News

If you’re concerned about employee engagement and reducing your staff turn-over numbers, you’re not alone. Fortunately, there’s a startup offering solutions to meet your workers engagement goals and encourage your associates to stay onboard and thrive with your team. Other companies in the spotlight this month are innovating around point-of-purchase mobile marketing, using in-store scents to stand out, real-time store promotional display monitoring and creating meaningful and memorable customer experiences.  

International Speedway Corporation has announced the signing of GameTime to a lease for a 35,000-sq.-ft. at One Daytona, a mixed-use project rising up across from its historic Daytona International Speedway.   Aside from bowling alleys and arcade games, GameTime locations feature full-service bars and a menu of standard bar fare like pizza, burgers, and sandwiches. This will be the Florida-based chain’s fifth location in its home state.  

Consumers now have a new gifting option when ordering from 1-800-Flowers — digital gift cards.   Armed with the CashStar Commerce platform, the retailer now allows customers to select, purchase and personalize digital gift cards across its nine brands: 1-800-Flowers.com, Harry & David, The Popcorn Factory, Cheryl’s, Fannie Mae, 1-800-Baskets.com, Wolferman’s, FruitBouquets.com, and Stock Yards.   

Ashley Furniture associates can now help shoppers throughout their shopping experience, without ever leaving their side.   Through a partnership with Mad Mobile, Ashley Furniture is launching a retail platform that will enable retail store associates use mobile devices to access available merchandise, customer data, and delivery information.     

Floor & Décor has signed a lease for a 74,200-sq.ft. superstore at the planned Richmond Plaza in Woodbridge, New Jersey. The site is located within the super-regional trade area commanded by General Growth Properties’ Woodbridge Mall.  

The District at Green Valley Ranch outside of Las Vegas gave a shot in the arm to its healthy lifestyle credentials with the signing of three new tenants — CycleBar, Drip Doctors, and Pressed for Juice.   Owned by Vestar, the 385,000-sq.-ft. open-air center is the largest retail component of Green Valley Ranch, a master-planned community in Henderson whose centerpiece is a hotel-casino resort of the same name run by Station Casinos.  

Tiffany & Co.’s sterling jewel — its flagship on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue — is feeling the impact of beefed up security and protests at Trump Tower, which is located next door to the store.     Since the election, Tiffany said its flagship, the retailer’s largest location and a tourist magnet, has seen an “adverse effect” and sales softness” compared with the year before and relative to the company’s other U.S. stores. And it sees no quick fix of the problem. 

One of the nation’s top mall operators is expanding an innovative concept is designed to solve the top pain point of online shopping: returns.    Macerich is expanding its Happy Returns service to three additional malls: Fashion Outlets of Chicago, The Shops at North Bridge, and Tysons Corner Center. The service builds on the success of the mall operator’s first Return Bar, at Santa Monica Place, Santa Monica, Calif.  

The TJX Companies isn’t letting a federal judge’s decision to block the Obama administration rule expanding overtime pay get in the way of its plans to comply with the rule.   

QVC has appointed Bob Spieth as executive VP of QVC's customer and business services. He will oversee supply chain, customer service and experience, operations strategy, and corporate real estate and workplace services for both QVC and zulily businesses, with the exception of zulily's corporate facilities. Spieth joined zulily in 2013 as COO. Prior to zulily, he held several leadership roles with OHL, one of the world's largest third-party logistics companies