BrickAndMortar
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Bose is closing down all of its US and European stores
Popular audio brand Bose has announced it is closing a significant number of its stores. The Verge reports that the company made the decision due to the popularity of online shopping and reduced consumer interest in brick-and-mortar stores.
Amazon reportedly wants its digital wallet in brick-and-mortar stores
Amazon wants its Amazon Pay digital wallet to be accepted in brick-and-mortar stores, and it's offering merchants incentives in order to make that happen, the Wall Street Journal reports. According to sources familiar with the matter, the company is currently focusing on gas stations, restaurants and other merchants that wouldn't see Amazon as a business rival, offering them lower payment-processing fees and marketing services to get them on board. If successful, Amazon would be able to expand its Pay service beyond online transactions, which it's primarily used for now.
Toys ‘R’ Us has declared bankruptcy
Toys 'R' Us might file for bankruptcy as soon as today, according to Bloomberg. That should help the toy giant restructure the $400 million in debt that comes due for it next year, which it was saddled with after getting bought out a decade ago. While the retail chain has been suffering declining sales for five years, Amazon has continued to grow its own toy sales, taking a bigger share of the industry.
Amazon's retail plans could include a lot more than books
Amazon is taking steps to make its brick-and-mortar dreams come true, according to Recode. Its sources confirm that the e-retailer aims to open not just more book shops, but also other types of retail stores in the future. They also echo The New York Times' revelation that the company has no immediate plans to open as many as 400 bookstores, "but they could not rule out that eventual outcome." If you recall, a shopping mall CEO claimed that Amazon is planning to launch 300 to 400 physical book shops. That same CEO issued a carefully crafted follow-up statement clarifying that his words were "not intended to represent [the company's] plans."
Square now available at Walgreens, Staples and FedEx Office
While a roster of competitors are trying to get their foot in the mobile payments door, Square's busy getting a foothold in retail stores. With Walgreens, Staples and FedEx Office locations now carrying the credit card reader, it's available at more than 20,000 physical shops throughout the US -- joining Apple, Best Buy, OfficeMax, Radio Shack, Target, UPS and Wal-Mart. Bringing it home from a brick and mortar establishment will set you back $9.95, but Square's sweetening the pot with a $10 rebate for new users. However, if your entrepreneurial snail mail-loving heart desires, you can still have one mailed to you by signing up online. Eager to start swiping plastic? Lookout below for the full press release.
GameStop gives in to its sweet tooth, stocks Android tablets at over 1,600 stores
GameStop selling Android tablets in-store isn't anything new, but we've been curious to see how well the initiative would take off following a soft launch at 200 locations last November. Things seem to be going swimmingly, as the company now has "more than 1,600 locations" stocking the slates. If you'll recall, the devices all come with pre-installed titles of the retailer's choosing, with models from the likes of Samsung, Acer, ASUS and Toshiba. There's still yet to be any word about whether you'll eventually be able to trade-in your own, but it would seem like a logical next step -- aside from becoming an AT&T virtual carrier. Hit up the source link below to see if a store in your area is part of the lineup.
Square's perimeter gets larger, now sold at UPS and OfficeMax locations
What's a company to do once it grabs a million merchants? Grab a million more, naturally. Following an online rollout and a wider spread to Apple Stores, Jack Dorsey's own Square is expanding to OfficeMax and UPS locations. A couple of months back, the outfit announced that it was handling some $11 million in payments per day (a wild increase from $4 million per day in July), and with the new agreements, Square payment devices are being sold at 10,000 retail locations. The hardware itself will sell for $9.99 in stores, but each buyer can redeem a $10 credit to their bank account. Beyond this? It's reportedly hoping to "upgrade the experience of running a business, end-to-end, on the iPad," with the outfit adding "in-depth merchant analytics to its iPad experience, allowing merchants to access information about which inventory is selling well, and what they can do to help make more money." Oh, and in case you couldn't guess, Square's also looking to staff up even more to tackle all of 2012's goals -- three cheers for job creation, yeah?
Amazon will give you $5 if you use its Price Check app this weekend
No joke, it really will. All you have to do is walk into a retailer this Saturday, whip out your smartphone and use Amazon's Price Check app to collect price data on in-store items. In exchange, the company will offer you a discount of five percent (or up to $5) on "select items" in electronics, toys, music, and other product divisions, though you'll only be able to use it a maximum of three times. The campaign represents Amazon's latest attempt to creep into the brick and mortar sector on the back of barcode scanning technology, and seems like a pretty clever way to bolster its mobile presence, while gathering intel on its competitors' prices, as well. It all kicks off at 9 PM (PST) on Friday, and will draw to a close just before midnight on Saturday. Hit up the source link for more details.
Agile Route's Shopper Tracker brings Kinect hacks, Google Analytics to the grocery aisle (video)
The Shopper Tracker is one of those devices that does exactly what its name suggests -- and so much more. Developed by Argentina's Agile Route, this Kinect hack uses an array of heat sensors and 3D spatial recognition software to track a consumer's movements and behavior within any brick and mortar retail outlet. These data can then be used by a store owner to find out which shelves and items are appealing to customers, effectively adding a Google Analytics-like dimension to their product displays. The system is also capable of tracking multiple people at once, and can even provide feedback on which products consumers actually pull from the shelves. According to the company, this type of analysis can result in obvious strategic benefits for merchants, while reminding the rest of us that we're totally predictable. Check it out in action, after the break.
