News

Lowe’s chief marketer to join sporting goods retailer
Academy Sports + Outdoors named Thomas "Tom" Lamb executive VP, chief marketing officer, effective May 23.

Tom, 50, joins Academy after 17 years with Lowe's Companies, where he most recently served as chief marketing officer. At Lowe's he led the marketing, advertising, brand management, private brand development, customer relationship management, and digital communication activities for the $59 billion retailer.
South Dakota sues four big online retailers over sales tax
South Dakota has filed a lawsuit against four online retailers, joining a growing number of other states in a battle that could well end up in the Supeme Court, according to a report by corporatecounsel.com

Publix posts strong Q1

Publix Super Markets on Monday turned in another winning revenue performance, reporting $8.7 billion in sales for its first quarter, up 4.5% from $8.3 billion in the year ago period. Same-store sales rose 3.3%.

Net earnings were up to $581.9 million, up 6% over the same period last year.

It was the first quarterly report issued under new CEO Todd Jones. Former chief executive Ed Crenshaw retired Friday after 42 years with the company and nearly eight as CEO.
Study: This retailer is tops in providing digital experience

When it comes to providing digital consumers with a quality online shopping environment, one well-known discount club chain comes out on top.

According to the “2016 Digital Experience Report” from application performance company Dynatrace, Costco led all online retailers in both performance and reliability. Apple followed in a close second place.
Retailers making Miracle Mile moves

There is a lot of tenant activity going on at the Miracle Miles Shops in Las Vegas with several notable retailers expanding, renovating and growing new concepts.
Convenience store chain goes on hiring spree

Sheetz is putting the “help wanted” sign out.
Fast-growing fashion retailer taps Roots Canada exec as president

Kit and Ace announced that Wendy Bennison has been named president. Interim CEO Paul Wilson will resume his role as CEO of Hold It All Inc.

“We feel very fortunate to have Wendy on board,” said Wilson. “She is a proven leader with an incredible depth of knowledge in the retail marketplace – both here in Canada and internationally. We’re confident that there is no better person to helm the next phase of our growth.”
Party City begins 80 store expansion – in Mexico

The first Party City location has opened in Mexico and with the help of strategic franchise partner Grupo Oprimax a total of 80 locations are planned.
How Competition in Consumer-Facing Technology Threatens the Stability of Retail

Competition in providing the most innovative, unique, and up-to-date services and features to consumers is escalating with the rise and expansion of omnicommerce, a strategy that delivers a seamless customer experience through all available shopping channels. Brands are building in-house development teams or partnering with start-ups and other companies to extend their reach while catering to their customers’ demands of convenience, personalization, and on-trend technology.
Saks opens 100th Off 5th location; affirms urban strategy

The opening of the newest Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th location near downtown Chicago is a big deal literally and figuratively.

The newest Off 5th is located in the NEWCITY development at Lincoln Park on the northern fringe of downtown Chicago at 1457 Halsted Street at the intersection of North Clybourn Avenue. The store is the company’s 100th Off 5th location in North American, its seventh in Illinois and the second in downtown Chicago following the April 14 opening of the first location as 6 S. State Street.
Report: Target testing in-store robot

Target Corp. is testing a robot to track inventory on store shelves, Fortune reported. The one-week trial is being conducted a Target store in San Francisco.

Silicon Valley startup Robotics built the robot, called Tally, that can roll around the store, scanning products to determine if they have been misplaced, mispriced, or are low in stock, according to the report.

Click here for more, including a video of the robot in action.
eBay uncorks new online wine offering

Wine aficionados have a new, expanded digital resource to shop for their favorite vintage.

eBay has introduced eBay Wine, a new section of its e-commerce site that features the ability to browse collectible, rare and everyday wines.

Consumers can search eBay’s assortment of more than 10,000 wines using attributes including varietal, region, price point, and price format (“buy it now” or auctions for rare bottles). Shoppers will be able to purchase wine and ship to almost anywhere in the U.S.