News

Former Gordmans CEO set to make offer for bankrupt retailer
Jeff Gordman, the former CEO of Gordmans, plans to submit a bid for the bankrupt 106-store chain that would rescue it from liquidation. But he isn’t the only interested party.
Rouse sells Oregon power center
Rouse Properties has divested itself of an 821,564 center in Eugene, Oregon, whose tenants include Target, Cinemark, Cabela’s, Kohl’s, Hobby Lobby, and Ulta. The Shoppes at Gateway was purchased by Balboa Retail Partners for an undisclosed amount. “The Shoppes at Gateway is a thriving shopping center that drew significant investor interest," said JLL EVP Geoff Tranchina, who represented Rouse in the deal. JLL will continue on as the managing agent of the property.

Online giant serves up personalized homepages

eBay is preparing to connect with each of its individual consumers — starting from the first minute they visit the site. The company plans to do so with a new homepage that is “designed to inspire and engage with relevant, personalized content and highlighted deals,” according to the company.
Fashion retailer credits record online holiday sales to AI

The use of artificial intelligence has given Charlotte Russe an important competitive edge. With its online and mobile shopping communities growing larger and their expectations for flawless services increasing, the apparel retailer turned to IBM to prepare for the busy and critical 2016, five-day holiday shopping season kick-off. To get a jump start, Charlotte Russe launched IBM’s Watson Customer Engagement solutions in seven months. And the technology immediately gave the retailer a wake-up call.
Staten Island outlet project hires top consultant

Developers of a 350,000-sq.-ft. outlet mall in Staten Island’s burgeoning St. George district have looked across the New York Narrows to enlist the help of one of Manhattan’s most noted real estate brokers.
Walmart in patent filing for in-store drones

The nation’s largest retailer is ready to put a whole new spin on merchandise fulfillment. Speed is the name of the game in retail these days, in store and online.
Teen apparel retailer steps up its digital engagement ‘game’

Hollister & Co. is connecting with its shoppers through two of their favorite pastimes: mobility and video games. Through a partnership with Rovio Entertainment and TreSensa, the re-tailer debuted a mobile video game whose activation functionality func-tions as an ad that connects the brand with loyal and potential shoppers, according to AdAge.
Nordstrom moves point-of-sale to the cloud

As the retail experience becomes increasingly digitally-influenced, retailers need a flexible point-of-sale (POS) system that can deliver a consistent brand experience at store level. Nordstrom is taking steps to make this happen through a partnership with Infor to run POS in the cloud. Having a POS system in the cloud will give Nordstrom the tools to be more accurate and consistent across multiple locations, attend to customers more quickly, and better manage and track information, according to Infor.
Report: Department store retailer in data breach

Saks Fifth Avenue is the latest retailer to compromise the personal data of some of its shoppers. Saks inadvertently exposed personal information, including email ad-dresses and phone numbers of some of its shoppers on its online shop-ping site this weekend, according to BuzzFeed News.
Kroger names new Fred Meyer Stores president

That was fast. The Kroger Co. wasted no time in naming a replacement for Jeff Burt, president of Fred Meyer Stores, who resigned on Monday, March 20, to head up Target’s grocery business. Kroger tapped company veteran Joe Grieshaber as president of Fred Meyer Stores, immediately.
Longtime Kroger vet jumps ship for Target

A 30-year veteran of The Kroger Co. has joined Target Corp. to head up the discounter’s struggling grocery business. Target has appointed Jeff Burt as senior VP, grocery, fresh food and beverage, effective April 10.
Fashion retailer steps up its mobile experience

Charlotte Russe is taking steps to blend its online and offline experiences. The young women’s apparel specialty chain recently added a mobile commerce platform from PredictSpring designed to deliver a next-generation app to its customers. The app delivers the three key elements most demanded by Charlotte Russe’s customer: speed, flexibility, and a smooth blend of the online and offline brand experience.