News

What Whole Foods says you’ll be eating in 2016
Americans will be eating grass-fed proteins, a wide range of non-GMO products and chasing it down with a can of wine, according to a list of 10 top food trends compiled by Whole Foods.

With the year-end being a time for reflection and prognostication, Whole Foods has entered the fray with a set of top food trends for 2016 informed by its position as the retail industry’s leader of natural and organic products. The company says to watch these trends in the New Year:
Roka Akor Steak, Seafood & Sushi opens at luxury residential development
Houston -- PM Realty Group announced earlier this month that Roka Akor Steak, Seafood & Sushi signed a lease for 6,591 sq. ft. of ground floor space at 2929 Weslayan, the 40-story luxury residential building at the northeast corner of Weslayan and West Alabama in Houston. This will be Roka Akor's first location in Texas, joining its four locations in Scottsdale, San Francisco, Chicago and Skokie, Illinois.

Bidding war ends: Pep Boys goes to Icahn in all cash-deal

Activist investor Carl Icahn has prevailed in his fight to buy the Pep Boys – Manny, Mo & Jack.

Icahn’s Icahn Enterprises will buy the auto parts retailer for $18.50 per share. The all-cash deal is valued at approximately $1.03 billion.
Three New Year’s Resolutions for Retail IT

The New Year is here, and it’s time to make annual resolutions. When it comes to their IT activities, retailers should resolve to make improvements in the following three areas.

Innovation
The days of IT being responsible for “keeping the lights on” are long over. Enterprise systems are still required to perform basic but crucial tasks such as finance and HR, but any retailer looking to compete in 2016 needs to look far past the boundaries of simple task automation.
Tech Bytes: Three New Year’s Resolutions for Retail IT

The New Year is here, and it’s time to make annual resolutions. When it comes to their IT activities, retailers should resolve to make improvements in the following three areas.

Innovation
The days of IT being responsible for “keeping the lights on” are long over. Enterprise systems are still required to perform basic but crucial tasks such as finance and HR, but any retailer looking to compete in 2016 needs to look far past the boundaries of simple task automation.
Rideshare pioneer shifts into park

Sidecar, an early pioneer in the ridesharing and delivery app space, shut down as of Dec. 31.
Shoes of Prey design studio, Nordstrom

Shoppers at select Nordstrom locations can design their own shoes at the retailer’s in-store Shoes of Prey design studio.

The shops, which are located within Nordstrom’s shoe department, include a wall display that showcases the different styles available for customizing. Using mounted touch-screen tablets with 3D software, shoppers design their own shoes, selecting the style, color, material, heel height and embellishments.
Top 10 Most Read Real Estate Stories of 2015

What real estate stories interested you the most in 2015? Following is a round-up of OnSite's 10 most clicked-on stories this year.
Study: Have a happy, mobile New Year

Mobile purchasing looks set for major growth in 2016.

According to new projections from Bizrate Insights, a division of Connextiy, based on month-over-month order volume in November 2015, mobile website purchases will increase by as much as 68% from 2015 to 2016. The peak volume during the 2016 holiday season may reach as high as 42%, nearly half of all online orders.
Study: Watch buyers getting smart, retailers should too

Smartwatch-based commerce only represents a sliver of total e-commerce, but that may soon be due for a change.

According to new research from Mintel, smartwatch sales are set to boom in the near future. While only 6% of Americans currently own a smartwatch, 21% of consumers who purchased a watch in the past 12 months say they are very interested in the smartwatch trend. And 24% of consumers have bought a watch in the past 12 months.