The holiday shopping season is typically the biggest of the year, and retailers are looking to get shoppers thinking about holiday shopping sooner this year than in years past. Wal-Mart and Toys R Us have already begun airing holiday shopping advertisements, and stores continue to push Black Friday earlier into Thanksgiving Thursday. My question is […]
Archives for 2013
Apple Store set for University Town Center
Justine Griffin/Sarasota Herald-Tribune—Apple fans, rejoice. An Apple Store will open in the Mall at University Town Center. Apple lists Sarasota as one of the 23 sites for stores in the Florida market on its jobs website, although no jobs are currently listed. Sarasota is the only locale on the list of Florida cities that does […]
Stores Get Stingy About Returns
Kaitlin Pitsker/Kiplinger’s Personal Finance—As you’re double-checking your holiday shopping list, tack on a reminder to read each store’s return policy before making your purchase. Some retailers are feeling a little less generous when it comes to returns. That even includes REI, an outdoor gear and sporting goods retailer long known for its no-time-limit and no-questions-asked […]
Phoenix Rising?
Like many other markets throughout the U.S., the Phoenix market has had its share of ups and down, and retailers are still coming to terms with the “new normal” outlined post-recession. I this week’s edition of Retail Rap, my twice-monthly column at Chain Store Age, I sit down with Dave Cheatham from Phoenix-based Velocity Retail Group, an X Team International Partner, to discuss the current state of the Phoenix marketplace, where we see it going in the coming months and what it means for retailers in the area.
Despite complaints, Black Friday continues to creep into Thanksgiving
Kavita Kumar/St. Louis Post-Dispatch—And … they’re off. The Cardinals weren’t the only ones in the midst of a dogfight. Faced with what is shaping up to be a lackluster holiday shopping season, retailers are pulling out all the stops in an effort to get more customers through their doors. So it probably shouldn’t have been […]
Costco a mixed blessing for Sarasota Square
Justine Griffin/Sarasota Herald-Tribune—The east side of Westfield’s Sarasota Square Mall is easily the busiest part of the shopping destination. Cars pack a parking lot that spans the equivalent of a few city blocks toward the residences of Palmer Ranch, and shoppers inevitably head for the large glass door entrance to Costco Wholesale. The store is […]
