News

Mall of San Juan opens in Puerto Rico
The mall is certainly not dead in Puerto Rico, where Taubman Centers Inc. held the grand opening for the Mall of San Juan on Thursday.

The island's first upscale shopping center features a singular collection of retailers, more than 60% of which are unique-to-market and the Caribbean's only Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue. The 650,000-square-foot shopping center was developed through a partnership between Taubman and New Century Development, Inc.
Capgemini report finds loyalty programs lacking in a digital age
New York -- U.S. companies spend $2 billion on loyalty programs, but the investment isn’t yielding the type of increased engagement which drove implementation of the programs, according to a new report from Capgemini Consulting. For example, the firm found that the average U.S. household is a member of 21 loyalty programs, but only actively uses 44% of them.

Maxwell joins Orchestro in key role

Former Walmart executive Gary Maxwell has joined leading demand analytics provider Orchestro as the firm’s chief solutions officer.

Maxwell, a long-time member of Orchestro’s advisory board, retired from Walmart in 2013 after holding a variety of senior supply chain, replenishment and process improvement roles during a 14 year career. Prior to Walmart, Maxwell spent five years in a senior supply chain role with the now defunct Caldor chain.
Lululemon strikes a better pose in Q4

Shoppers had a hankering for more yogawear during the holidays, as retailer Lululemon saw better-than-expected traffic and results for the fourth quarter.

Net revenue for the quarter increased 16% to $602.5 million from $521 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013. Same store sales increased by 8% for the fourth quarter.
Brown Shoe aims to drive traffic with designer deal

Brown Shoe Company has added another big name to its big portfolio of designer brands.

The retailer says it will produce and distribute Diane von Furstenberg brand women’s shoes for the 2016 season through a new licensing deal.
Loyalty programs found to be lacking

Retailers are surely getting tired of hearing about how their digital capabilities fall short of customer expectations but that familiar drumbeat is contained in a new report from Capgemini Consulting called, “Fixing the Cracks: Reinventing Loyalty Programs for the Digital Age.”
Ex-Save Mart chairman Bob Piccinini dies

Robert “Bob” Piccinini, the longtime chairman of Save Mart Supermarkets, has died. He was 73.

In a statement, the company said that Bob was most passionate about two things: his family and his company. He purchased Save Mart from the Piccinini and Tocco families in 1985 after working his way up through the ranks as a box boy, truck driver, store manager, vice president of real estate and on to president and CEO.
Retailers’ omnichannel shortcomings revealed again

Yet another study has documented retailers’ inability to keep pace with shoppers’ heightened expectations for a seamless experience driven by all manner of technological advancements.
Land’s End flounders after Sears split

Separating itself from Sears Holdings a year ago has not helped Land’s End financial footing judging from the company’s fourth quarter profit and same store sales decline.

Land’s End sales declined 4.9% to $504.6 million and net income declined 28% to $33.1 million in the fourth quarter ended Jan. 30. Merchandise sales and services were negatively impacted by a $3.4 million product recall in the quarter that negatively impacted net income by $2.6 million.
Home Depot prepares for spring

It’s the busiest time of year for the Home Depot and this cool time lapse video from store 116 in Woodstock, Ga., shows the considerable effort that goes into resetting the retailer’s indoor seasonal department. For more on the retailer's spring time efforts check out the following, http://builtfromscratch.homedepot.com/merchandising-spring