Stores Weekly

Retail designer Heesun Kim knows retail on a global, national and local level. Her work on Saks Fifth Avenue Toronto helped the project win Euroshop Retail Design Store of the Year in 2017, and Kim and her team recently completed three freestanding women’s fashion boutiques in Greenwich, Conn., known as the The Saks Shops at Greenwich.

Visit https://stores.org/2018/03/05/global-vision-neighborhood-heesun-kim/ to view the full article online.

Forward-thinking retailers are increasingly finding ways to bring high-tech tools to a high-touch approach with tremendous success. Gallery Furniture maintains a sense of community through connections on social media, its website and Albert, its newly implemented automated marketing platform that lets it fine-tune marketing efforts more effectively.

Visit https://stores.org/2018/03/05/ai-driven-marketing-platform-helps-furniture-brand-connect-customers/ to view the full article online.

A new app launched this year offers online and mobile shoppers the ability to make a purchase with just a fingerprint. And with the technology built on a blockchain platform, the company says Nuggets has the potential to bring greater security and efficiency to retail transactions.

Visit https://stores.org/2018/03/06/nuggets-helps-put-finger-retail-transactions-blockchain/ to view the full article online.

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.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/nrf-nwl/articles/index.asp?aid=491091&issueID=56537 to view the full article online.

Fans of the Emmy Award-winning “Saturday Night Live” series on NBC can now enjoy wines that “capture the essence of the show itself,” in addition to popular characters like Stefon, Debbie Downer and The Californians.

Visit https://stores.org/2018/03/07/wine-lift-even-debbie-downer/ to view the full article online.

According to the eighth Customer Rage Survey, first conducted in 1976, 56 percent of people reported customer problems in 2017, a steady increase in recent years (and way up from 32 percent 40 years ago). Cable/satellite TV was at the top of the list for engendering a negative response.

Visit https://stores.org/2018/03/07/dont-make-tell/ to view the full article online.

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.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/nrf-nwl/articles/index.asp?aid=491092&issueID=56537 to view the full article online.

In this episode of NRF’s Retail Gets Real podcast, JustFab and Shoedazzle Brand President Traci Inglis discusses how operating with a startup mentality helps the brands fuel innovation through data and consumer personalization.

Visit https://nrf.com/blog/justfab-and-shoedazzle-stay-step-ahead-fast-fashion to view the full article online.

David Townes took part in the NRF Foundation’s RISE Up job training program in 2017. He completed the Retail Industry Fundamentals credential and went on to be hired by Macy’s. At the NRF Foundation Gala this January, Townes shared his personal story and explained how RISE Up changed his life.

Visit https://nrf.com/career-center/riseup/success-stories to view the full article online.

Retailers can save up to $425 on a full conference pass for NRF PROTECT 2018 if they register by April 6. The conference is the largest retail and restaurant loss prevention event in North America.

Visit https://nrfprotect.nrf.com/register to view the full article online.

TouchBistro, the provider of iPad point-of-sale software that has helped more than 12,000 restaurants improve their business operations, is introducing TouchBistro Payments powered by WePay, a Chase company. The companies are teaming up to deliver two time-saving innovations that busy restaurant owners need: instant payment processing and a new, integrated mobile payment device that allows customers to easily pay at the table as they choose — tap, chip and traditional magnetic strip.

 

First Insight Inc., a technology company transforming how retailers make product investment and pricing decisions, announced that Marimekko has extended its partnership agreement. First Insight’s consumer-driven predictive analytics are helping the Finnish design company get closer to its customers by gathering real-time data to drive more accurate product-related decisions.

 

Woodstock’s Pizza is using Intellicheck’s Age ID to prevent the sale of alcoholic beverages to minors. The popular California restaurant is currently using Age ID — which quickly and accurately authenticates driver licenses and other forms of government-issued IDs — at two locations including its high-traffic restaurants near San Diego State University and UC Santa Barbara.

 

Quintiq, a Dassault Systèmes company and global leader in supply chain planning and optimization, announced that its software will be used to support PANDORA’s capacity expansion program. PANDORA, the world’s largest jewelry manufacturer by production volume, aims to have doubled its production capacity from 2015 level to end of 2019 to meet rising consumer demand, from 7,800 points of sale in more than 100 countries where its products are sold.

 

Walgreens is collaborating with beauty enthusiast and YouTube influencer Judy Travis to create a signature cosmetic bag line. Known for her popular YouTube channel, “ItsJudyTime,” Travis is extending her personal brand to a new line of six cosmetic bags available at Walgreens, retailing from $12.99 to $29.99.

 

Paytronix Systems Inc., an innovator in mobile loyalty and online ordering applications, mobile payment and digital communication tools, announced that Petr-All Petroleum Consulting Corp. has launched a Paytronix-powered loyalty program for its Express Mart Convenience Stores. The new Around the Clock Rewards program went live in February with a roll-out to all 77 corporate-owned stores.

 

Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, announced that Giant Tiger, a leading Canadian discount chain with more than 240 locations and over 8,000 employees, has deployed an Aruba Mobile First Network in multiple operations locations including its new 600,000-square-foot distribution center as part of the company’s expansion plans. The new distribution center will utilize the Aruba network to enable automated inventory operations and deliver secure and pervasive wireless connectivity.

 

CGS, a global provider of business applications, enterprise learning and outsourcing services, announced that RC Pet Products selected BlueCherry Shop Floor Control (SFC), an essential module for manufacturing operations within the BlueCherry Enterprise Suite of solutions. The Vancouver-based company was looking to improve productivity and allow operators to be more efficient. RC Pet Products turned to BlueCherry SFC to implement a system that will empower its employees to operate efficiently and consistently at the speeds required to reduce costs, especially added operators in the height of its busy season.

 

Bell and Howell, the leader in retail click-and-collect solutions, announced the availability of the next-generation of smart locker technology to retailers in North America. CleverFlex by Cleveron leverages the advanced robotics technology of its predecessor, the PackRobot, to provide retailers with the fastest, most flexible automated click-and-collect pickup solution on the market today. CleverFlex is already being piloted at several major retailers around the world, including Inditex in Spain and the largest retailer in the United States.