With a retail presence in more than 100 countries, Godiva is in the process of unifying its selling aspects — online, mobile and in-store. From introducing visitors to new products to helping them with mobile checkout, Godiva is working with digital/creative firm SapientRazorfish to design and launch an enhanced e-commerce site.

Looking to upgrade from its existing legacy network of more than 20 financial systems, Carter’s began using Anaplan’s planning and performance management platform for enterprise functions including finance, sales, supply chain, marketing, IT and HR.

Shoppers today are exposed to international brands in myriad ways. “The only thing foreign to them is the idea that they wouldn’t be able to purchase something from whatever brand or retailer they choose to shop,” says Flow co-founder Rob Keve. Flow removes some challenges of cross-border commerce including multi-currency pricing and cost-efficient shipping.

Forget princesses or superheroes — when Kimber Walker turned five recently, she celebrated with a party centered around her favorite superstore: Costco. Guests at the celebration could make membership cards or have their picture taken in front of an “Employee of the Month” sign; even the cake fit the theme, sporting Costco’s logo.

Sweetgreen, &Pizza and Dinosaur Bar-B-Que are among the top 10 emerging restaurant brands poised to deliver on the promise of growth with innovative and unique concepts, according to restaurant marketing firm Fishbowl. The report identifies the brands based on social media analytics.

The digital edition of STORES includes must-read pieces, including the articles featured here. Read the current issue and browse the archives for issues you may have missed.

There is no denying that retail is undergoing a major transformation, and some very visible companies are facing challenges and making changes. But retail is not dying — in fact, most retailers are successfully adapting. In his latest LinkedIn column, NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay shares four reasons retail is alive and well.

Cary Kelly opened her food retail business when her passion for cooking collided with a trend in olive oil stores. Her store enjoyed early success, but she quickly realized that the company had to innovate and change to stay on top of the wave of changing consumer behavior. On this week’s episode of Retail Gets Real, Kelly shares her story and what she’s learned along the way.

Retail employment turned a corner in June, gaining 7,400 jobs over May. The numbers exclude automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants. The economy overall saw a gain of 222,000 jobs, far exceeding expectations.

U.K. pet specialist retailer Pets at Home and IBM announced the launch of Sales Assist, an IBM MobileFirst for iOS app for iPad which will be used across 440 stores nationwide to make it easier and simpler for customers to purchase the products they need.

Rosie, an online grocery shopping platform for mobile and web, announced a partnership with C&S Wholesale, which will bring customized ecommerce and omnichannel digital marketing programs to their more than 3,000 independent grocery retailer partners across the country.

Enspire Commerce, an enVista company, has successfully deployed its Unified Commerce Platform integrated with Microsoft Dynamics 365 for national furniture retailer American Freight Furniture. AFF is using several Enspire Commerce business process objects and its multi-enterprise integration framework on a common data architecture to enable AFF’s customer-centric, unified commerce strategy across its network of 145 stores.

Stripe announced a new global partnership with Alipay, operated by Ant Financial, unlocking the Chinese consumer market for Stripe-powered businesses around the world.

Global fashion brand s.Oliver Group has selected Manhattan Associates Inc. to execute the next phase of its omnichannel growth strategy. The Germany-based company is deploying Manhattan’s Distributed Order Management and Store Fulfillment solutions to orchestrate orders and to provide customers with greater reliability and convenience.

Cherokee Inc., a global brand marketing platform that manages a growing portfolio of fashion and lifestyle brands, has entered into license agreements for its Hi-Tec and 50 Peaks brands in several key growth categories. The new licensing agreements are the Tharanco Group for men’s and women’s apparel and Interbrand for accessories including socks, gloves and hats.

Aptos announced the successful launch of Coast’s new responsive website. Coast deployed Aptos Digital Commerce to provide the fashion brand with a centrally managed, scalable ecommerce solution, eliminating the need to manage and pay for separate mobile and desktop sites.

Restaurant and retail location intelligence technology firm SiteZeus has partnered with Subway, the largest franchise in the world with over 44,000 locations. Subway will be using Synergy, SiteZeus’ flagship product, along with its own market data, providing Subway with more thorough and accurate insights and suggestions for growth in every market.

Symphony EYC, a provider of software and services for insights-driven customer engagement, has signed a multi-year contract with Giant Eagle for its solutions covering customer insights, personalized marketing, promotion, assortment and space. Symphony EYC’s solutions will enable Giant Eagle to drive sustainable topline growth and customer loyalty through improved merchandising and promotions, driven by customer data.