News

Bidding begins for Sport Chalet stores
Prime retail real estate in Southern California and nearby states is now available after bankrupt Sport Chalet retained A&G Realty Partners to sell its assets.
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.

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.”
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.
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
Lighting Rebate Trends

About two-thirds (64%) of the United States is covered by prescriptive lighting rebates, according to BriteSwitch, a rebate fulfillment company. These rebates can significantly reduce the installed cost of new lighting in existing buildings and improve payback by 20%-25%, which would reduce a two-year payback to about 1.5 years.

Despite the proliferation of the LED source, traditional lighting product rebates remain available.
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.
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.
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.
GNC exploring options — including sale

GNC Holdings Inc. announced Monday it is undertaking a strategic review whose options could include a sale of the company.

The health-and-wellness retailer said it is also considering accelerated refranchising strategies, partnerships and other collaborations, and capital structure optimization. The announcement comes on the heels of disappointing first quarter results.