DSN Retailing Today articles from July 2000

DSN Retailing Today archives from July 2000

Wal-Mart retirement leads to shift in exec. roles.
July 24, 2000... BENTONVILLE, ARK. -- New responsibilities have been bestowed on a trio of Wal-Mart's senior executives following the formal announcement of senior vice chairman Don Soderquist's anticipated retirement. Mike Duke, executive vp of...

Staples to shareholders: growth prospect is good.
July 24, 2000... BOSTON -- Although Staples hasn't been as hard hit as rivals, Office Depot and Office-Max, chairman and ceo Tom Stemberg contends the company's performance will allow it to overcome the current rotation away from retail stocks and...

Home Depot Floor Store test opens in Dallas.
July 24, 2000... PLANO, TEXAS -- When Home Depot executives decide to test a new retail concept from the ground up, they're not kidding. The home improvement retailer's newest test, an all-flooring specialty store, opened this month in the affluent Dallas...

Consolidated to sell K*B, concentrate on closeouts.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 24, 2000... COLUMBUS, OHIO -- Consolidated Stores' decision to exit the toy business by divesting its K*B Toys division has created short-term uncertainty for the toy industry, while clarifying the strategy of the nation's largest closeout retailer. ...

Toy experiment comes to end despite division's sucess.
July 24, 2000... COLUMBUS, OHIO -- Despite K*B Toys' $1.7 billion dollars in sales and 50% year-over-year increase in operating profit for the fiscal year that ended Jan.29, 2000, Consolidated Stores' board of directors said the toy division has got to go....

Venerable U.K. chain goes discount.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 24, 2000... The entry of Wal-Mart and other chains into the U.K. has shaken up the staid British retailing world and the latest evidence of that is an announcement by Marks and Spencer that it will launch a chain of discount stores in the United Kingdom....

Michaels adds e-commerce site.
July 24, 2000... IRVING, TEXAS -- Michaels Stores, the nation's largest retailer of arts and crafts, is upgrading its Web site and will add a commerce component by the end of the summer. The company announced late last month that it is planning a...

Wal-Mart/Metro rumors persist in Germany.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 24, 2000... BENTONVILLE, ARK. -- Wal-Mart's international growth aspirations via acquisition have once again created headline news in Europe. The latest product of the rumor mill is that Wal-Mart plans to acquire the Metro chain in Germany. Reports out...

DSN conference approaches.
July 24, 2000... DSN's Fourth Annual Presidents' Symposium on Mass Retailing scheduled for Aug. 29 and 30 in New York has drawn in record attendance this year, and in response to this stronger-than-expected interest, editor and associate publisher Tony...

Retail Exchange adds members.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 24, 2000... ZAANDAM, NETHERLANDS -- The addition of six new members to the WorldWide Retail Exchange boosted membership in the fledgling organization to 25. WWRE was designed to facilitate and simplify trading between retailers and more than 100,000...

JCPenney shows off new store to media.
July 24, 2000... FRISCO, TX. -- JCPenney showed off to local media its newest store at the Stonebriar Centre mall in the north Dallas suburb of Frisco. The 165,000-sq.-ft. store features a more spacious arrangement of merchandise with more room for customers...

OfficeMax rolls out Gateway departments.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 24, 2000... SAN DIEGO -- Gateway said it has opened a total of 92 Gateway Country stores inside of OfficeMax stores as of the end of its second quarter on June 30. Gateway has a multi-year arrangement with OfficeMax to operate computer departments within...

Sears enters 3Q on slim comp sales.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 24, 2000... Slipping stock, leadership void, appliance showdown also plague chain HOFFMAN ESTATES, ILL. -- Just when things looked as though they couldn't get worse for the bricks-and-mortar business in the mid-tier channel, Sears ushered in the...

Sears Canada revives Eatons; seven units to open this fall.(to open as Sears)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 24, 2000... TORONTO -- Sears Canada will open up the first of its renovated and reconfigured Eatons stores in Toronto this fall, giving it a downtown presence for the first time and capping off its multi-concept strategy. Sears acquired 19 stores and...

Rite Aid's restated figures put chain deeper in hole.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 24, 2000... Immediate adjustments include sale of PCS Health Systems CAMP HILL, PA.-- Beleagured Rite Aid may have even further to go than previously expected if it is to pull off a successful turnaround. The nation's third-largest drug chain...

