7-Eleven has expanded its delivery app to include 2,000 public "hot spots" like parks and beaches, with plans to reach 200,000 places. The convenience retailer charges a flat $3.99 delivery fee with no minimum purchase.
Italian luxury brand Prada will start making nylon bags with recycled material under the "Re-Nylon" brand and phase out virgin nylon altogether by 2021. The nylon will be sourced from Aquafil, a synthetic fiber company that turns plastic waste into nylon yarn.
ALDI will open its second Local store in the UK this week and convert six other locations to the small format. The moves are part of an expanded test by the retailer to determine whether it will make the concept permanent.
Iconic Los Angeles fashion retailer Fred Segal is sealing partnership deals to expand to international markets, starting with China, Japan and Korea, Chairman Jeff Lotman said. "L.A. is a space we've owned for a long time, and it's one that is truly exportable. People want to do business with us," he said.
Back-to-school spending hit a record $55.3 billion last year, according to NRF, and retailers are more frequently eyeing college campuses as a place to win more of students' year-round spending and build customer loyalty. About one-quarter of Target's 100 small-format stores are on campuses, and Amazon has created fulfillment centers near campuses for easy pickup of online orders.
Walmart-owned Sam's Club announced its launch of same-day alcohol delivery through Instacart. The service is now offered in 12 states and a total of 215 stores, with plans for expansion, and members can order from the in-house Member's Mark brand as well as major brands like Tito's Handmade Vodka and Kendall Jackson.
Once at the mercy of huge chains such as Barnes and Noble, independent bookstores have experienced a resurgence by branching out into nonbook merchandise, putting on events and investing in their local communities. "Independent bookstores have become anchors of authenticity. This is almost like a social movement," said assistant professor Ryan Raffaelli, who has studied these new business practices.
Walmart has joined with mobile messaging app WhatsApp to offer grocery delivery at its Superama locations in Mexico. Users can send a message with their grocery list to the Walmart WhatsApp number as a photo of a handwritten list or a text message, and the order will be delivered within 90 minutes or can be scheduled for a later time.
With 1,400 campus bookstores across the United States, Barnes & Noble College has a front-row seat to the retail preferences of a demographic group that changes ever four-to-five years. One result is that B&N College has changed its delivery model, reimagining its retail locations into dynamic, interactive hubs. Learn more about why this bricks-and-mortar retailer has become a campus hub in NRF's STORES magazine. Read more.
Online retailer Zulily uses intelligent automation as part of a daily personalization process that serves up the right message at the right time on the right channel. Brian Doherty, head of partnerships, will discuss strategies for retailers who want to reap the benefits of data-driven techniques next month at the NRF NXT 2019 conference in Las Vegas. Register.
McDonald's Quarter Pounder reports its sales were up by 40 million burgers in the first quarter, compared to the same period last year, after the chain switched to fresh beef. The change helped McDonald's increase its share of the informal-dining burger market for the first time since 2014.
