News Briefs

Walgreens is obtaining first-hand expertise to assist the delivery and advancement of its clinical trials.

The retail pharmacy giant first introduced its clinical trial platform, based on a flexible clinical trial model, in 2022. Since that time, the Walgreens clinical trial team has reached more than 7 million patients to potentially recruit into sponsor-led clinical trials.

[READ MORE: Walgreens launches new specialty pharmacy business unit]

As Walgreens continues expanding the scope and public awareness of its clinical trials, the retailer is forming the the Walgreens Clinical Trials Patient Advisory Board. Members will offer key patient insights to help guide the development of clinical trials.

The inaugural board consists of 10 patient experts who will commit to a two-year term to leverage their experiences to inform clinical trial recruitment and retention efforts in an effort to increase access and representation in clinical research in communities that have historically been excluded. 

Ramita Tandon, chief biopharma services officer of Walgreens, is standing up the board as part of Walgreens’ commitment to bringing community-based clinical research to more people.

“I am proud to engage with our inaugural cohort of Patient Advisory Board members to increase awareness and representation in clinical trials,” said Tandon. “Only 5% of the U.S. population participates in clinical trials and nearly 80% of trials fail to meet their enrollment goals, often contributing to delays in bringing new medications to patients. Our board members will help inform how we approach our sponsor-led clinical trials to better serve our patients and partners.”

Based in Deerfield, Ill., Walgreens is the flagship U.S. brand Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., an integrated healthcare, pharmacy and retail company, and operates roughly 8,500 stores across the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

A specialty fresh food grocer is expanding its footprint in The Bay State.

The Fresh Market opened two more stores in Massachusetts on Dec. 11 to close out 2024. At the new locations in Mansfield and Framingham, shoppers can find fresh, local and organic products along with curated ready-to-eat meals including in-house smoked pit barbecue and freshly made pizza.

Both stores are open seven days a week, with operating hours from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. For added convenience, guests can also shop from the Mansfield and Framingham stores online and enjoy curbside pickup or home delivery through The Fresh Market's website or mobile app.

In late October, The Fresh Market opened new stores in the Maryland suburb of Crofton, and Lincoln Park, a neighborhood on Chicago’s North Side. The new Massachusetts locations bring the North Carolina-based grocer’s store count to 166 in 22 states.

In addition to the new openings, The Fresh Market is rebuilding its store in Hendersonville, N.C., after it sustained significant damage caused by Hurricane Helene.

"The Fresh Market really shines during the holiday season, and we are thrilled to bring The Fresh Market experience to Mansfield and Framingham," said Jason Potter, CEO of The Fresh Market. "The Fresh Market is the fresh food destination for our guests, offering high-quality products and convenient options that inspire delicious meals and create memorable occasions.”

[READ MORE: Natural Grocers, Amazon Fresh, Fresh Market tops with health-focused shoppers]

To mark the grand openings, The Fresh Market donated $4,000 to the Greater Boston Food Bank. The grocer regularly works with local food banks in markets it serves to help improve food security.

(Editors' note: The featured image is of The Fresh Market's Framingham store.)

A new entertainment venue is coming to The Shops at Skyview in Queens, N.Y.

Newmark Retail has announced that it has secured an 80,300-sq.-ft. lease for Round1 Bowling & Arcade, marking the first New York City location for the subsidiary of the Japan-based amusement chain Round1. According to Newmark Research, the transaction is the largest new retail lease transaction to close in New York City so far this year.

At Round1, visitors can enjoy a plethora of arcade games as well as bowling, billiards, ping-pong, and more. The chain also offers spaces for parties. As of November 2024, Round1 operated 100 locations in Japan, 54 in the United States and four in China.

[READ MORE: Yelp: Dining and experiences, not retail, driving mall visits]

Newmark executive managing director David Friedman and managing director Andrew Stern facilitated the lease transaction on behalf of the tenant.

