News

Women’s plus-size retailer Torrid will open locations in five Cafaro Malls: Eastwood Mall (Niles, Ohio); Governor’s Square Mall (Clarksville, Tennessee); Huntington Mall (Barboursville, West Virginia), Millcreek Mall (Erie, Pennsylvania); and Spotsylvania Towne Centre (Fredericksburg, Virginia).     The 3,500-sq.-ft. stores are all expected to be up and running by June. Torrid, founded in 2001, operates more than 400 locations across 36 states.  

Swire Properties has announced the addition of Zara and MAC Cosmetics to its 500,000-sq.-ft., open-air collection of luxury retailers and gourmet food option in Miami’s Brickell City Centre. Both stores look toward a fall opening.  

Discount grocer Aldi is not about to let any new competitors — home-grown or fellow German imports — get the best of it.    The retailer has announced an aggressive $1.6 billion investment in its stores, with plans to remodel and expand more than 1,300 of its locations by 2020. The announcement comes as competition heats up in the value grocery segment, which is bracing itself for the entry of Germany’s Lidl. At the same, Whole Foods Market continues to expand its new, less pricey format, 365 by Whole Foods.

"It makes me feel really, really sad. I hate to even go up that way. Sometimes I go up that way because I go to the movie theater and I got to ride by it, and it's just heartbreaking, and to see the mall gone,” Owings Mills, Maryland resident Glenn Watlingon told WMAR-TV about the demolition of the Owings Mills Mall.   

When it comes to securing their online data, Americans have more confidence in online marketplaces than traditional retailers.   Fifty-four percent of Americans who shop online trust online marketplaces such as eBay and Amazon, with their financial information, according to a report by Blumberg Capital. In contrast, only 33% of consumers trust established retail brands such as Walmart, Gap, Target, and Macy’s.    

The person charged with leading Walgreens Boots Alliance’s digital transformation, is leaving the company in March.   Abhi Dhar, who has essentially served as chief digital officer and CIO of the drugstore giant since 2015, is stepping down from the company to launch an online marketing startup for the retail sector, reported CIO.com. He will serve as CEO of the start-up.  

A retail pioneer in all-natural beauty products, ethical sourcing and environmental responsibility is facing an uncertain future.   L’Oreal is exploring a sale of The Body Shop for $1.1 billion, the Financial Times reported. The cosmetics giant bought the company, which operates some 3,000 stores across the globe, in 2006.   The Body Shop was founded in Brighton, England, in 1976 by Dame Anita Roddick. The brand has struggled recently amid increased competition from an array of brands. 

The nation’s leading home storage products retailer is going to try on a smaller footprint.      The Container Store Group on Tuesday said it plans to open locations in Cleveland; Livingston, New Jersey; and Staten Island, New York, as well as relocate its store in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.      

Apparently mind-challenging games and puzzles weren’t big on holiday lists last year.   Marbles: The Brain Store has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, with plans to close its 37 stores, reported The Chicago Tribune. In its filing, the Chicago-based retailer cited a "dramatic downturn" in its 2016 holiday business that left it short on cash.   

Within the next decade, online food shopping will reach maturation in the U.S., far faster than other industries that have come online before.   At least that’s according to the “Digitally Engaged Food Shopper,” a report from the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and Nielsen that takes a comprehensive look into the behaviors, motivations and expectations of the digitally-engaged food shopper.