News

Jewelry chain seeks shiny, new customer experience
Helzberg Diamonds knows its clientele expects quality, both in merchandise and in the service they receive.

So the Kansas City-based, 230-plus-store specialty jewelry retailer is implementing Oracle Retail XStore POS software, as well as other third-party customer engagement and payment processing technology. With retail system integration services provider BTM global handling all implementation, Helzberg will obtain point-to-point encryption, tokenization and EMV certification.
Lululemon strikes familiar growth pose

To drive growth in 2016 Lululemon will again rely on a rapid pace of store expansion and an e-commerce fueled same-store sales increase after that combination enabled the company to achieve record results and surpass annual sales of $2 billion in 2015.

Lululemon dramatically increased its selling space last year, adding 57 new stores to a base of 316 stores to end the year with 363 units. The surge in new store construction is understandable given that Lululemon’s sales per square foot of roughly $1,500 is among the highest in retail.

Supplier survey bodes well for retail sales

If the major suppliers of soft goods such as clothing and accessories to retail stores are a bellwether of the economy, then the coming months are looking to provide a jolt as 75% of these suppliers expect retail sales to significantly outpace the gross domestic product for the spring and summer shopping season.

That’s one of the major findings of a new survey conducted by Capital Business Credit.
Ikea partners with fashion designers on new collections

Ikea has formed an unprecedented partnership with fashion designers to launch new limited edition collections in Canada.

Between April and September, Ikea will be launching three new collections created in collaboration with fashion designers from across Europe. The move marks the first time that Ikea has teamed up with fashion designers to create collections that respond directly to current trends and fuse various influences to give customers cutting-edge design at affordable prices.
Restoration Hardware slips in Q4; sees new brand as $1 billion business

Production and shipping delays related to its new collection of modern furniture, which it also has launched as a standalone business, are taking a toll on Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc. as the high-end retailer issued a weak outlook for the current quarter.

Restoration Hardware (RH) reported its fourth-quarter earnings slid to $33.3 million, or 79 cents a share, from $42.5 million, or $1.02 a share, a year earlier. On an adjusted basis, the company earned 98 cents a share, which fell short of its own projection released in February.
Department store giant cuts bonuses for top execs

Macy’s CEO and other top executives are feeling the pain of the chain’s disappointment financial performance in 2015. The board decided to award no bonuses after the chain fell short of its sales, cash flow and earnings goals, Macy’s said in a regulatory filing, according to Bloomberg. [Bloomberg]
Ikea partners with fashion designers to launch collections

Ikea has formed an unprecedented partnership with fashion designers to launch new limited edition collections in Canada.

Between April and September, Ikea will be launching three new collections created in collaboration with fashion designers from across Europe. The move marks the first time that Ikea has teamed up with fashion designers to create collections that respond directly to current trends and fuse various influences to give customers cutting-edge design at affordable prices.
Amazon to add yet another center to sprawling distribution network

A few days after announcing a new fulfillment center in Edgerton, Kansas, Amazon.com is unveiling plans for another new center that will serve customers a little further west.

Amazon plans to open a seventh California fulfillment center in San Bernardino, where the company launched its first Golden State fulfillment center in the state in 2012. The retailer currently employs more than 12,000 full-time hourly associates at its six existing California locations and says it will hire more than 1,000 full-time employees in the new San Bernardino facility.
A win-win for retail merchants and operators

Merchants intent on growing sales and operators eager to reduce shrink can both find something to like in a new service offering from global loss prevention leader Tyco Retail Solutions.

Tyco took the concept of software as a service, commonly referred to as SaaS, and applied it to the world of asset protection in a way that offers benefits to merchants and store operations executives looking to reduce shrink.
Square increases access to omnichannel payment

Payments processing company Square is launching new APIs that will open its platform to seamlessly conduct transactions in-store or digitally.

A new e-commerce API will allow retailers of all sizes to accept payments for transactions on their websites. It provides a hosted Javascript library that embeds a secure credit card form on the page. A one-time use token encrypts the customer’s payment information as it travels to the retailer’s application server, which then sends the card notice and payment details to Square for processing.