Stores Weekly

There's a not-too-distant future where facial recognition replaces the chip in credit cards, where likes and dislikes are analyzed by complex biometric algorithms, where individualized pricing could be the norm — and where the system could go wrong, identifying even Mother Teresa as part of a vast criminal conspiracy.

Visit https://stores.org/2018/06/19/face-value/ to view the full article online.

For decades, buying eyeglasses has been an often-expensive proposition that typically costs hundreds of dollars and involves time-consuming trips to the store. Since 2003, Zenni Optical has been doing everything in its power to turn the act of purchasing eyeglasses on its head.

Visit https://stores.org/2018/06/18/eyes-on-the-prize/ to view the full article online.

Clean Juice, the first juice bar chain to be USDA certified as organic, offers a high-quality, simple menu featuring cold-pressed juices, fruit and vegetable smoothies, acai and oat bowls, cold-pressed shots and small bites such as avocado toast. The Charlotte, N.C.-based chain opened its first store in June 2015 and is on target to end this year with 75 stores in 15 states. 

Visit https://stores.org/2018/06/18/transparently-healthy/ 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=508499&issueID=56552 to view the full article online.

Airports aren’t typically known for being stress-free environments, primed for meditation and a good stretch. A partnership between Bigtincan and Yoga on the Fly, however, aims to deliver just that.

Visit https://stores.org/2018/06/20/yoga-takes-off/ to view the full article online.

There’s nothing at all endangered about the Lacoste crocodile, but he’s in pretty spectacular company. Lacoste SA, the iconic fashion and sportwear brand, teamed up with the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Save Our Species to present a series of limited-edition white polo shirts at Paris Fashion Week.

Visit https://stores.org/2018/06/20/endangered-species-retail-campaign-makes-rapid-disappearing-act/ 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=508500&issueID=56552 to view the full article online.

A small business owner wears countless hats, but there’s one powerful role small retailers might not even realize they’re perfect for — retail industry advocate. Bob Jones III, owner of American Sale in Tinley Park, Ill., talks with NRF about why it’s important to meet with lawmakers to educate them about retail.

Visit https://nrf.com/blog/how-small-business-owners-can-change-the-future-of-retail to view the full article online.

After President Trump announced that he is considering tariffs on an additional $200 billion in Chinese goods, NRF urged Congress to step in on trade policy, saying a trade war “threatens to sap the energy out of the strong U.S. economy just as most Americans are starting to enjoy the benefits of historic tax reform.”

Visit https://nrf.com/media/press-releases/retailers-call-latest-tariff-threat-reckless-escalation-and-ask-congress to view the full article online.

Stefanie Botelho created Fitzroy to solve her own problem: She was buying a lot of gifts for children, but it was tough to find something unique and special. She built an online wholesale marketplace to solve this issue, and now helps niche stores find emerging independent brands that want to grow.

Visit https://nrf.com/blog/fitzroy-rethinks-discovery-toy-shop-owners to view the full article online.

FLEETCOR Technologies Inc., a global provider of commercial payment solutions, has entered into a contract with Casey’s General Stores Inc., the fourth largest convenience store chain in the United States. Through the agreement, FLEETCOR will manage the private-label corporate fuel card program for all of Casey’s retail locations nationwide.

Fashwire Inc. has launched the Fashion Discovery App and a partnership with Google to help optimize user acquisition channels.

 

Theatro, pioneers of the world's first voice-controlled mobile app platform for the hourly workforce, announced that Total Wine & More will implement Theatro across its 190+ store network in 23 states.

 

PayPal Holdings Inc. has agreed to acquire Hyperwallet, a leading global payout platform, for $400 million in cash, subject to certain adjustments. The acquisition of Hyperwallet enhances PayPal’s payout capabilities, improving the company’s ability to provide an integrated suite of payment solutions to ecommerce platforms and marketplaces around the world.

 

Afound, an innovative marketplace offering discounted fashion and lifestyle goods, selected Mirakl, the leading global marketplace solutions provider, to launch a brand-new fashion marketplace. With both a store and digital presence, Afound will showcase both external brands and the H&M Group’s own labels such as COS, Weekday, Cheap Monday and & Other Stories.

 

Engaged Nation today announced that Massage Envy will implement Engaged Nation’s patent-pending REACH gamified marketing system to promote its new Total Body Stretch service, featuring the proprietary Streto Method as well as the brand’s partnership with the PGA TOUR.

 

New Generation Computing, a leading provider of cloud-based solutions for product lifecycle management, supply chain management, quality control and vendor compliance, announced that Rhone, the premier men's activewear and lifestyle brand, has selected NGC’s Andromeda Cloud Platform.

 

NuORDER, the leading B2B ecommerce platform, announced access to Immediate Marketplace where brands showcase in-stock and available-to-sell products to ship to retailers. Immediate Marketplace was created to serve high-growth, trend-driven categories like activewear, where retailers often struggle to carry enough inventory to serve customer demand.

 

Under Armour, a global athletic performance brand, has selected flexReceipts Inc., an innovator of smart, dynamic e-receipts for major retail brands. flexReceipts will power the digital receipts across Under Armour's retail locations in North America.

 

GUESS is partnering with I:CO (short for I:Collect), a global solutions provider and innovator for the collection, certified sorting, reuse and recycling of used apparel and footwear, to launch a wardrobe recycling program. The program, RESOURCED, launched in California on June 18, and will expand to all of North America by the end of 2018 and globally by 2020.

 

Lightspeed, a cloud point-of-sale system provider based out of Montreal, announced a revolutionary integration with two fellow Apple Mobility Partners: financial software provider Intuit QuickBooks Online and workforce management platform Planday.

 

Vericool, makers of Vericoolers, the only high-performing, cost-effective, compostable insulation and recyclable cold-chain packaging, announced a multi-year sustainable packaging partnership with Dream Pops, makers of a vegan, superfood, gluten-free frozen treat. Shipments of Dream Pops in Vericool’s Vericooler began on May 10.

 

Yottaa Inc., a cloud platform for accelerating ecommerce, announced that Nelly.com, Scandinavia’s largest online fashion retailer catering to young adults with the latest fashions fresh from the catwalk, has selected Yottaa Rapid CTRL to optimally sequence the loading of third-party ecommerce technologies on its sites resulting in improved site performance and increased online conversions.

 

Columbus Consulting International, an industry consultancy specializing in retail business processes and systems, announced that Eileen Fisher Inc., the pioneer in eco-friendly designer fashion for women, worked to develop an integrated business process from design to distribution with the support of Columbus Consulting.