Wal-Mart Canada, B.U.M. ally in fashion foray.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 24, 2000... TORONTO -- Wal-Mart Canada is building bucks on a new B.U.M. presentation that encompasses everything from footwear to ladies tops. The initiative, which rolled out late last summer, was characterized as "dramatically exceeding...

Linens 'n Things earns notice for consistent performance.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... CLIFTON, N.J. -- In a home-goods marketplace renown for competition yet remarkably rich in retail potential, Linens 'n Things hasn't necessarily gotten the full measure of regard it deserves, a situation that may change as initiative and...

Good Guys' turnaround on track.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 24, 2000... Upswing attributed to improved format, staff and ad campaign SAN FRANCISCO -- On the surface, a bright spot in The Good Guys sales report released two weeks ago may be hard to find amid the sales decrease it posted for the quarter and the...

Music chain amplifies expansion plans.(Mars Music)(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... FORT LAUDERDALE -- Mars Music is getting bigger faster. The operator of 36 music superstores will open an additional six units next month as it marches toward a potential public stock offering. The openings represent the chain's most...

Discount Auto taps brakes on growth.(decreases number of new stores versus previous year)(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... LAKELAND, FLA. -- Discount Auto Parts will slow the pace of expansion during its current fiscal year as an increasing number of new units are built outside the company's stronghold states of Florida and Georgia. This year, an estimated 60 to...

TSA names veteran financier to board.(Sports Authority)(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... FORT LAUDERDALE -- The Sports Authority's selection of its newest board member is an interesting choice given the company's recent losses and a past failed merger attempt with Venator. The company announced recently that Kevin McGovern,...

No arts and crafts on Sunday.(Hobby Lobby stores closed on Sundays)(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA. -- All 223 Hobby Lobby stores are now closed on Sundays. Two-thirds of the privately held craft chain's stores already had been closed on Sundays, while the rest--mainly in Texas--remained open seven days a week. Cfo Pat...

Flooring America names new ceo.(Michael Worrall)(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... KENNESAW, GA. -- Michael Worrall was named president and ceo of the bankrupt Flooring America. He previously served as president of the recently liquidated JumboSports chain. Flooring America's former chairman, president and ceo, David...

Rental chain continues growth.(Aaron Rents open 500th store)(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... ATLANTA -- Aaron Rents, the nation's leading rent-to-own retailer recently opened its 500th store in Cartersville, Ga. The company rents and sells residential and office furniture, accessories, consumer electronics, and household appliances...

Walgreens targets southern California.(plans for new stores)(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... DEERFIELD, ILL. -- Walgreens is on track to achieve its store expansion plans this year with 303 new units or relocated stores opened during the nine month period ended May 31. The company plans to open 450 stores by the end of its fiscal...

RadioShack names three new vps.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... FORTWORTH, TEXAS -- RadioShack Corp. announced the promotion of three vp for its retail division. Don Carroll, previously the senior director of marketing, was promoted to vp of marketing. Russell Joly, previously senior director of service...

Dollarland turns to imports to feed private-label program.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... PHILADELPHIA -- Dollarland has gone where no single-price retailer has gone before by converting its entire general merchandise line to all direct-import product under its new RoyalWare private label. This bold move is one that some might...

Quality Stores bets farm on Internet retailing venture.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... WALTHAM, MASS. -- Quality Stores is counting on the fact that rural farmers across the country will be willing to shop from their home computers for tractor parts, hog feeders and horse tack. The nation's largest farm and ranch retailer...

INSIDER TRADES.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 24, 2000... NATIONWIDE DSN REPORT -- The following are major insider trades as reported to the SEC. STOCKS BOUGHT Ames: Alan Cohen, director, bought 13,000 shares on June 21 at $6.58 to $7.13, now owns 16,500. Gap Inc.: Charles Schwab,...

Borders Group.(acquisition plan terminated)(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... Borders Group announced two weeks ago that discussions of a potential acquisition have terminated. On March 3, 2000, Borders announced it would explore strategic alternatives to increase shareholder value, including the sale of the company....

