Store Systems

Corpus Christi, Texas - Steve DeSutter, president and CEO of Susser Holdings’ retail segment, is leaving the company, effective Feb. 28, 2014, to accept an opportunity to lead a significant company outside the convenience store industry. That segment will now report directly to Sam L. Susser, chairman and CEO of Susser Holdings, on an interim basis.

New York -- Even as online shopping continues to grow, more U.S. shoppers are planning to make purchases from physical stores in 2014, according to a survey by Accenture. In the “seamless retailing” study, 21% of U.S. shoppers said they plan to increase their in-store purchasing, up from just 9% in last year’s study.

By Rory Dennis, Amplience

As we look back on the first-ever outdoor cold weather Super Bowl, there are several lessons digital retailers can take away from how the NFL, Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks all prepared for what many said was an impossible or foolish undertaking. Some of the same steps these entities took to ensure a successful experience playing the Super Bowl is subfreezing conditions apply to retailers ensuring a successful digital experience for their customers, regardless of naysayers.

Flexibility Keeps Things Running

Seattle - Nordstrom, Inc. plans to relocate its full-line store to a new space within Ala Moana Center, Honolulu, Hawaii. The new three-level, approximately 186,000-sq.-ft. store is expected to open spring 2016.

Online premium-candy marketer Sugarfina has opened its first retail location, in Beverly Hills, Calif. The 1,400-sq.-ft. space is designed as a luxury candy boutique, with a large glass skylight and airy bubble chandeliers that hang like clouds in the sky. Sugarfina candy in hundreds of colors line the walls on thin floating shelves — the candy appears to be floating.
   

Boise, Idaho - WinCo Foods, LLC will open its first discount supermarkets in the state of Texas on Feb. 6, in the cities of Fort Worth and McKinney. The stores are each approximately 95,000 sq. ft. in size and include WinCo's newest decor package creating an efficient, clean feel that highlights product and coordinates with the hundreds of WinCo Foods private label products the company has recently introduced.

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation on Monday urged Congress to take a comprehensive approach as it contemplates a national response to criminal cyber attacks in which millions of consumers’ credit and debit card numbers were stolen. NRF said retailers are willing to do their part to improve security, but that banks and card companies must also take major steps to shore up the current fraud-prone payments system.