News

Starbucks launching prepaid Visa card to boost its rewards program
Starbucks Corp. is extending its payment platform to extend its reward program beyond its own stores.

The coffee giant announced at its annual shareholders meeting on Wednesday that it will launch the Starbucks Rewards Prepaid Card from Chase by the end of this year.
Ebates aims for stronger mobile position
Online cashback shopping platform Ebates is branching more heavily into the mobile shopping arena with the acquisition of mobile product discovery app Shopular.

Redwood City, California-based Shopular has more than a million users and offers an intuitive product discovery experience and mobile shopping alerts. Leveraging proprietary geo-targeting technology, the app notifies consumers with relevant deals and coupons when they are near select stores.

Under Armour a big winner in A.R.E. Design Awards

Under Armour’s two-story flagship in Chicago took home top honors in the A.R.E.’s annual Design Awards, which were presented Wednesday in Las Vegas.

Designed by Big Red Rooster, a JLL company, Under Armour won the Store of the Year award and also took top honors in the specialty store category (over 25,000 sq. ft.). The 30,000-sq.-ft. store features the sporting goods giant’s “Brand House” format, and blends merchandise and technology with accents of localization.
Sportsman’s Warehouse hunts for growth with more new stores

Sportsman’s Warehouse Holdings announced plans for its most ambitious expansion program ever with 11 new stores planned for 2016 following a strong fourth quarter performance.

The Midvale, Utah-based operator of 64 stores focused on the categories of hunting, fishing and camping, opened nine stores last year which combined with its strong fourth quarter showing enabled the company to produce record results. The addition of 11 stores this year will give the company, which went public in April 2014, 75 locations in 20 predominantly Western states and Alaska.
CEO of REI joins Williams-Sonoma board

Williams-Sonoma has added some brand-building and specialty retail operations expertise to its board with the election of REI CEO Jerry Stritzke.

“We are thrilled to have Jerry join our board,” said Adrian Bellamy, chairman of the board of Williams-Sonoma Inc. “He brings extensive specialty retail experience that we believe will add great value to our board.”
Mid-America Real Estate handles sale of Fenton Commons in St. Louis MSA

Fenton Mo. -- Mid-America Real Estate Corporation’s Investment Sales team brokered the sale of Fenton Commons located in Fenton, Missouri. Colorado based GDA Real Estate acquired the 82,242-sq.-ft. property for $15 million.

Fenton Commons is anchored by Best Buy, Old Navy and Barnes & Noble with Chili’s and Bank of America.
Signet shines in Q4, ramps up expansion

Signet Jewelers is already the world’s largest retailer of diamond jewelry and it plans to get even bigger in 2016 by accelerating new store and omnichannel growth.

Operating stores under banners such as Kay, Jared and Zale, Signet reported a 4.9% fourth quarter same-store sales increase, better than expected profits and said it would open more new stores in 2016 than it previously indicated.
Startup Spotlight: Technologies on the Rise

Personalization continues to be the trend that just won’t go away, probably because it’s the new normal in how consumers want to interact with brands and retailers. Personalized videos hold the promise to surprise and delight (and covert), especially as we collectively spend more and more of our time viewing videos online. And personalized promotions help retailers maximize scarce marketing dollars, ensuring the right customer gets the right call to action at the right time.
Thor Equities Developing two projects in Houston Texas

Houston -- Thor Equities announced Lowe’s Companies will build a 100,000-sq.-ft. home improvement store at The Shoppes at Cinco Ranch located in Katy, Texas. The company is in the process of developing the 35-acre property, which will include retail stores and restaurant spaces. The property is anchored by Walgreens, with Kroger and Academy Sports + Outdoors located across the street.
Dollar General to open 1,000 stores in 2017

Dollar General will break its own record for store expansion in 2017. And that’s saying a lot.

The discounter is already in high gear, with plans to open a record 900 stores and remodel or relocate about 875 existing locations in 2016. But it’s upping the total for 2017, forecasting some 1,000 new stores and 900 remodels or relocations, which is in line with its model of 6% to 8% square footage growth.