Retail Stores

Five Below to Open 170 to 180 Stores in 2021
February 16, 2021 at 3:55 pm

Five Below plans to open 170 to 180 stores across the country during the next nine months, according to Chain Store Age. The company currently operates 1,051 locations nationwide, and it isn’t letting the pandemic stop its national expansion. The extreme-value tween and teen chain remains one of the few specialty retailers that hasn't pulled in…

Aldi to Add 100 New U.S. Stores, Expand Curbside Pickup
February 10, 2021 at 5:54 pm

Aldi plans to open up about 100 new stores in the U.S. and expand its curbside pickup service, CNBC reported. The German supermarket chain hopes to add its curbside pickup service to 500 additional stores by the end of the year. The new store locations will be concentrated in Arizona, California, Florida and the Northeast. With the curbside…

How 2020 Shaped Consumer Behavior: Key Insights for 2021
February 10, 2021 at 1:05 pm

A year ago, we couldn’t have imagined that toilet paper would be the hardest thing to find on store shelves, or that we’d be wearing masks in stores and making purchases behind plexiglass barriers. What 2020 has taught the retail industry — and the whole world — is that a lot can change practically overnight.…

Why Data is Key to Your 2021 Facilities Survival Plan
February 3, 2021 at 5:01 pm

After a challenging 2020, retailers are eyeing the year ahead with quiet optimism. The arrival of coronavirus vaccines means an end could be in sight to the constant closing and reopening that defined the last year, and stores can look forward to a release of pent-up spending when shoppers venture back out. However, nothing should…

Toys R Us Shutters its Only 2 U.S. Stores
February 2, 2021 at 8:41 pm

The only two Toys R Us stores, which opened in November 2019 as part of a small U.S. comeback attempt by the iconic toy chain, have now closed, reports AP News. The Toys R Us store at the Galleria mall in Houston shuttered on Jan. 15, while the other at the Garden State Plaza in…

Making Every Moment Count With Customers
February 2, 2021 at 7:37 pm

The events of 2020 have forever altered the ways we live, work, eat and shop. As people come to rely on e-commerce for groceries, household essentials and medicine, there's a renewed pressure on retailers to deliver in lighting speed, enable easy returns, and provide a full product profile. This, coupled with the growing trends of…

Target to Spend $200M for More Bonuses to Employees
January 25, 2021 at 6:40 pm

Target said Monday it will spend $200 million on another round of employee bonuses and extend its coronavirus-related benefits after its strong holiday season. Indeed, Target has been one of the beneficiaries of pandemic trends, as shoppers consolidate trips, fill up bigger baskets and use curbside pickup. That pattern continued over the holidays, boosting the…

American Eagle Outfitters to Close Up to 250 Mall-Based Stores
January 21, 2021 at 6:53 pm

Teen apparel retailer American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) outlined plans to close hundreds of stores in the coming years, while it looks to grow it lingerie and activewear brand Aerie to a $2 billion business. Chief Financial Officer Mike Mathias said during a virtual meeting with investors that AEO, which has about 880 stores, is looking to…

NRF: 2020 Holiday Retail Sales Grew 8.3%
January 18, 2021 at 12:49 pm

Holiday retail sales rose a stronger-than-expected 8.3 percent from 2019, or $789.4 billion, according to data released by the National Retail Federation on Friday. Consumers apparently embraced the gift-giving season as a way to cheer themselves up during the pandemic. The numbers include online and other non-stores sales, which were up 23.9 percent at $209 billion. The NRF had forecast that sales during…

Now More Than Ever, Retailers Need Data to Make Informed Retail Real Estate Decisions
January 13, 2021 at 5:23 pm

COVID-19 has all companies scrambling to make sense of what the future will look like for their businesses. For retailers, brick-and-mortar real estate is perhaps the most integral part, leaving many to question the best path forward should the country face an even more prolonged lockdown. Do you shutter certain stores? What's the right balance between…