News

For the eighth year running, Newegg is giving shoppers access to special Black Friday promotions during the entire month of November.   A program designed to make it more convenient to shop for the season¹s most sought-after products, Newegg’s promotional month will highlight specific sales that will last for a full week.  

Grocery-anchored center specialist Phillips Edison has announced the acquisition of two more centers, making it three for the week.   It purchased the 257,979-sq.-ft. Southern Palms in Tempe, Arizona, which is anchored by the fresh format grocer Sprouts and also houses Planet Fitness, Firehouse Subs, Sally Beauty, and West Marine Products.  

As the centerpiece of today’s omnichannel world, customers expect a seamless experience no matter when, where or how they chose to shop. However, this explosion of multiple shopper scenarios is a significant challenge for retail operations.   Brands not only depend upon a seamless integration between online and in-store point-of-sale (POS) systems, but also contend with a paradigm shift of selling merchandise from a database rather than a physical store.    

Singles' Day, a festival that started in China some 20 years ago to celebrate being single, is fast approaching. And the country’s e-commerce giant is pulling out all the stops this year.   

Online growth — and along with it, online market share — continues to accelerate.   The trajectory is so strong that sales are on pace to hit $440 billion in 2017, a leap from $395 billion expected in 2016, according to “U.S. Online Sales Forecast: Omni-Channel Retailing Challenged by Its Success,” a report from FTI Consulting.   

Raley’s will unveil a new natural foods grocery store concept in spring 2017.   Called Market 5-ONE-5, the new format will debut in downtown Sacramento, Calif., and is described as a farmer’s market concept, with fresh products delivered daily. It will be operated independently of Raley’s, according to The Sacramento Bee. A press release about the new store quoted Raley’s CEO Michael Teel, but identified him only as “owner.”  

Zara, the trendy global fashion retailer, will soon assume a place between Macy’s and Nordstrom at the Cherry Hill Mall in suburban Philadelphia.   

Luxury handbag and accessories brand Coach posted a 22% increase in profit for the first quarter, a result that one analyst said show the company’s turnaround is delivering.   Profit totaled $117.4 million in the quarter, or 42 cents per diluted share. Adjusted net income for the quarter totaled $126 million, or 45 cents per diluted share, slightly ahead of forecasts.  

Kona Grill is looking to minimize energy consumption and cut down on waste.    The restaurant company selected Ecova to provide waste expense management strategy and utility expense data management for the American grill and sushi bar chain’s more than 43 restaurants in the United States and Puerto Rico.     

For every shopper that asks “Alexa, what are your holiday deals?,” Amazon now has answers.    The Internet giant has officially kicked off the holiday countdown with the launch of its Black Friday Deals Store and curated holiday gift guides, along with an array of other digital services geared to attract shoppers this shopping season.