News

Westlake Ace Hardware adds new Kansas store
Westlake Ace Hardware has entered into a lease agreement and will be opening a new store in Overland Park, Kansas. Lenexa, Kansas-based Westlake will take possession of the 15,500-sq.-ft. store on July 29. The store is the current location of Dobbels True Value Hardware. It will officially reopen as a Westlake Ace in fall 2016. Dobbels is currently having a going-out-of-business sale.
Office Depot in big hiring spree
Office Depot isn’t about to let its rivals get the better of it during one of its busiest times of the year. The office-supply retailer plans to hire a total of 8,000 seasonal and regular associates for the back-to-school season, up 33%, or 2,000 associates, over last year.

Report: Walmart exploring new use for retail robotics

Cars that drive themselves are yesterday’s news. The next big thing may be shopping carts that essentially do the same.
Forget walkie-talkies — these store employees use voice-controlled wearables

Using walkie-talkies for in-store communication is old school at The Container Store. The retailer is rolling out voice-controlled wearable devices that enable hands-free communication over Wi-Fi networks to its store employees chainwide following a successful pilot.
Luxury department store reports decline in sales and profit

The combination of a cool spring and the continued pullback in luxury apparel spending took a toll on Neiman Marcus Group in the company’s third quarter. The department store retailer’s profit plunged 80% in the period ended April 30, down to $3.8 million from $19.8 million in the year-ago period. Total revenue for the quarter fell 4.2% to $1.17 billion, down from $1.22 billion a year ago. Same-stores sales fell 5%.
Music, books retailer files Chapter 11

Draw Another Circle, the parent company of Texas-based Hastings Entertainment, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, with hopes of finding a buyer for its Hastings superstores.
Study sheds light on how many products Amazon actually carries (Hint: it’s a lot)

Amazon currently accounts for one in three shopping transactions in North America, but few details about the e-tail giant’s product assortment have not been readily available. Until now.
Study: Store design key to attracting C-store shoppers

Store design plays a crucial role in attracting customers and driving foodservice sales in convenience stores. That’s according to the new study, Food-Forward C-store Design, which comes as more convenience retailers are pursuing foodservice as a growth opportunity.
Retail sales rise in May

Solid. That’s how many industry analysts described retail sales in May. Driven partly by rising gasoline prices, sales increased 0.5% in May, the Commerce Department said Tuesday, above the 0.3% gain economists expected. Excluding automobiles, gasoline stations and restaurants, retail sales rose 0.2% unadjusted over April, according to the National Retail Federation.
Another retailer pilots same-day delivery service

Staples is hopping on board the same-day delivery train. The chain is testing “Staples Rush,” a same-day delivery service to its online customers in major metropolitan areas across the United States. It’s offering the service initially for a fee of $14.99 per delivery, which may change while the project is in beta.