News

New York -- Google is reportedly expanding its same-day Google Shopping Express service to Manhattan and Los Angeles, according to the New York Post.

The service strives to make same-day deliveries from Fairway, Walgreens, Target, Costco and other retailers to anyplace in Manhattan for $4.99 per store, the report states.

The article says that the service, first launched in San Francisco last year, will expand to Brooklyn and Queens in the coming months.

Expenses associated with a rejected merger with Argonne Capital Group and the planned closing of more than a dozen stores took a chunk out of broad-line retailer Alco’s fourth quarter results.  

Net sales from continuing operations during the quarter decreased 8.9% to $130.9 million, compared to $143.6 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013, which had an additional week. Excluding the 14th week of the fiscal 2013 quarter, net sales from continuing operations decreased 4.7%.

Skechers was not always a brand one associates with running, but times are changing. The brand’s performance division has signed long-distance runner Kara Goucher to its Performance Elite Team.

The multi-year agreement names Skechers Performance Division as Goucher’s official footwear sponsor and will feature the world-class female runner in global marketing and advertising campaigns.

Online retailer Bluefly is looking to leverage Pitney Bowes’ technology and shipping services to help expand the online global reach of their brands to international buyers around the world.

The U.S. apparel and accessories e-tailer is using Pitney Bowes’s global ecommerce software and international shipping services to help simplify international transactions, improve the online shopping experience for consumers and facilitate international growth.
 

Frito-Lay North America has announced the winners of its "Create to Celebrate" Black History Month art contest, which invited consumers to submit an original piece of art celebrating African American achievement in Black History.

To celebrate, Frito-Lay will donate $20,000 to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). The donation, which will help support the future educational needs of artists and students across the nation, was driven by thousands of consumer votes.

By Chris Horacek, VP, BravoSolution, the supply management company

A stellar retail panel — Mark Friedman, manager of retail facilities, Coldwater Creek; Eric Johnson, director of store planning, design and construction, Brookshire Brothers Ltd.; and Bob Valair, director of energy and environmental management, Staples — shared first-hand accounts of their LED deployments and plans going forward at the SPECS session, “LED Lessons Learned, Strategies for the Future.”

When the International Council of Shopping Centers opens the doors of the Las Vegas Convention Center on May 18 to shopping center attendees from around the globe, it will unveil a lineup of newly built and redeveloped properties ripe for deal-making.

On the following pages, Chain Store Age highlights five projects that will be on display at RECon 2014.

Hassalo on Eighth

Portland, Ore.

Developer: American Assets Trust