Stores Weekly
First Edition
In a world of busy schedules, endless retail options and new technologies designed to make everything more convenient, today’s consumers have far less patience for lines than they did in the past. While retailers offer online ordering, in-store pickup and delivery to increase convenience, many are also looking to automated and mobile checkout to reduce lines.
When the Nordstrom Local concept debuted two years ago, some folks scratched their heads. How could executives call it a store when they weren’t allocating inventory? How would they measure success? In September STORES’ Editor Susan Reda had the chance to visit the newly minted Nordstrom Local in New York’s West Village. Within minutes of crossing the threshold it all made sense. It’s a small footprint with a mighty mission.
   
Oki Data Americas, Inc.
      
Port of Los Angeles
   
Like many Canadian retailers, Kitchen Stuff Plus complies with the Scanner Price Accuracy Code, a voluntary measure adopted by the Retail Council of Canada in 2002. If a customer notices a discrepancy between the shelf price and the price scanned by the point-of-sale system, compliant retailers will give the item to the customer at no cost or issue a coupon. As such, it’s important to ensure signs and marketing materials reflect accurate prices.
In a social media age, retailers increasingly need to go far outside the box to attract needed attention. But just how far outside the box can a major retailer go and still stay within its own wheelhouse? It’s one thing for a retailer to open a pop-up store, but something else entirely to open a pop-up hotel.

NRF is proud to provide our members with the online Retail Buying Guide to search for trusted vendors, products and services in the retail industry. Our guide is a user-friendly forum designed to bring suppliers and purchasers together. You can search by keyword, location, company name or category. Available whenever you need it, the Retail Buying Guide makes it easy to locate products and professional services geared to the retail industry. Click here to visit the online Retail Buying Guide! To advertise, please contact Sarah Allen for more information.

Datalogic USA, Inc.
Cut TCO by 15% on barcode devices
Retailers have relied on rugged handheld devices for over 30 years to boost efficiency and productivity. All along, devices have suffered from failures due to charging contacts that get dirty, corrode, or break. Wireless charging prevents device failure, drastically reducing TCO. An enterprise can easily reduce TCO by 15% or more deploying wireless charging devices.
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Trends
Doritos is trying to reach Generation Z consumers in a rather unique way — by eschewing any mention of its product. The company kicked off its new campaign on the MTV Video Music Awards, with a narrator announcing, “an ad with no logos, no jingles, no gimmicks, just those red and blue bags with the stuff you love in it.” 
Optimus Ride is launching a free autonomous shuttle service for those who work in Brooklyn’s Navy Yard. While that may sound limited to a relatively small footprint, consider that more than 10,000 toil across the 300 acres.
Nicole Frankel was tired of fighting with her daughter about eating — or refusing to eat — fruits and vegetables. So, she whipped up a solution, combining fruits and vegetables with ice cream, that young Eleanor pronounced “yum, actually.”

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.

   
Opterus Inc.
      
Schneider Electric
   
NRF News
Men's grooming brand Hawthorne uses technology to provide a personalized experience and cater to men who don’t know much about grooming products. CEO and co-founder Brian Jeong was interviewed on NRF’s Retail Gets Real podcast about the origins of the startup and why accessibility in the personal care sector of retail involves more than just lower prices.
With lots of chatter and short-term fluctuations in economic data, NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz says it is important to focus on long-term trends rather than daily headlines. Kleinhenz says consumer optimism remains high and “the economic engine is running” despite anxiety about the trade war and the ongoing political environment.
Hudson’s Bay Company CEO Helena Foulkes is responsible for HBC’s global strategy, oversees nearly 40,000 associates worldwide and has been named to Fortune’s list of the Most Powerful Women in Business. At NRF 2020 Vision: Retail’s Big Show, Foulkes will discuss tackling new growth challenges and reimagining core customer strategies when operating on a global scale. 
salesforce
Relationships included with every shopper interaction.
Your biggest successes are still ahead. But to get there, you’ll need to include something extra in every transaction: an awesome relationship. That’s where Salesforce has your back. It’s the world’s #1 engagement platform, helping you connect to your shoppers in a whole new way.
Learn More
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FedEx Services
      
Wirecard North America, Inc.
   
Retail Deals

Hudson Group, a leader in North American travel retail, has signed an agreement to acquire a controlling stake in the assets of OHM Concession Group LLC, an award-winning food and beverage concessions operator in North America.

 

Staples has introduced SpotlightSpace, a new in-store collaborative event space designed to serve as a platform for the personal and professional development of community members.

 

REEF KITCHENS, a division of REEF Technology, and Casa Barilla – Pasta Kitchen, the restaurants division of Barilla, the world’s largest producer of pasta, have partnered to bring pasta restaurants concepts to Miami area residents for the first time via REEF’s delivery-only kitchens.

 

Amazon has announced a range of Amazon Small Business Academy programs to help small businesses harness the power of the internet to reach more customers, build their brand and grow sales.

Wirecard North America, Inc.
Consumer Incentives 2019: The Digital Transformation of Rewards, Rebates & Loyalty
Discover why shoppers prefer digital incentives, what they expect from the rewards experience, and how you can take your loyalty program to the next level.
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Mercatus, the leading digital commerce platform for grocery and other retail verticals, and Smart & Final, the smaller, faster grocery warehouse store for household and business customers, has announced that the retailer successfully launched two customized online shopping portals serving household shoppers and business customers.

 

Global footwear powerhouse brand Skechers has opened a flagship retail store in the Disneytown shopping district at the Shanghai Disney Resort.

 

Hometown Food Company, which acquired White Lily in June 2018, has partnered with a group of Southern experts — including notable chefs, food writers and communications professionals who understand and appreciate the rich heritage of White Lily — to tell the brand story of the treasured flour.

 

Curated, the platform that brings together people and products by matching customers with unbiased experts for high-consideration purchases, has announced its official launch, led by former LinkedIn and Facebook veterans.