News

On the Level: A real estate column
Do we come to bury Jeff Bezos, or to praise him?
When I was a boy, my Cioci Mary (cioci is Polish for aunt) would occasionally treat me to a trip downtown in the small city where I grew up. We’d get a burger at Pappas’ diner and then head to W.T. Grant’s and she’d buy me candy, a comic book and a small toy. I mist up a little just thinking about it now, more than 50 years later.
You think a child of today, decades hence, will recall his aunt buying him a pair of sneakers on her laptop as fondly?
Whole Foods’ rapid solar rollout
Whole Foods Market is saving money and time — and benefiting the environment—by taking an innovative approach to going solar.
That’s according to an analysis by the Retail Industry Leaders Association and The Solar Foundation that found Whole Foods’ strategy of taking a standardized approach to rapid rollout of solar rooftop installations across multiple locations could be a valuable model for other retailers to consider.

Shop Talk

TRENDING STORES: PetSmart debuted a new store concept that puts a big emphasis on pet services. The 7,400-sq.-ft. PetSmart Pet Spa, in Oceanside, N.Y., is decidedly smaller than PetSmart’s typical footprint and features a self-service dog wash, a grooming salon and a coffee bar-lounge area. The overall modern design includes a circular “concierge” desk with a bakery full of dog treats.…Amazon Books plans to open its fourth location, a 7,200-sq.-ft. store in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood.
Focus on 'smart' lighting

Intelligent lighting can help improve back-of-the-house retail operations
While a lot of emphasis is placed on optimizing the front-of-the-house retail experience, improving back-of-the-house operations can also help retailers better meet customers’ evolving expectations — and intelligent lighting systems may be the key to improving those operations.
SPECS 2017 update

Planning is well under way for the 53rd annual SPECS conference, which will be held at the Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee, Fla., March 12–14, 2017. The event is produced by Chain Store Age and is attended by retail and foodservice executives involved in the planning, design, construction and maintenance of stores and restaurants nationwide.
Tapping into the restaurant playbook

To create meaningful experiences, retailers should take a page from the menu
At the Converse store on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, “customization maestros” help sneaker fans manufacture their dream shoe.
Shoppers, browsing the featured iPads, choose among 150 graphics, including those created by local artists. There is a wide selection of grommets, patches and lettering, along with swap-out drawstrings of various designs and color.
Supply chain efficiencies

The Home Depot to modernize with next-gen handheld devices in DCs
For The Home Depot, supply chain efficiency is about getting product from vendor partners down to store level, or directly onto the front porch of its shoppers — all without increasing overhead costs.
With an eye on modernization, the retailer is leveraging its mobile device management platform to ease its upcoming transition to a new fleet of ruggedized handhelds across its supply chain.
Engaging the connected consumer

Reinventing the traditional retailing experience is paramount to reaching a digitally savvy customer base, according to Joe Jensen, VP, Internet of Things group general manager, retail solutions division, Intel. Jensen discussed with Chain Store Age how retailers can meet this challenge.
What are the biggest challenges that retailers are facing in their customer engagement strategies?
Connected homes

IoT is making it easier for retailers to interact with consumers via connected home-based devices that allow consumers to interact with brands without launching a website or mobile app.
The best known is Amazon Echo, a voice activated device designed with an artificial intelligence assistant app called Alexa. Dedicated sensors in the device connect the consumer’s home to their retailers of choice, allowing, via voice commands, consumers to add items to virtual shopping lists or make online purchases.
Energizing in-store ops

The omnichannel retailing model is forcing brands to bridge the gap between physical and digital retailing. Add in the power of the Internet of Things, and this business transformation is finally within reach. From beacons that send out personalized promotions to frequent shoppers, to smart mirrors that allow customers to virtually “try on” clothing, IoT technologies are transforming the store experience.
If digitally savvy shoppers have taught retailers anything it’s that a traditional shopping experience isn’t enough to drive loyalty.
New store-supply-chain scenario

Supply chain visibility is important in omnichannel success. The Internet of Things could be the perfect tool to keep inventory hiccups throughout the demand chain to a minimum.
“While many retailers have a mind-set that IoT is about satisfying customers and not moving product, supply chain IoT use cases still interest retailers,” said Steve Rowen, managing partner at Retail Systems Research.
A retail journey

IoT promises to deliver coveted seamless shopping experience, enterprise-wide visibility
To remain relevant in an omnichannel retailing world, brands must evolve operations to satisfy the way people shop. Armed with the Internet of Things (IoT), retailers position themselves to leverage the necessary operations to engage digitally savvy customers in an ever-changing business landscape.