News

Ross rolling toward 2,000
Ross Stores is less than two months into its new fiscal year and already the company is halfway home on its 2015 new store growth plan and asserting its long term potential.

Ross confirmed that since the beginning of its fiscal year on Feb. 1, it opened 32 Ross Dress for Less stores and five dd’s Discounts stores in 15 states.

The company’s full year plan disclosed when fourth quarter results were released on Feb. 26, calls for 70 Ross stores and 20 dd’s Discounts stores.
Barnes & Noble expands college business with Flashnotes investment
New York – Through its Barnes & Noble Education subsidiary, Barnes & Noble Inc. is expanding its college bookstore business before spinning it off later this year. Barnes & Noble Education is investing, through its college business, Barnes & Noble College, in Flashnotes Inc., an online marketplace for college students to sell and buy study materials.

Both companies will also enter into a strategic alliance agreement that will enable Barnes & Noble College to promote Flashnotes.com at partner schools and on digital platforms.

Retailers’ ethics don’t make Ethisphere grade

The Ethisphere Institute is out with its “World’s Most Ethical Companies” list and the names of retailers are few and far between.
UPS repositions as full-service logistics partner

Atlanta – UPS wants to take on your problems. The company has unveiled a new positioning message, United Problem Solvers, which communicates the company’s capabilities to solve problems for all customers.
NRF encourages retail pros to "Dream BIG"

Twenty retail industry professionals dreaming of making it big in the retail industry have a unique opportunity thanks to the National Retail Federation.

NRF is collaborating again with University of Phoenix School of Business to award 20 full-tuition scholarships to retail industry professionals who want to enhance their careers through education.
Report: Amazon to open store on Alibaba Tmall platform

Seattle – If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Amazon.com is reportedly heeding that old saw with plans to open a store on the Tmall site of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Holding Group.
Rebecca Minkoff gets ‘connected’

Stores mix fashion with the best of digital and physical retail

Rebecca Minkoff has tapped into a sweet spot when it comes to integrating the best of online and offline retail.

The designer’s first two U.S. flagships, in downtown Manhattan and the Pacific Heights section of San Francisco, are showcases for how to use technology to create a highly personalized and engaging shopping experience in a physical space.
Gander Mountain expands southwest footprint

Residents of Texas and Oklahoma will have two more places to buy guns this month when new Gander Mountain Company stores open with huge firearms departments.

Gander Mountain will open two new locations in Texas and Oklahoma on March 12. The new store in Killeen continues the brand's major expansion into the Texas market and will be the 20th store in the state. The new location in Tulsa marks Gander Mountain's entry into Oklahoma and the 27th state overall.
Dick’s Sporting Goods launches omnichannel brand campaign

Pittsburgh – Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. knows who it wants to be – a successful omnichannel brand. The retailer is rolling out a new omnichannel campaign, "Who Will You Be?", which will debut March 6 on TV and digital platforms during ESPN's College Basketball Championship Week.
Supply and demand

Lowe’s, Home Hardware align supply chain with consumer demand