Branding

Creating a single enterprisewide pool of inventory and using sales velocity data to optimize fulfillment choices puts Urban Outfitters in the vanguard of omnichannel operators. Omnichannel inventory visibility is an impressive achievement, but Urban Outfitters has gone even further, applying a series of flexible business rules that speed fulfillment and improve customer service.

It's been nine months since Chief Executive Ron Johnson began his mission to turn J.C. Penney into "JCP, America's Favorite Store." Last week, the brand took another step in its transformation with the introduction of a new layout for its U.S. stores. The revolutionized way of shopping, deemed a "shop within a shop" in the…

Tadashi Yanai, CEO of the parent company of Japanese clothing juggernaut Uniqlo and the wealthiest person in Japan, found himself in San Francisco recently, opening his company's first West Coast store and explaining how Silicon Valley had influenced his fast-growing company. After some discussion of flat management hierarchies, the power of failure and the brilliance of Twitter, Yanai got down to brass tacks. "You have to be a crazy guy and a little eccentric to be very successful," Yanai says. "Whether it's Steve Jobs or [longtime Intel CEO] Andy Grove, they're crazy."

Dino Pantazopoulos is a digital producer at Louis Vuitton North America, and he spends his time optimizing the brand's website and delivering the best possible digital experiences to an esteemed breed of loyal fans who are increasingly doing their shopping online. Here's the one thing Dino just can't live without (at work): 

Restoration Hardware today announced the rebranding of the company to RH, reflecting the current positioning and future direction of the brand. Gary Friedman, RH creator and curator commented, "Today's RH is a far cry from the hardware and nostalgic discovery item-based business it once was. Currently, we circulate four source books twice yearly, RH Home, RH Big Style Small Spaces, RH Outdoor and RH Baby & Child totaling over 1,400 pages of inspired design."

Nordstrom is working on its image. Like just about every other retailer out there, the 111-year-old department store is trying to upgrade with a younger, digital-friendly twist. In the past couple years, the brand has done a bunch of things to try and make that happen: It's courted Jason Wu (straight off the smash success of his Target collab) for a younger, contemporary line and it will be launching Topshop boutiques within its stores and on its website this fall. But probably its biggest push in the young-hip-online direction has been the acquisition of flash-sale site HauteLook.

As part of its new retail strategy, J.C. Penney has announced plans to transform its department stores into a collection of brand shops, the first of which are debuting this month for the back-to-school season. The transformation, which will see J.C. Penney stores divided into 80 to 100 brand shops over the next four years, began last week with the unveiling of three shops — Levis, i jeans by Buffalo and The Original Arizona Jean Co. — in close to 700 stores nationwide.

With the back-to-school shopping season right around the corner, we put J.C. Penney against its competitor Kohl's to see which brand is doing a better job of connecting with consumers via digital platforms. 

Frank Ocean's album may currently be the most buzzed about disc in music, but Target isn't interested. Billboard reports the discount retail giant announced it will not sell Channel Orange, claiming the decision was a reaction to iTunes' one-week exclusive.

Matthews, N.C.-based Family Dollar is on track to open 450 to 500 new stores while closing 60 to 80 stores this year. During the first three quarters of fiscal 2012, the retailer opened 287 new stores, closed 43 stores and renovated, relocated or expanded 583 stores. Family Dollar currently operates more than 7,100 stores in 45 states.