Amazon wants a bigger retail presence in physical stores and for its customers to have an easier time returning things, and Kohl’s wants to shrink its physical stores and rent out some extra space. That sounds like a match, which is probably why Kohl’s and Amazon have teamed up to open their first 10 “Amazon Experience” mini-stores and return counters in Kohl’s stores in Los Angeles and Chicago this week. [More]
bricks-and-mortar stores
Whole Foods Poaching New Customers From Trader Joe’s, Costco, Walmart
We know that more people visited upscale grocery chain Whole Foods in the weeks after it became part of Amazon’s growing online and offline retail empire, but where did those people come from? Customer data shows that new visitors to Whole Foods stores were likely to be the wealthiest customers from competitors like Walmart, Costco, and Trader Joe’s. [More]
TJ Maxx Parent Company Considering Opening Thousands More Stores
While other retailers are busy shutting down stores and trying to figure out how to grab a chunk of that online shopping business, one chain is considering beefing up its bricks-and-mortar presence. TJX Companies Inc., the parent company of TJ Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods, and other off-price stores, may open thousands more stores worldwide. [More]
Amazon Will Open Its Second Real-Life Bookstore In San Diego This Summer
Last fall, Amazon took its business model offline into the real world with a bricks-and-mortar bookstore that opened in its hometown of Seattle. The e-commerce giant is continuing its foray into the physical with its second book store, announcing that it’s preparing to open up shop as a book peddle in San Diego this summer. [More]
Apple Watch Headed To Retail Stores This Month
If you’ve been biding your time to get your hands on an Apple Watch — as in, actually see it, touch it and then walk out of the store with it in your hands, the wait is almost over: Apple says after months of online-only sales, it’ll be expanding the device’s availability into seven more countries and kicking off in-store sales around the same time. [More]
L.L. Bean Plans To Triple Its Retail Locations By 2020
Shh… can you hear that? If you listen very, very closely, it’s the grumbling of lumbersexuals and other hipsters across the land, groaning over the fact that their L.L. Bean duck boots are hopelessly backordered. And winter is almost over! Have no fear, in the future it could be easier to ensure your feet are properly clad in rubber-toed boots before you take a photo of them somewhere interesting, as the retailer is aiming to open a slew of new stores in the next five years. [More]