, Fla. — Near Field Communication (NFC) POS payment terminals from Pax Technology Inc. now support Apple Pay. Pax has a portfolio of products including countertop, mobile and multi-lane NFC-equipped terminals tested to work with Apple Pay.

Walmart unveiled new details regarding the digital strategy for its Asda division in the United Kingdom that could have implications for how the retailer serves the U.S. market.

U.K. shoppers love the internet and Walmart’s Asda unit is responding with growth of order online, pick up in store capabilities known as Click and Collect, dedicated facilities and the consolidation of Web sites.

Fort Worth, Texas – RadioShack Corp. on Thursday posted a net loss of $137.2 million in its second quarter, more than double the $52.2 million loss reported in the year-ago period.  It was the troubled retailer’s 10th straight quarterly loss. RadioShack warned in a regulatory filing it may seek bankruptcy protection, with a possible sale or third-party investment as other potential avenues to remedy its ongoing financial woes.

Indianapolis — JLL’s Retail Group has been retained to lease and manage Washington Square Mall in Indianapolis. The property’s tenant mix includes more than 80 national, regional and local retailers, and is anchored by Sears, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Target and Burlington Coat Factory.

The nearly one-million-square-foot regional shopping mall was built in 1974 and underwent a comprehensive renovation in 1999. Regional manager Rick Vita is leading the JLL team on this assignment.