Store Systems

Staples has completed its acquisition of all the issued and outstanding common shares of PNI for consideration of C$1.70 per share pursuant to a plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia).

By Russ Wilson, IBM director, Mobile Innovation Center

Millennials’ comfort with mobile technology, in a world where just about everything can be done with an app,  is driving businesses to provide apps of their own – enabling the purchasing of products and services in a way that is more natural to this tech savvy generation.

The 3-D printer movement got a boost months ago when Home Depot began offering 3-D printers and scanners for sale through its website.

Now the world’s largest home improvement retailer is bringing the products to shelves in select markets. Home Depot is introducing MakerBot 3-D printers and scanners in select stores in Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

On the retailer’s website, a fifth-generation MakerBot Replicator Desktop 3-D Printer sells for $2,899. A MakerBot Digitizer Desktop 3D Scanner is priced at $799.

Atlanta - The Home Depot is collaborating with 3-D printer manufacturer MakerBot to start selling MakerBot Replicator desktop 3-D printers online and in 12 Home Depot stores in California, Illinois and New York, beginning July 14. This is the first time Home Depot has offered 3-D printers for sale in its stores and will be a pilot program for MakerBot and Home Depot.

Conshohocken, Pa. -- Ikea is submitting plans to Clark County, Nevada, for a Las Vegas-area store that would increase the Swedish retailer’s presence in the western United States.

The application marks the beginning of an approval process that could lead to the store’s opening as early as summer 2016.

Ikea is submitting plans to Clark County, Nevada, for a Las Vegas-area store that would increase the Swedish retailer’s presence in the western United States. The application marks the beginning of the governmental approval process that could lead to the store’s opening as early as summer 2016.

Until then, customers will have to shop at the closest locations in Covina, California; Tempe, Arizona, or Draper, Utah; or online at IKEA-USA.com.

Amsterdam, Netherlands - Staples Europe recently launched a number of improvements to its omnichannel shopping experience, including an upgrade to the look and feel of its key websites in Europe, including Spain, Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy and U.K. The refreshed user experience includes a new homepage, header and footer, along with horizontal masthead navigation, allowing customers to browse by different categories.

iBeacon technology, the Apple iOS 7 feature that helps mobile devices track their position relative to stationary beacons by using low-frequency Bluetooth transmissions, is getting quite a bit of attention from retailers. Grabbing their interest is not only that devices can obtain individualized information from beacons, but that beacons can also obtain individualized information from mobile devices.