News

Redeveloping Retail: America’s Top Redevelopers
Ninth annual survey supports adding value through redevelopment
In its ninth year, the annual Top Redevelopers survey continues to demonstrate the value of redeveloping and repositioning shopping centers. As always, the goals include refreshing, remodeling, tweaking, and sometimes demolishing and rebuilding with an eye to providing tenants with space that supports their goals.
J. Crew deploys MasterCard’s digital wallet service, MasterPass
New York -- Starting in November, J. Crew consumers can take advantage of MasterPass at checkout, a digital wallet service enables shoppers to use any payment card or enabled device to unlock a simplified and speedier checkout experience whether they’re at home, in a store or on the go.

Retailers lag in omnichannel as holiday hiring grows

Shoppers continue to integrate digital devices into their lives and crave an equally integrated experience from retailers, but satisfying this heightened set of ominchannel expectation remains a work in progress for most retailers.

Few retailers have a well-defined omnichannel strategy with most professing to be in the development phase, according to a global consulting firm Hay Group. This rather worrisome insight was among the key findings in global consuling firm Hay Group’s 7th annual holiday hiring survey.
Sears, Kmart to open on Thanksgiving

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears and Kmart stores joined the growing list of national retailers whose stores will open on Thanksgiving Day.

Kmart, which has opened Thanksgiving Day for 22 years, this year will be open for 41 straight hours, starting at 6 a.m. Thanksgiving Day to 11 p.m. Black Friday. Sears will open at 8 p.m. Thanksgiving Day.
Coldwater Creek Connects with ‘The New Fifty’

In August, women’s specialty apparel retailer Coldwater Creek, which operates 402 stores in 47 states, announced it had landed Deborah Cavanagh as its new chief marketing officer. She is charged with leading the multichannel brand’s marketing and creative services. One of Cavanagh’s first orders of business? To re-engage the Coldwater Creek core customer, as well as connect with new ones.
Edwin Watts Golf Shops enters Chapter 11; plans to sell company

Fort Walton Beach, Fla. -- Edwin Watts Golf Shops on Monday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware, with the intention of selling the operating assets of the business.

The company, owned by private equity firm Sun Capital Partners, listed estimated liabilities and assets of $100 million to $500 million.
Endless Aisle, Short Wait

Sunglass Hut, LensCrafters optimize endless aisle with caching solution
Providing in-store customers with enhanced online “endless aisle” access to products can boost sales and customer service. But if the wait for endless aisle connectivity takes too long, its effectiveness is impacted.
Target cleans up in NY’s Grand Central

Target turned heads at New York’s Grand Central Terminal Monday morning with its newest popup store featuring an exclusive collection of bath and body products by Sonia Kashuk.
Less is More

Bristol Farms boosts efficiency by reducing delivery frequency
Bristol Farms has been outsourcing logistics management since 1996. The upscale specialty grocery store operator initiated logistics outsourcing to aid growth. But the retailer has since used it to improve delivery efficiency.
Dollar General elevates Vasos and D’Arezzo

A desire to improve operational efficiency and capitalize on scale were cited as reasons for several senior level executive moves at Dollar General.

The retailer recently surpassed 11,000 units and chairman and CEO Rick Dreiling said the enhanced management structure involving Todd Vasos and David D’Arezzo would align the company for continued future growth.