Retail Stores

Let's take a break from all the nostalgia for a glimpse at the most exciting openings on the horizon in 2012. Nothing can ever take the place of the uptown Tiffany in New York City, but the new downtown Tiffany location really might be a game-changer, if only because it's going to make the tourists go wild.

Talbots is slashing another 100 jobs at its Hingham, Mass. headquarters, abruptly suspending its national advertising campaign, and reportedly looking for new leadership after years of a failed turnaround.

Home furnishings retailer West Elm, a division of Williams-Sonoma, plans to open a pop-up shop in Westport, Conn. on Dec. 8. The store will be the brand’s first-ever pop-up shop in Connecticut. The shop will offer an assortment of furniture, décor, seasonal trim and unique gifts.

It’s been interesting absorbing all the interviews and commentary about Steve Jobs since his passing. His accomplishments, quotes, lessons learned and look on life are all fascinating. I resonate with many of his principles — e.g., follow your curiosity and intuition; think differently; fail forward; connect the dots; innovate your way out of problems; stay hungry; stay foolish; and it’s only by saying no that you can concentrate on the things that are really important.

Tiffany & Co. reported profit for the quarter ended Oct. 31 surged 63 percent to $89.7 million compared with $55.1 million in the year-ago period. Rising global sales propelled the strong performance, but the jeweler cautioned that fourth quarter earnings, which include the key holiday selling season, could fall below expectations.

For sports apparel companies Adidas and Nike, as well as retailers like Finish Line and Foot Locker, it was important to end the NBA lockout before Christmas to avoid losing sales in the busiest shopping weeks of the year.

Black Friday is being measured by the success of retailers' early store openings. But these extended hours may not have been as lucrative as they appear.

lululemon athletica has long decorated shopping bags with slogans that appear to have been lifted from self-help books. But this month its bags have asked a question that some may find more provocative: “Who is John Galt?”

Amazon.com and Wal-Mart are prodding more manufacturers to change their packaging to cut waste and alleviate “wrap rage,” the frustration felt when a product is difficult to open. The retailers have been pushing vendors to eliminate excessive and cumbersome packing materials, such as hard plastic clamshell casings that enclose electronics and wire ties used to secure toys to cardboard backings.

Fans of NBC hit comedy "The Office" are already familiar with fictional paper company Dunder Mifflin. Now, Staples-owned Quill.com will use the Dunder Mifflin brand name for copy paper under a licensing agreement with NBC Universal.