News

Report: Whole Foods mulls adding tattoo parlors
Whole Foods shoppers looking for organic kale smoothies and non-GMO dog food could soon also get a tattoo while in-store.

According to a report from Bloomberg, Whole Foods CEO Walter Robb says his company’s new 365 chain is going to try some tactics outside of the conventional grocery-store playbook, including setting up tattoo parlors in the stores.

Read more about the company's plans by clicking here.
Divaris’ Washington, D.C. team completes five leases
Washington, D.C. -- Gerald S. Divaris, chairman and CEO of Divaris Real Estate, announced the company negotiated five leases totaling 17,469 sq. ft. of commercial space in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., market.

Wash ‘N Dry - leased 5,792 sq. ft. of retail space at Ashdale Plaza located in Woodbridge, Virginia. Retailers at the center include: Family Dollar, Popeye’s, Wells Fargo, Goodwill and Davita. The landlord, A.R. Kronstadt Realty Investors, was represented by DRE’s Susan McGee.

Nation’s favorite fashion retailer is…

For the fourth consecutive year, a department store has nabbed the top spot in a survey of the nation’s favorite fashion retailers.

Nordstrom took the top spot in the study, by Market Force Information. Interestingly, several discount retailers moved up the list this year, with Marshalls landing in the No. 2 spot. H&M and Ross Dress for Less tied for third, Kohl’s was fourth and Macy’s was fifth.
A read on retail sales
Tech Bytes: Three Reasons to Buy a Pure Play Retailer

I previously wrote a column about the benefits opening physical stores can offer pure play online retailers. Inspired by the recent completion of the Hudson’s Bay-Gilt acquisition, this week I’d like to examine three instant advantages purchasing a pure play retailer can provide to brick-and-mortar chains.

Instant Expertise
And the nation’s favorite fashion retailer is …

For the fourth consecutive year, a department store has nabbed the top spot in a survey of the nation’s favorite fashion retailers.

Nordstrom took the top spot in the study, by Market Force Information. Interestingly, severak discount retailers moved up the list this year, with Marshalls landing in the No. 2 spot. H&M and Ross Dress for Less tied for third, Kohl’s was fourth and Macy’s was fifth.
Tech Guest Viewpoint: Driving Impulse Buy with Technology

The term “impulse buy” has a negative connotation to many. Picking up that guilty pleasure snack in the checkout line at the supermarket, that gadget you don’t really need, or those shoes that are on sale all qualify.
Report: The Fresh Market is on the auction block

The Fresh Market is being viewed as a takeover target with recent media reports indicating that some of the biggest names in the grocery game are interested in the company.

Reuters reports thatKroger is in the second round of an auction process for Fresh Market that has also attracted other companies and private equity firms. Apollo Global Management, KKR & Co and TPG Capital are among the buyout firms participating in the auction.
Online jewelry retailer continues leap into brick-and-mortar

Blue Nile made its brick-and-mortar debut last June, and the company is so pleased with the results that it plans to add more stores.

The online jeweler announced it will open its second physical outpost, at the Westchester Mall in White Plains, New York, by early summer. It is the first of up to four locations the company plans to open this year.
Nordstrom teases New Yorkers with a glimpse of the future

Nordstrom revealed dramatic plans for a massive and elaborate flagship in Manhattan designed to wow residents of a city accustomed to the best retailers have to offer.

The approximately 363,000-sq.-ft. store will encompass four individual properties in the Columbus Circle neighborhood of Manhattan, along Broadway between West 57th and West 58th Streets. Slated to open in 2019, it will be the retailer’s second largest store to date (the largest, at 383,000 sq. ft., is in its Seattle hometown).