Amazon Flow strikes low blow to brick and mortar, converts barcode scans to online sales
Remember when you had to "walk" to a "store" to buy things? Our grandkids are gonna weep uncontrollably when we explain queuing up at Our Price to buy VHS tapes. We'll recall the date the final nail was driven into brick and mortar's coffin: November 2nd, 2011 -- the day Amazon's A9 released Flow free on the App store. With Flow, you just walked into a store, scan the barcode of a book, DVD or jar of Nutella and it came back with Amazon's price, reviews and "multimedia content". It wasn't the first app to do the job, but we just couldn't help ourselves indulging in another. It wasn't long before the store detectives cottoned on to all the barcode snapping and started issuing automatic take-down tackles if they saw you holding a phone. After that, of course, war was inevitable. (But hey, it was worth it.)
Dish Network takes over 500 Blockbuster locations for some reason
Earlier this month, when Dish Network announced that it would be taking over Blockbuster's remaining assets, we openly wondered about what the deal would mean for the thousands of (mostly) empty rental stores still scattered across the country. Shuttering all of them seemed like a very real possibility, but it now looks like Dish has plans for at least a few of Blockbuster's old stomping grounds. On Saturday, the company agreed to assume the leases for about 500 of the 1,700 Blockbuster locations still in operation, according to papers filed with a New York Bankruptcy Court. Of course, it's still unclear what Dish plans to actually do with these stores -- or, for that matter, with the Blockbuster brand, as a whole. But it certainly looks like its long-term vision may incorporate at least some of Blockbuster's brick-and-mortar roots.
Blockbuster filing for bankruptcy next month? Probably.
It's not official, but rumor that Blockbuster is preparing to file for bankruptcy in September is certainly believable. Expected even. According to several sources speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Blockbuster chief executive Jim Keyes along with representation from Blockbuster's senior debt holders met last week with the six major movie studios to announce the company's intention to enter a mid-September bankruptcy. Meetings that no doubt hoped to secure an uninterrupted flow of new content from Hollywood as Blockbuster restructures its $920 million in debt and closes another 500 of its 3,425 US stores. In its fight to remain relevant in the age of digital downloads / streaming, Blockbuster has lost $1.1 billion since early 2008. It's expected that Blockbuster's debt holders will likely own a substantial portion of the company when all is said and done. We call dibs on those Archos 10 netbooks.
iPhone 4 at Best Buy for launch, at least 45 devices per store?
The iPhone 4 at Best Buy on launch day? It'd be no surprise, really -- after all, the retail giant had both the iPhone 3GS and iPad right from the get-go. We just got word from one of our trusted sources that Best Buy will indeed have the newfangled phone at launch, and even better, we've got some details on the inventory. A minimum of 30 units for the 32GB device and 15 of the 16GB will apparently be available at each store, and employee purchases are banned at launch. We can't say for sure without more paperwork, but this source has been pretty reliable before -- if nothing else, it should give you a decent idea just how early you should be preparing to wait in line. Oh, and RadioShack fanatics? Yeah, we've heard you can head down there for launch, too, but we don't yet have a clue as to how many will be in stock.
Kindle going nationwide in Target stores on June 6
Still waiting to see a Kindle in the wild before you pull the trigger? Hate shopping online? Need to pick up some toilet paper and a huge barrel of pretzels? You're in luck, because Amazon's finally going to be spreading Kindles out in retail nationwide through Target stores. After a trial run in April that got the e-reader into Target's flagship store and 102 brightly lit retail paradises in south Florida, the $259 e-ink device will be available all over as of June 6th. The press release points out that the Kindle is still Amazon's bestselling product, and we can't see a retail push like this hurting its prospects -- though with rumors flying about an imminent Kindle update, it might not be the absolute best time to buy. PR is after the break.
Microsoft Store opens to Scottsdale campers (video)
By now you know that Microsoft's on-line store is selling PCs and third party software. Well, Microsoft is also waving the flag over Scottsdale, AZ today as it swings the doors wide on its new line of brick-and-mortar retail stores. Fans lined up overnight and stood for hours in a twisted line that should have Apple fans nodding in a tacit understanding. Come on, you may have different tastes in OSes but you should be willing to fight to the death for the right to choose 'em. Check the queue after the break as well as the grand opening countdown from 7, naturally, and a first walk around the store. Pics just beyond the read link down there.P.S. The first four campers each received a free Zune HD from Microsoft. Nice.
Ritz Camera closing 300 retail stores, liquidation sales start April 4th
As part of its newfound bankrutpcy status, Ritz Camera's gearing up to close more than 300 of its around 700 brick-and-mortar stores across the US, or about 43 percent of its retail presence. Starting April 4th, the affect stores will begin liquidation sales that'll go on until -- in the words of the press release -- "everything is sold to the bare walls." Forget DSLRs, if you were needing any fancy, brick-and-mortal shelving units, now might be your chance! Hit up the read link for a PDF listing all the closing stores.
Art Lebedev opens minimus Optimus Store in New York
There it is, Art Lebedev's new Optimus Store in New York, NY. It's not so much a store as it is a kiosk sitting inside of RCS Computer Experience at 575 Madison Ave. Guess they're just waiting for demand of the $1,500 $1,877 keyboard market to pick-up before busting out the trowel and mortar.
