News

Energy Sense
Despite the ongoing emphasis on energy conservation, many retailers still underestimate the benefits of energy-efficient products and systems. David Ely, of EDSS, told Chain Store Age that reducing energy and carbon emissions is only going to become more important as cities address energy at the local level and regulations become increasingly strict.
HBC cutting 265 jobs as it realigns business, IT
Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) is launching a wide-ranging cost-cutting initiative and corporate realignment strategy, with omnichannel technology at the center.

The realignment will include a reduction of about 265 corporate employees, expected to result in an annual savings of $75-million a year. The cuts are mostly in the company’s U.S. corporate offices in New York.

America’s Top Redevelopers

In its 11th year, the Top Redevelopers survey remains relevant as more shopping center companies redevelop than build anew — although the redevelop versus develop scales are more in balance now than they were five years ago.
GETTING PHYSICAL

More retailers going from clicks to bricks

The emphasis on omnichannel commerce has largely laid to rest (at least for now) the debate of online versus offline. Indeed, A.T. Kearney put it best in the title of a recent study, “On Solid Ground: Brick and Mortar is the Foundation of Omnichannel Retailing.”
8 changes that will impact the retail real estate industry

The retail real industry has experienced its share of changes over the years, but nothing comes close to the transformation that it is currently undergoing.

As the industry undergoes what the International Council of Shopping Centers calls one of the “most profound transformations” in its 60-year year history, the association has releases its Envision 2020 report, a collaborative initiative that outlines where the industry will be in five years according to leaders from around the globe.
Survey reveals why consumers don’t like buying gifts online

As the holidays approach, retailers are hoping the convenience and immediacy of e-commerce will prompt high volumes of online gift purchases.

But according to a new survey of more than 1,000 U.S. consumers from e-gift software provider Loop Commerce, there are some common problems that make consumers hesitate to buy gifts online.
Technically Secure

The October deadline for retailers to accept EMV (Europay, Mastercard, Visa)-compliant, chip-based payment cards or face increased fraud liability has placed payment card security in the industry headlines. While important, securing card-based payments at the store is one small facet of the huge undertaking retailers face in protecting their entire network.
Sports Authority to fund sports for the disabled

Sports Authority is putting its philanthropic focus on helping disabled children and adults enjoy more therapeutic recreation, competition and adaptive sports.

The retailer announced Wednesday that it will collect point-of-sale donations at Sports Authority locations nationwide to support the National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) throughout the month of October.
Target kicks off the holiday price wars

The competition for retailers selling online just got a lot more intense with a new price-match policy from Target just ahead of the prime holiday shopping season.

Beginning Oct. 1, Target will price-match the websites of 29 major retailers in stores and for purchases from their website.
Moving Customer Engagement Forward

Chain Store Age recently spoke with Jason Miller, chief commerce strategist of Akamai Technologies, about how mobile technology can serve as a key component of omnichannel customer engagement strategies.