Bluefly Inc.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 24, 2000... Bluefly Inc. raised $3 million two weeks ago as part of the March 2000 financing commitment provided by affiliates of Soros Private Equity Partners, which agreed to provide Bluefly with up to $15 million of financing at any time during 2000....

Expansion opportunities abound.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 24, 2000... While Target is celebrating its 38th anniversary and is considered in some circles a mature company in a mature segment of retailing, the nation's third largest discounter is also one of the few growth chains and consistent performers across...

Style wins out over substance.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... If you were to believe everything you saw on television, you might be led to think that "Image is Nothing," as that popular Sprite campaign with NBA star Grant Hill suggests. But most people aren't really that gullible, are they? After all,...

Music industry blunders force change.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... From the standpoint of discount retailers and American consumers, Federal antitrust enforcers have been sliding down the wrong side of the slope for the past 20 years. Instead of policing the marketplace to ensure consumers the fruits of...

Marketing to Generation Y.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... Of the $6.5 trillion dollars spent annually by consumers in the United States, some $600 billion is spent by the 80 million members of Generation Y. These children (now ages 1 to 20) are the off-spring of the Baby Boomers, and marketers can...

Portable music on the rise.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 24, 2000... NEW UORK -- Portable products and MP3 players continue to increase in popularity as consumers snap up these new items. Three market research firms recently released reports detailing sizable increases in product sales for these categories....

On-line wedding planning.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 24, 2000... PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. -- According to The NPD Group, 48% of engaged-to-be-married couples with Web access are using the Internet to plan their wedding. Of that group, women do the planning more than twice as often as men. WeddingChannel.com...

Internet commerce study reveals demographics, shopping trends.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... New demographic studies on Internet users are revealing the changing face of today's on-line shopper, and the numbers look promising for retailers. The most notable figure to surface is that more Internet users than ever are actually...

The American Dream is a dream for bottom line.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 24, 2000... As we embark on a new century and a new millennium, the American Dream is alive and well, according to the Hearst/American Dream Study conducted by Roper Starch Worldwide. Highlighting parts of the American Dream--both our tangible, more...

Gap wins big at EMMA.(eMarketing Masters Awards)(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... SAN MATEO, CALIF. -- The Gap and Hewlett-Packard were among winners of the first annual eMarketing Masters Awards (EMMA), announced June 25 at an award ceremony held at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The ceremony honors companies...

Product2store.com opens 'doors'.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... BIRMINGHAM, MICH. -- Product2store.com, a business-to-business Internet marketing site and a company retailers worldwide access, has opened its "virtual" doors for the business of joining small- and medium-sized suppliers and manufacturers...

Buy.com picks up e-tail award.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... ALISO VIEJO, CALIF. -- Buy.com received the Best E-Tail Strategy award from the e-tail Vision Summer 2000 conference. The award was voted on by attending companies to recognize other vendors whose outstanding technologies, products and...

Staples.com enhances team with veteran management.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... FRAMINGHAM, MASS -- Staples.com announced enhancements to its management team with three seasoned Staples executives assuming key roles for Staples.com. Kevin Dempsey has been named vp of international development and will drive...

Toysrus.com chooses D'Arcy/Los Angeles agency.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... WOODCLIFF LAKE, NJ -- Toysrus.com announced that they have selected D'Arcy/Los Angeles as their advertising agency. The agency will be responsible for the strategic and creative assignment for Toysrus.com's multi-media advertising efforts...

Styleclick.com, Syrup Clothing Company launch new Web site.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... LOS ANGELES, CALF -- Styleclick.com and Syrup Clothing Company have expanded their long-term Web-services agreement to include the creation of an entirely new Syrup Web site complete with a co-branded on-line store featuring Syrup clothing,...

Kmart gives green light to Bluelight business model.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... SAN FRANCISCO -- As the fastest growing free ISP with two million subscribers, Kmart's BlueLight.com Web site is still being tweaked prior to its full launch later this fall. And as it prepares for this much ballyhooed launch, Bluelight is...

New health site offers 'more'.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO -- Phar-Mor Inc., a retail discount drugstore chain, and More.com, an on-line health superstore, announced the launch of PharMore.com, a co-branded on-line health superstore that offers customers access to more than 60,000...

Recordable DVD platforms battle for support of retailers.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... The highly-touted recordable DVD will finally reach stores by the fourth quarter of this year, and a host of questions are likely to be raised with this new technology. Different platforms, manufacturer alliances and compatibility issues all...

