News

McKesson and Walmart on Monday announced a new generics sourcing agreement Monday alongside and extended distribution contract between the two companies. In a move aimed at improving value and scale for both parties, the agreement will see Walmart and McKesson jointly sourcing generics for their U.S. operations. 

Tops Friendly Markets, a Williamsville, New York-based supermarket chain with more than 170 stores in New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont, is making sure the last step in the path to purchase goes smoothly.

Tops is leveraging the Toshiba SurePOS ACE POS application to provide store shoppers with a convenient and integrated customer experience. During a nine-month chainwide rollout, the retailer replaced 20-plus-year-old POS terminals with the new Toshiba solution.

Tanger Factory Outlet Centers operates, owns or has an ownership interest in 42 shopping centers nationwide that encompass 14.3 million square feet. The company’s centers are home to more than 3,000 stores operated by 470 different retailers, which affords Tanger President and CEO Steve Tanger a unique vantage point on the retail industry. He spoke recently with Chain Store Age about the outlet shopping industry his father pioneered 35 years ago.

The newest concept in beauty retail is called The Glossary and it is arriving on more college campuses courtesy of Barnes & Noble College.

The Glossary concept was piloted at the Barnes & Noble Emory University and Southern Methodist University bookstores and more recently expanded to the campuses of Tulane University and the College of William & Mary. The newest location set to open in August will be on the campus of the University of California at Riverside.

The demise of regional grocer Haggen has been a boon to Smart & Final which grew its store count by more than 10% after acquiring former Haggen locations.

Last December, Smart & Final acquired 33 Haggen lease locations and the company recently announced that it had opened all those locations under its Smart & Final Extra! banner.

The ubiquity of consumer smartphones offers retailers a new purchase channel, as well as a new tool for customer outreach. According to the fourth quarter 2015 Mobile Wallet Report from Nielsen, 37% of more than 3,700 U.S. adult smartphone and tablet users said their purchases start with mobile shopping more than one-quarter to half of the time.

J.C. Penney continued a pattern set by Macy’s, Kohl’s and Nordstrom and reported dismal first quarter sales as traffic declined. Penney’s sales for the quarter fell to 1.6% to $2.81 billion, below analysts’ forecasts of $2.92 billion, from $2.86 billion in the year-ago quarter, as traffic declined and cool weather dampened demand for apparel. Same-store sales slipped 0.4%.

For developers, architects and commercial construction professionals, designing and building retail spaces is a highly specialized skill that requires experience and considerable expertise to master. While brand standards, design consistency and proven buildout processes lead to some welcome efficiencies, sometimes unavoidable constraints and specific requirements that are mandated both by retailers and landlords can also create unique logistical and development challenges.