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Retail Pulse: FAO Schwarz To Open New Flagship; Amazon Expands Grocery Delivery

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Brick-and-mortar retailers have closed flagship locations in recent times, but sometimes these landmark stores make a comeback. The new store, which will be located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, will feature multiple experiential retail components. The store will also offer magic shows and a grocery shopping experience designed for kids.

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Retail Pulse: Brookstone Files For Bankruptcy; Kroger Launches New Delivery Service

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Brookstone , a specialty retailer known for massage chairs and gadgets, used to be a must-see mall retailer. malls, Brookstone is now the latest major brick-and-mortar retailer to announce that it has filed for bankruptcy protection. Both have operations online under new owners, reported The Wall Street Journal.

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Making A Market For Water With A Caffeinated Kick

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The problem, Phocus Co-founder John Mittel discovered while staring into a vending machine while he was still in medical school at the University of Louisville, was all of the other things that one ended up drinking to gain access to the caffeine. It can now be found in 1,500 retail locations nationwide and counting.

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Kroger Rolls Out New Grocery Delivery Offering

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The offering will debut in Houston, Louisville, Nashville and Kroger’s hometown of Cincinnati, Chain Store Age reported. With the service, consumers can buy 4,500 private-label products from the retailer, which are not otherwise available online, along with 50,000 different grocery items and household products.

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Why Thorntons Is Investing In The Loyal C-Store Customer

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Specifically, the Louisville, Kentucky-based Thorntons chain spent much of the late 90s and early 2000s upgrading the convenience experience at its now 192 locations. And in the modern era of retail, according to Thorntons, that means making loyalty rewards for the customer. You’re already there, may as well grab a candy bar.

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Kroger Same-Store Sales Miss Views As It Overhauls Stores

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The program, dubbed Restock, was launched earlier this year in an effort to adjust product choices, rearrange store layouts and highlight private-label brands. According to a report in Reuters , Kroger is changing the way it stocks merchandise in the stores, which it blamed for the decline in foot traffic.

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Shipping Inconsistencies Plague Nonessential eCommerce

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Nonessential retail is highly dependent – in some cases, completely dependent – on eCommerce during the COVID-19 crisis. As part of the collaboration, FEMA will gain access to UPS’ central Worldport facilities in Louisville for temporary staging. And eCommerce success is dependent upon shipping. Therein lies a serious problem.