News

Ikea is entering new territory.   The retailer will open a store on Oct. 11, in Fishers, Indiana. It will be Swedish company’s first location in Indiana, 45th in the United States, and 408th worldwide.    The 289,000-sq.-ft. Ikea includes one of Indiana’s largest solar rooftops, as well as three electric vehicle charging stations. Ninety percent of Ikea U.S. stores have a solar presence.   

Fiorucci is back — and it hasn't lost its cheeky, irreverent attitude.   The brand, which acquired cult status and flourished throughout the 1970s and 1980s before going into a slow decline, was relaunched earlier this year with a new website, new fashions and pop-ups in Barneys New York and Selfridges (London). Capping off its comeback, Fiorucci has opened a 5,000-sq-ft. flagship in London's SoHo neighborhood. A New York City location is planned for 2018.   

Amazon’s newest acquisition could give a boost to the company’s fashion category — including its growing private-label apparel business.    The online giant has acquired Body Labs, a 3D scanning platform that uses artificial intelligence, computer vision, and body modeling to accurately create an avatar-like image of a customer’s dimensions. The 3D platform provider announced the news on its website.  

For all the buzz about buy-online-pickup-in-store, not that many retailers are actually deploying the service.   

Commercial real estate developers and investors surveyed this summer by the DLA Piper law firm concurred that reports of the demise of brick-and-mortar are greatly exaggerated.   Only 8% of the 222 respondents to the survey, most of them C-level executives, agreed with the statement that brick-and-mortar is “doomed.” That said, just 3% were of the opinion that traditional retail was here to say.  

The European Union has hit Amazon with a tax bill.    The online giant was ordered to pay 250 million euros ($294 million) plus interest in back taxes to Luxembourg on Wednesday after the European Commission said the retailer had received illegal tax benefits.   "Luxembourg gave illegal tax benefits to Amazon. As a result, almost three quarters of Amazon's profits were not taxed," Margrethe Vestager, the EU's commissioner for competition, said in a statement.  

For many customers, the ideal digital “store of the future” will streamline payments and make it easier to pick up purchases.   This was according to the “Consumer View,” a study from the National Retail Federation that tracks consumer awareness and adoption rates across a variety of retail technologies.   

Office Depot took a first step toward its goal of transforming itself from a traditional office products retailer to a broader business services and technology products platform.  

As Whole Foods Market continues to slash prices at its stores, the chain is attracting competitors’ shoppers — including those from Walmart.   This was according to “Competitive Impact of Lower Prices at Whole Foods,” a report from data intelligence firm Thasos Group.   

Uniqlo is opening a shop in one of the nation's most historic train stations.    The retailer will open its newest U.S. outpost on Oct. 10, at Union Station in Washington, D.C. It will be located on the main level, adjacent to Amtrak ticketing, and will open at 7 a.m. during the week to serve morning commuters.