Egghead.com launches new pricing center.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... SAN MATEO & MENLO PARK, CALIF. -- NexTag, a leading exchange application service provider, and Egghead.com Inc., a leading Internet technology retailer, announced last week that NexTag will power a Volume Pricing Center for Egghead.com Inc.'s...

Abererombie & Fitch.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... Abererombie & Fitch will debut the first three units of its new store format dubbed Hollister in Southern California this month. The Hollister stores will feature a new line of California-style clothing. The initial five operations that are...

Men's Wearhouse.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... Men's Wearhouse is making a push in Atlanta with its K&G concept. The company has picked up a store operating as K&G Ladies from private investors and will reopen the store as K&G Women's Superstore. The company expects to open an additional...

Cato.
July 24, 2000... Cato opened two new stores during the month of June in Nixa, Mo., and Oneida, Tenn. The company also relocated three stores, remodeled three stores and closed one unit over the course of the month.

Shoe Carnival.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... Shoe Carnival announced four new store openings in June, one each in Baton Rouge, La., Oklahoma City Okla., Southhaven, Miss., and Lafayette, La. A store in Ft. Wayne, Ind. was relocated as well.

NPD Group.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... Shoppers in their mid-20s to mid-40s are leading the growth of on-line apparel sales, according to research by The NPD Group. The group accounted for 41% of all dollar sales generated by on-line apparel during 1999, while making 25% of...

Outdoor Apparel.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... Ah, the great outdoors. The vast expanses across America have compelled an increasing number of couch potatoes to abandon their remote controls in favor of endless outdoor activities. And this trend spells good news for specialty apparel...

Denim creates opportunity for expanding casualwear.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... Little ol' denim, the staple of American casualwear, is suffering a mild case of identity crisis. On the one hand, denim apparel has become a I catalyst for casualwear extensions, allowing retailers to capitalize on hard-bought consumer...

HomeWarehouse.com.(Web site down)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 24, 2000... Home improvement e-tailer HomeWarehouse.com shut down its Web site earlier this month. The pure-play retailer, which launched with 20,000 products in October 1999, hasn't released any information except a note on its Web site indicating it...

Payless Cashways.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... Payless Cashways has aligned itself with DIYonline.com to provide home improvement products for sale on the Internet. DIYonline.com offers home project design software to build decks, sprinkler systems, kitchens and similar projects. Through...

Home Depot.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... Home Depot extended its line of products recently by adding Thomasville Cabinetry. The new kitchen cabinetry line, already in most stores in Canada, will be available in Home Depot stores in the United States by the end of this year. Part of...

Philips Lighting.(high voltage metal halide color light)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
July 24, 2000... A high-voltage color light useful in ambient lighting and retail displays was launched recently by Philips Lighting. The metal halide lamps are an addition to Philips' Master-Color line that provides the highest wattage available in its...

Makita.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 24, 2000... Makita marked its 30th anniversary this year with special anniversary tool kits: a 9.6-volt cordless drill-driver with or without a flashlight and a 12-volt impact driver. Each kit features nickel-metal hydride battery technology, which...

Ace Hardware.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... Ace Hardware has hired Jeff Baars for a new position as the director of retail stores and development. Baars will oversee Ace's 26 company-owned stores, test and roll out new retail concepts, and review new market opportunities. In his...

Internet sales.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 24, 2000... It looks like the home improvement industry is starting to find its niche on the Net. HIRI research shows that over the past year use of the Internet to buy home improvement products increased 118% over the year-earlier period. Future...

Cordless power tools catch on with mass consumers.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 24, 2000... Mass retailers are stocking their hardware aisles with battery-operated power tools in reaction to the growing consumer affinity for the freedom of cordless. The Home Improvement Research Center (HIRI) says that the mass channel has...

Cordless battle revolves around power, charge time.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 24, 2000... Consumers have always been critical of cordless power tools, insisting that most products lack the voltage and endurance to complete large-scale home improvement projects. Yet in reality, since cordless power tools came to market nearly...

New strategies win--hands down.(Statistical Data Included)
July 24, 2000... New product treatments, an emphasis on women's styles and increasingly aggressive in-store merchandising tactics are helping retailers put their fingers on enhanced work glove sales. The results? Low double-digit sales gains this year as...

