News

Border tariff removed from tax reform plan
The import tax proposal has officially been removed from the tax reform plan — which is welcome news for retailers across the industry. On Thursday, congressional and administration leaders announced they would remove the Border Adjustment Tax (BAT) from consideration, and announced an outline for comprehensive tax reform. The BAT provision would have ended importers’ ability to deduct the cost of merchandise purchased from other countries.
A Heated Matter
Excessive heat gain and sun glare through store windows can create challenging situations for customers as well as store associates. James Beale, managing partner of NGS Films & Graphics, discusses trends and tech advances in window films withChain Store Age.
What trends are you seeing in solar films and safety/security films in the retail space?

Online giant steps up private-label fashion game

Amazon unveiled another private-label collection. The online giant quietly introduced its new private label shoe and handbag line on Tuesday. The collection, which is called The Fix, comprises trendy designs, including satin slides, colorful sneakers and mules, studded flats, and floral-embellished boots, among other looks, according to Footwear News.
Taking the Complexity Out of Analytics

Retailers need to innovate to get the most out of data analytics
There is more data filtering through retail enterprises than ever before. But while most retailers have data collection down to a science, they still need to learn how to extract value from this information.
Build-A-Bear Workshop narrows its loss in Q2, plans new stores

While Build-A-Bear Workshop continues to navigate amid declining store traffic, the company continues to open new stores. Build-A-Bear plans to reopen a location in the Southern California market at the end of September. The company recently closed a store operating in the Downtown Disney District in Anaheim, California.
GNC’s profits fall in Q2

Despite online and in-store transaction growth, GNC’s income and revenue declined in the second quarter.
Celebrating Excellence

Mackage

Toronto

Design: Burdifilek, Toronto

A premium brand born from the celebration of colder climates, Mackage (Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Toronto) received Store of the Year honors in the Retail Design Institute’s 46th annual International Store Design Competition.
Project Profiles

The Neighborhoods at Butler

Location: Gainesville, Fla.

Size: 2.1 million sq. ft. (1.75 million sq. ft. with an additional 350,000 sq. ft. under development)

Developer/Owner: Butler Enterprises

Grocery anchor: Publix (West), Publix (Central), Trader Joe’s, Aldi, plus sizeable food components in Walmart, Sam’s Club and Target. Adding Whole Foods to anchor Butler Town Center (under construction with a planned opening winter 2018).
Smarter Data Management Helps Retailers Compete

Chain Store Age recently spoke with Hiro Yoshikawa, CEO and co-founder of Treasure Data. He discussed how a new level of customer data analysis can improve the customer experience.
How has unified commerce and digitally influenced retail stepped up the game on data management?
Coffee giant posts mixed earnings, plans to shutter tea division

Brands just can’t escape a challenging retail environment — a main reason Starbucks is pulling the plug on its Teavana operation. Just hours after the coffee giant announced it would buy out the remaining 50% share of its East China business from its joint venture partners for about $1.3 billion — its biggest acquisition, ever — Starbucks is cutting loose its Teavana division.