STORE SPACES

In today’s competitive retail environment, no brand can afford to stay still.   Two top brands — one a national giant and the other a regional powerhouse — will give attendees at SPECS/2017 a behind-the-scenes look at how a brand can be reinvented through store design.   Cumberland Farms, a 600-store convenience store chain, will discuss how it is updating its locations with a sleek new design.   

Four retailers and one fast-casual restaurant chain will be honored with Chain Store Age’s annual Breakout Retailer Awards at SPECS/2017. The awards, sponsored by Paint Folks, recognizes innovative retail and restaurant brands that have crossed the “newbie” line and are well positioned for growth in the coming years.  

Shoppers just can’t get enough of off-price stores.   On the heels of strong results by TJX Cos. and Ross Stores, Burlington Stores on Thursday turned in a stellar fourth quarter performance. And it also revealed plans to expand its store base.    Burlington’s net income in the quarter, ended January 28, surged 27.1% to $125.6 million, or $1.77 per share. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, were $1.78 per share. The results easily topped Wall Street expectations. 

Meet the winners of Chain Store Age’s annual Breakout Retailer Awards at SPECS/2017.    The awards, sponsored by Paint Folks, honors innovative retail and restaurant brands that have crossed the “newbie” line and are well positioned for growth in the coming years.   Here’s a look at the winners, who will discuss their concepts at a panel discussion on Tuesday, March 14, at SPECS:  

A new coffee shop is open in San Francisco. The blend of the day: artisan coffee and automated technology.   Taking a page from the AmazonGo experience, Cafe X is an automated coffee shop that opened in San Francisco’s Metreon mall on Jan. 30, according to the Los Angeles Times.   

Lidl is coming out of the starting gate in the United States earlier than expected — and it isn’t going to waste any time ramping up its store base.   The discount grocer will open its first U.S. stores this summer, with plans to open up to 100 locations across the East Coast within a year, the Associated Press reported. The chain initially had said it planned to enter the U.S. market no later than 2018.    

Each moment, it seems, something new emerges to compete for our attention. Our desktop browsers manage dozens of tabs simultaneously, even though we can only process the information contained on those pages one tab at a time. Our phones ping away, constantly keeping us connected to an infinite virtual world.    

Target soon won’t be the only discounter to feature an in-store Chobani Cafe.    The popular Greek yogurt brand will open a 2,000-sq-.ft. café at Walmart’s new supercenter in the Houston suburb of Tomball, reported the Houston Business Journal. The store is scheduled to open on Feb. 15.  

The Americans with Disabilities Act with be the focus of a special, double-session at Chain Store Age’s upcoming SPECS conference (March 12-14, at the Gaylord Palms, Kissimmee, Florida).     Presented by Joan Stein, president of Joan Stein Consulting and one of the nation’s leading ADA experts, the session will examine non-compliance issues, the impact of after-construction changes, how to avoid mitigation costs, and remediation and business interruption.  

When Samsung Electronics America opened the doors to Samsung 837 in the heart of New York City, it unveiled a digital playground that personifies the evolution — and future — of retail. The store will be the focus of a session at Chain Store Age’s upcoming SPECS conference (March 12-14, at the Gaylord Palms, Kissimmee, Florida).