News

Petco continues to expand its store portfolio.   The retailer, which operates more than 1,500 Petco and Unleashed by Petco locations across the United States, Mexico and Puerto Rico, will open 12 new stores during the month of March. It will also relocate one store in Ohio.   The new stores include locations in Virginia, Arizona, New York, Florida, Connecticut, Georgia, Colorado, Tennessee, and Missouri.   

Video game retailer focuses on improving online post-purchase experience

GameStop’s shoppers are becoming increasingly digital — an evolution that is also narrowing the window between when shoppers purchase merchandise and when they expect to receive it.

Eager to stay engaged with shoppers within this shrinking post-purchase gap, GameStop launched a new e-commerce strategy just prior to its holiday rush focused on driving post-purchase revenue and creating more satisfied customers during this critical selling period.

I’ve seen the future of retail. And it’s not all online, not by a long shot.

First, let’s deal with the elephant in the room. Yes, traditional brick-and-mortar retailers are confronted with challenges on multiple fronts. Adapting stores to accommodate today’s digitally savvy and demanding customers is no easy feat.

Trending Stores: Adidas has opened its largest store in the world — a 45,000-sq.-ft., four-story flagship on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Sleek and ultra-modern with industrial accents, the store marks the debut of the athletic giant’s stadium retail concept, a format inspired by high school stadiums. It features high-school reminiscent bleacher stands for live-game viewing on big screens, locker room-style dressing rooms, and track and turf sections where customers can try out products.

The iconic blue panels are going up on what will be Ikea’s fourth store in Texas.   The 290,000-sq.-ft. store is located in Grand Prairie, 14 miles outside of downtown Dallas. It is scheduled to open in fall 2017.    Ikea is bullish on expansion in Texas. The retailer previously announced plans for a store in Fort Worth, and also one in the San Antonio area. Both locations are scheduled to open in summer 2019.   

Two big retail names, Dollar General and Abercrombie & Fitch, recently unveiled new store formats that differ dramatically from their traditional concepts. Here’s a look at their new initiatives:

Dollar General

One of the nation’s fastest-growing retailers is putting the focus on convenience, targeting a new demographic with a smaller-store concept called DGX.

Dollar General debuted the new format, which has 3,400 sq. ft. of selling space, in Nashville, Tenn. A second location is set to open in Raleigh, N.C.

Walmart has updated its mobile app with features that provide for paperless transactions for pharmacy and money services customers.   The upgrades will allow people using the chain’s pharmacies and money services to complete paperwork online via their smartphones and skip ahead of other customers when they get to the store by using new designated “express lanes” in those areas.   

Steve Carlin, VP and general manager of SoftBank Robotics, spoke with Chain Store Age about how robots are helping to reinvent the in-store shopping experience.

What trends are advancing interest in robot technology at the store level?

A few trends have helped set the stage for in-store robotics.