Retail Stores

Those who attended the Online Retailer Roadshow in Melbourne yesterday were lucky enough to hear Ruby Anik, senior vice president of brand marketing for J.C. Penney, say some surprising things about the future of retail. 

While promotional discounts play a major role in many retailers' marketing plans, only 17 percent of consumers say that sales or coupons draw them to a store.

Stein Mart will expand its presence with the opening of three new stores on March 15. The new stores will be located in Irvine, California; Suwanee, Georgia; and Sunset Hills, Missouri.

Now that airlines have realized how much money they can make by selling more than just a seat on their planes, they're coming up with all sorts of income-producing ideas — including selling flight interruption insurance and producing merchandise with their logos.

Luxury online retailer Net-a-Porter is hoping to tap into the demand for expensive childrenswear, home furnishings and cosmetics with early-stage plans for three new websites. Net-a-Porter, founded in June 2000 by Natalie Massenet, already sells designer clothes and accessories for women, as well as menswear via MrPorter.com, launched a year ago, and the discount designer sector with TheOutnet.com that launched in 2009.

High-end department store Nordstrom is funneling its returned and worn shoes to its Nordstrom Rack outlet stores. This practice is surprising since outlet stores aren't known as secondhand stores.

After receiving such great feedback on our inaugural list last year, we here at Retail Online Integration decided to make this an annual feature to highlight the leading female executives in cross-channel retail. The women on this year’s list, as were those on last year’s, are the best and brightest in the cross-channel retail industry.…

For extreme couponers who pay only a few bucks for an entire shopping cart's worth of goods, or even earn money on their shopping trips by reimbursing coupons with a higher value than the item's price, couponing practically functions as a part-time job. Stores are ready to give them the pink slip. 

The Home Depot and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia have extended their agreement to offer Martha Stewart Living-branded products at Home Depot stores through 2016. The Home Depot offers a wide variety of paint, outdoor furniture, kitchen and bath cabinetry, and carpeting under the Martha Stewart brand currently.

Cheery yellow bedspreads, snow-flaked artificial Christmas trees, shiny bathroom faucets, dog bowls  — Martha Stewart has her name on all of them. And with the launch of her new home office line at Staples earlier this month, Stewart can add filing cabinets, sticky notes and even her own form of rubber bands to her growing list of eponymous merchandise.