News

Study: Bigger doesn’t always mean better customer experience
Forrester Research has identified the retailers with the most and least satisfactory experience, and a very prominent name scored poorly.
Mandese named to direct Gainesville redevelopment
Central Florida developer Butler Enterprises named Joey Mandese its director of development. He will oversee all elements — from design through construction--of the redevelopment of Butler Town Center, a Main Street-style, mixed-use complex going up in Gainesville. Formerly the owner of a construction business in Gainesville, Mandese studied architecture for two years before earning a degree in building construction and the University of Florida.

Beauty retailer opens milestone store

Marla and Barry Beck, Founders of Bluemercury, open 100th store (Photo: Business Wire) Bluemercury is testing a larger format space. The specialty beauty products and spa retailer announced the opening of its 100th store, in Savannah, Georgia.
Amazon looks Southwest for latest facility

Amazon.com is continuing its rapid pace of distribution infrastructure expansion with a planned new center in Houston. The 855,000-sq.-ft. fulfillment center will employ more than 1,000 full-time workers. Employees will pick, pack and ship smaller customer items, such as books, electronics and toys.
Retailer debuts U.S. consumer drone delivery – and it’s not Amazon

The first fully autonomous drone delivery to a customer home has occurred, and the retailer behind it is not who you would expect. Leading convenience chain 7-Eleven partnered with independent drone delivery service Flirtey and the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems (NIAS) to complete two deliveries from a store in Reno, Nevada on Sunday, July 10. 7-Eleven merchandise, including hot and cold food items, were loaded into a Flirtey drone delivery container and flown autonomously using precision GPS to a local customer’s house.
Home remodeling boom is good news for retailers

With home prices on the rise, consumers are once again investing in remodeling and repair projects.
Amazon puts toe in banking sector by selling student loans

Amazon Prime has added yet another item to its growing lineup of membership benefits: discounts on student loans. The online giant is teaming up with Wells Fargo to offer Amazon Prime Student members a discount on private student loans that are taken out through Wells Fargo Educational Financial Services, the largest private student lender among U.S. commercial banks. (Membership in Amazon Prime Student costs $49 a year, which is half the price of a regular Amazon Prime membership.)
NRF: back-to-school spending to reach $75.8 billion

With back-to-school spending on a “stock up” cycle rather than a “make do” cycle, total spending for K-12 and college school supplies is expected to reach $75.8 billion, up from last year’s $68 billion, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics.
Fender amps up consumer choice
ECRM taps media veteran Wayne Bennett to lead retail development

Efficient Collaborative Retail Marketing (ECRM), a leader in business innovation and technology, has hired retail business-to-business media veteran Wayne Bennett as senior VP, retail to lead business process initiatives between the retail industry and the supplier community that serves them.