Etown.com.
July 24, 2000... Etown.com attained the coveted top ranking for on-line consumer electronics stores in Gomez.com's third quarter measurements. The CE information and shopping site edged out Amazon.com to claim the No. 1 spot after placing second for the first...

Refac Consumer Products.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... Hot on the heals of Nike's announcement that it would produce a line of branded consumer electronics products, MTV has signed a licensing agreement to produce its own branded product. The deal, inked with Refac Consumer Products, calls for...

Nokia.(joins Whirlpool)
July 24, 2000... Nokia and Whirlpool are joining forces to create networked solutions for the home. The two companies have signed a letter of intent to evaluate new business models for bringing innovative products and services to the home products market....

Outpost.com.
July 24, 2000... Is it live or is it the Web? Now its both, as Outpost.Com teams up with Regional News Network to broadcast a live streaming consumer electronics product show to viewers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The first Product Technology...

Handhelds/PDAs.
July 24, 2000... Once almost exclusively the domain of business executives, handheld devices--or Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)--are finally appealing to a bigger audience, thanks in part to a little number called the Handspring Visor. The Visor...

ToyTime Inc.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... Five creditors of ToyTime Inc., parent of Internet toy retailer ToyTime.com, petitioned the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware July 3 to place the toy retailer in involuntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In court papers, creditors alleged they were...

Toys "R" Us.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... Toys "R" Us, in efforts to avert last holiday's fulfillment problems, has adopted a new operating system application that can handle three to four times the amount of cybertraffic as compared to last year, according to TRU. The company has...

Saban Consumer Products.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... Toy industry sales tracking organization, The NPD Group, named the Tower Rangers," a Saban Consumer Products property as the No. 1 selling male action toy brand ranked by May 2000 sales. In related news, the "Power Rangers" ranked first in...

Mattel Inc.
July 24, 2000... Mattel Inc's Games division announced June 29 that it has entered into a licensing agreement with CBS Consumer Products to produce a board game version of the reality-based television series "Survivor." The game will hit stores in November,...

Toysrus.com.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... Toysrus.com announced June 29 three additions to its senior management team in the areas merchandising, research and marketing. John Sullivan will serve as vp and general manager of merchandising. Sullivan previously served as vp and world...

Monster madness.
July 24, 2000... Move over Poke. There's a new "mon" in town. With a successful television series under its belt and a movie premiere around the corner; Saban Consumer Product's Digimon continues to win over licensees, retailers, and most importantly...

New batch of toys reflect growing computer age.
July 24, 2000... Toy manufacturers put stock in the adage, "kids are getting older, younger," and they are skewing their product lines--including a new breed of high-tech interactive toys--to reach children as young as 9-months old. In the last five...

Universal Studios.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... Universal Studios has set an official street date of October 24 for the DVD release of its Oscar winning "American Beauty." (MSP is $26.99.) The disc will include audio commentary by director Sam Mendes and writer Alan Ball; a "making of"...

MGM Home Entertainment.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... Millionaire.com has announced a joint venture partnership between its upscale Millionaire magazine and MGM Home Entertainment featuring the enormously popular James Bond 007 series of movie releases on VHS and DVD. In conjunction with Virgin...

ADV Films.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... ADV Films has announced the signing of the licensing agreement with Harmony Gold to release the 85-episode Japanese animated Robotech series on home video and DVI). The deal was inked at Anime Expo 2000 in Anaheim, Calif., earlier this month....

Sharp Corp.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... Japanese electronics firms Sharp Corp. and Pioneer Corp. have agreed to cooperate on digital products. Sharp will integrate its semi-conductor laser and video-signal processing technologies with the DVD recording and playback technology of...

Universal Home Video.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2000... Universal Home Video announced that Orson Welles' eagerly awaited 1958 masterpiece "Touch Of Evil" will release on October 31. Prepared as a collector's edition, "Touch Of Evil" will be released as a director's cut, featuring seven minutes...

DVD-Video industry.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 24, 2000... Based on the year-to-date performance, the DVD-Video industry is on target to beat all earlier industry sales projections. According to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), in the first half of 2000 DVD player shipments reached 2.7...