News Briefs

Marks & Spencer is rolling out a new option to streamline the purchasing process in its clothing stores.

The British apparel and food giant is adding add self-checkouts to fitting rooms in its 180 clothing stores, reported The Telegraph. The move is designed to avoid to prevent shoppers from having to get in line twice during the shopping experience, according to the report. The self-checkouts are expected to be rolled out to about 100 stores by early 2028

"We’d like customers to be able to walk straight into the fitting room with no queue, try on what they’ve chosen, then pay there and just walk out,” Sacha Berendji, M&S’s operations director, told The Telegraph.

Berendji said that initial plan is to add one of the checkouts per changing room area, with the number to increase depending on customer demand. To protect against shoplifting, the stores would have staff “hosting” the changing room areas to make sure customers did not leave without paying, 

The changes are part of a wider overhaul of M&S’s larger stores, the report noted, which include its ranges of clothing, home and food, and individual food halls. 

So much for a comeback.

Esprit U.S. Retail Inc. and Esprit U.S. Distributions have both filed Chapter 7 petitions for liquidation with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York’s Southern District, reported Women’s Wear Daily. The move comes after the apparel company, which had been attempting a comeback in the U.S., had started downsizing earlier this year.

Esprit, which defined California cool in the late 1980s and 1990s before losing momentum and falling behind amid mismanagement and changing fashion trends, closed all its U.S. stores more than 10 years ago. In late 2022, the company announced its plans to return to the U.S. retail scene, with the official relaunch planned for mid-2023. 

In February 2023, Esprit, which is owned by Hong Kong-based Esprit Holdings Ltd., signed a lease with Hudson Square Properties in New York City for what would  become the company's new global creative headquarters, in downtown Manhattan. The headquarters will now go dark.

With the exception of several pop-ups, Esprit’s brick-and-mortar strategy, central to its U.S. comeback, never took off. Earlier this year, Esprit’s retail operations in Belgium, Germany and Switzerland, which total about 160 stores, were closed through bankruptcies, according to the WWD report, with some stores still open in other parts of Europe.

Esprit was founded in 1969 by Doug and Susie Tompkins (who previously founded The North Face) and Jane Tise. In 1996, they sold their interest to their Hong Kong partner and the company’s headquarters moved from San Francisco to overseas. 

BJ’s Wholesale Club has announced the opening dates for its next two club locations.

The retailer opened its newest Florida location in West Palm Beach on Friday, Oct. 25. The new stores marks the 39th BJ’s club in the Sunshine State, offering customers a BJ’s Gas location in addition to the chain’s selection of fresh foods, household items, home decor, seasonal items and more.

“We are eager to deliver unbeatable value and convenience to shoppers in Palm Beach County,” said Bryan Cravey, club manager of the new West Palm Beach Store. “Our members in West Palm Beach will love saving up to 25% off grocery store prices every day and enjoy the convenience of a true one-stop shop, as we take care of the families who depend on us.”

[READ MORE: BJ’s beats Street on revenues, profits in Q2]

On Friday, Nov. 1, BJ’s will open a new club in Carmel, Ind., its second in the state. The new club will also feature a BJ’s Gas location.

“We’re looking forward to taking care of the families who depend on us and serving our newest members in the Carmel community,” said Stephen Lucas, club manager of the Carmel store.

Earlier this year, BJ’s announced plans for new stores that are slated to open in 2025, including clubs in Hanover, N.J., Southern Pines, N.C. and Louisville, Ky. In March, BJ’s said it would open 12 new stores in fiscal 2024.

Founded in 1984 and headquartered in Marlborough, Mass., BJ’s currently operates 246 clubs and 181 BJ's Gas locations in 20 states.

After recently announcing its planned entry into Maryland, Zaxbys will soon open its first stores in a neighboring East Coast state.

The Atlanta-based quick-serve chain known for its chicken fingers and wings will open its first locations in New Jersey. Led by GSP Group, the first two of six planned locations are set to open in southern New Jersey in the summer of 2025.

"We started looking into Zaxbys about a year ago," said Premanand Gupta, co-owner of GSP Group and longtime Garden State resident. "We have always been interested in the growing chicken market, and Zaxbys stood out with its exceptional product and strong business model. We're confident that it will quickly become a local favorite."

[READ MORE: Zaxbys to open first stores in Maryland]

The locations for the first two Zaxbys in New Jersey have already been identified with leases signed. GSP Group, which operates other quick-serve franchise stores such as Dunkin’ and Subway, plans to “establish a strong presence in South Jersey before expanding north.”

"We are eager to see Zaxbys expand into New Jersey with such experienced and passionate owners,” said Mike Mettler, chief development officer at Zaxbys. “The GSP Group's strong operational background and commitment to excellence make them the ideal partners to grow our brand in this new market."

Founded in 1990, Zaxbys, operates more than 950 locations in 17 states.

Shoppers on the Canadian Amazon site now have an easier time searching for and identifying sustainable products.

Amazon Canada has launched the Climate Pledge Friendly program. Initially introduced in the U.S. in September 2020, the initiative identifies eligible sustainable items in shopping results and is part of Amazon’s efforts to meet the Climate Pledge, a commitment to be net-zero carbon by 2040.

Climate Pledge Friendly also provides additional information about the certifications that make products eligible for the certification, and they are featured in a dedicated of the Amazon Canada e-commerce site. The assortment includes grocery, household, fashion, beauty, and personal electronics products.

Through a "Sustainability feature" label, customers can identify more than 143,000 products that meet one or more of 44 third-party sustainability certifications. These include responsible manufacturing practices such as using safer chemicals, conserving resources and reducing energy consumption. 

Amazon has also created its own certification, Compact by Design, which highlights products that meet sustainability standards.

[READ MORE: Amazon adds new sustainability certifications]

"Climate Pledge Friendly is a simple way for customers to make more sustainable shopping choices that help preserve our planet," said Eva Lorenz, Amazon Canada country leader, in a corporate blog post. “Through this program, we’re incentivizing our selling partners to offer an expanding selection of climate friendly products, making it easier for customers to help protect the natural world for future generations."

A Midwestern specialty grocer is leveraging artificial intelligence technology specifically designed for fresh food.

Fresh Thyme Market is rolling out the AI-based Afresh Store Ordering for Food Service solution. The retailer is on track to use Afresh technology to order across its core fresh departments, including produce, meat, seafood and food service, for its entire chain of 70 stores by end of year.

Leveraging the platform, fresh food department managers use tablets and guided workflows to review inventory levels and place orders. The solution taps into the Afresh AI data engine to help analyze hard-to-track factors for each fresh item, such as shelf life, seasonality, holidays and imperfect scanning at the registers to deliver intelligent order recommendations and automatic orders. 

For prepared foods, Afresh helps managers and associates manage orders for ingredients that are used across many recipes and adjust for possible ingredient substitutions. 

"We've been using Afresh for a long time across many of our fresh departments, and we're excited to add support to this busy area of our stores," said Scott Caro, group VP merchandising and marketing for Fresh Thyme. "Afresh has helped us be early users of AI in our store ordering, and the insights from Afresh are next-level. With Afresh, we've been able to streamline our processes, improve efficiency for our employees and enhance the overall experience for our customers by better meeting their expectations."

[READ MORE: Fresh Thyme introduces in-store pickup]

Based in Downers Grove, Ill., Fresh Thyme Market operates 70 stores in 10 states throughout the Midwest.