 “The closing of this transaction is a testament to the power of commitment and partnership, two components that continued to drive this deal forward over the last two years,” said Friedman. “We congratulate Round1 on the impending opening of their first NYC location and look forward to our continued partnership as we seek to realize their goal of national expansion.”

The Shops at Skyview is a 700,000-sq.-ft. shopping destination in Flushing, Queens, and is owned and managed by Blackstone subsidiary, ShopCore Properties.

Two retail giants are virtually tied when it comes to dominating the consumer electronics market.

According to new data from the Numerator Consumer Electronics Tracker, Best Buy and Amazon are the top players in the market, accounting for 30% and 28% of overall sales in select consumer electronics categories in the past year, respectively. Amazon’s share of consumer electronics spending jumped to 41% in July, coinciding with its summer Prime Day event.

Numerator found that most consumer electronics categories saw a slight decline in both household penetration and buy rate in the past year. Computer monitors & peripherals were the only tracked category with increased household penetration this past year (37%), while smartwatches & fitness trackers saw the largest increase in buy rate (+17%).

[READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Amazon drives successful Black Friday week for retail]

About half (49.8%) of consumer electronics buyers said the price of their item was about what they anticipated ahead of purchasing, while 27.3% said it cost less than they anticipated. Consumers first became aware of the electronics item they purchased by seeing it in person at a store (37.8%), through retailer websites (27.3%), and from recommendations from friends or family (21.5%).

Gen X and millennial shoppers are the most likely to purchase electronics throughout the year. Across all consumers, November and December are the most popular months for electronics purchases, followed by July.

Primark has expanded its brick-and-mortar footprint to the Lone Star state.

The global value fashion retailer has opened a 37,000-sq.-ft. store at  La Plaza in McAllen, Texas, giving it a total of 29 U.S. stores across 12 states. The new location features  women's, men's and kids fashions and essentials as well as home goods, beauty and accessories.   

Primark’s growth into Texas isn’t stopping at La Plaza. The retailer has announced additional lease signings in the state with the intent to open new stores at: 

• Cielo Vista Mall, El Paso;
• Grapevine Mills, Dallas;
• Katy Mills, Houston;
• North East Mall, Hurst; and
• Willowbrook Mall, Houston.

“The opening of our La Plaza store is an exciting milestone for Primark’s American ambition,” said Kevin Tulip, president of Primark US. “We look forward to bringing ‘Primania’ to more shoppers across the state and region in the years to come.” 

In other expansion, Primark has signed a lease for its first Manhattan storefront, in the Herald Square neighborhood. The store will serve as a flagship location for Primark and feature more than 54,000 sq. ft. of retail space.  

Primark is known for its budget prices, with denim starting at $10 and tee shirts at $4. It also sells licensed products, with collections such as Netflix, Disney and Marvel, and sports offerings including NFL and NBA apparel.

Founded in Ireland in 1969 under the Penneys brand, Primark operates 450 stores globally. The company is owned by Associated British Foods.

A deal that would bring new owners to the Neiman Marcus Group is closer to becoming a reality.

HBC, the Canadian parent of Saks Fifth Avenue, Hudson’s Bay and Saks Off-Fifth Avenue, has secured a $2 billion-plus junk bond that puts the company on track to close its deal to acquire the Neiman Marcus Group, reported WWD. 

The deal, which would create a luxury powerhouse, was announced in July, with HBC entering into an agreement to buy the Dallas-based retailer in a deal valued at $2.65 billion. Amazon, Salesforce and private equity firm Apollo are also investors in the deal. Authentic Brands Group plans to make a minority investment in Saks Global after the deal is completed, the report said.

The acquisition cleared an important regulatory hurdle in August, when the Federal Trade Commission decided to let it go through without a second request for more information.

The transaction could close in a matter of weeks and would bring Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman,  Saks Fifth Avenue and Saks Off 5th under the Saks Global umbrella, according to WWD.

Saks Global will also include HBC’s U.S. real estate assets and Neiman Marcus Group’s real estate assets, creating a $7 billion portfolio of well-located retail real estate assets in luxury shopping destinations.