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The Nintendo Wii and DSi stores have been down for days with no explanation
Nintendo's DSi and Wii stores have both shut down for days with no explanation from the company.
LG will reportedly sell iPhones in its South Korean stores
LG has confirmed that it will start selling iPhones and other Apple products in its South Korean stores next month,
Apple's French and UK stores switch to Express pickups as lockdowns begin
With lockdowns starting today in the UK and last week in France, Apple Stores in those countries are switching gears. Starting tomorrow (November 6th) in the UK, Apple will switch stores over to Storefront service, offering “click-and-collect” pickup only and no Genius bar or shopping.
Apple is reopening more stores but you'll need a face mask to enter
Apple is set to open 25 more stores in the US and 12 in Canada, but be prepared to follow strict COVID-19 guidelines if you want to enter. For one thing, face masks will be required and will be provided if you don’t have one.
Amazon responds to backlash with increased protection for workers
Early this week, workers from Amazon, Whole Foods and Instacart walked off the job to protest what they say is a lack of protections against COVID-19. Now, Amazon is sharing its plans to increase employee temperature checks and provide surgical masks to workers across the US and Europe.
Staples is opening podcast studios in six Boston stores
Staples' latest ploy to get people into its retail stores is podcast recording booths. This week, the podcasting company Spreaker announced that it's part of a collaboration bringing recording spaces to six Staples stores in the Boston area. The booths are part of a new Staples Connect model, in which the retail stores offer coworking and community event spaces.
Juul will require retailers to scan IDs before selling its vapes
By May 2021, anyone looking to purchase a Juul e-cig will have to have their ID scanned. Juul announced today that it will soon require all retailers to use an updated point-of-sale (POS) system. When Juul products are scanned, the POS will prompt the retailer to scan the customer's ID. Anyone under the locally mandated age will be prohibited from buying Juul products. The POS will also block sales of more than one vaporizer and four refill packs, so users won't be able to buy in bulk and presumably share with their underage friends.
Toys 'R' Us returns with 'STEAM' workshops and smaller stores
In time for the holidays, Toys "R" Us parent company Tru Kids is planning to open two permanent stores. This time around, the stores will include things like theaters for movies and video games, STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art and Math) workshops and a treehouse where kids can play. To pull it off, Tru Kids is partnering with tech retailer b8ta.
Best Buy stores will soon offer Apple-certified repairs
Today, Apple announced that it's partnering with Best Buy in a push to expand its service network. Customers can now choose from nearly 1,000 Best Buy stores across the US for service and repairs on Apple products. As part of the expansion, Best Buy's Geek Squad has nearly 7,600 newly Apple-certified technicians, who can make same-day iPhone repairs and service other Apple products. As we learned this spring, Best Buy will also collect iPhones for recycling.
Tesla decides to keep more stores open and raise prices instead
After saying that it will close most of its stores and go online-only, Tesla has changed its mind. The automaker announced that it will "only close about half as many stores" as it previously said, while reducing staff in some locations. In order to keep its revenue on track, Tesla added that it will raise vehicle prices "by about 3 percent on average worldwide."
Coming soon to Tesco: Currys PC World outlets
Tesco is already a solid if unspectacular seller of consumer tech, but a new partnership with Dixons Carphone looks set to take things up a notch. In an announcement today, the UK's biggest grocer confirmed it will open two Currys PC World outlets inside its stores, allowing shoppers to browse a selection of TVs, computers, white goods and accessories.
Amazon wants social media influencers to sell you products
Amazon's always kicked a few cents the way of its unpaid salespeople if they convince family and friends to purchase something. Now, however, the company is making a big play for people and companies with large social media followings. The retailer has launched an "influencer program" that enables folks that are big on the internet to set up their own branded stores.
Amazon's store of the future has bugs to work out
Amazon was planning on a public launch of its cashier-less Go convenience store at the end of March according to The Wall Street Journal, but the retailer has hit a few speed bumps. The test location in Seattle uses cameras, sensors and algorithms to track customers while they shop so they don't have to wait in line to check out. Unfortunately, the system has trouble keeping up if there are more than 20 people in the store at one time. It also has difficulty tracking items if they're moved from a specific location on the shelf.
The end is reportedly near for RadioShack
Reports of RadioShack's demise are nothing new, but now it seems like the electronics retailer may be done for good. Bloomberg reports that company is in talks with Sprint to hand over around half of its remaining stores to the wireless company. The rest of RadioShack's locations will close, and those that are included in the deal will be painted yellow and black. This means the shops where most of us purchased parts for a project will cease to exist. Nothing's final, and until the ink is dry, another suitor could swipe up the company and allow it to keep on chuggin' along. RadioShack is facing bankruptcy after years of declining sales, so even if Sprint doesn't agree to buy those stores, a move of some kind is imminent for the company that's been selling tech since 1921. [Photo credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Sony to close its Canadian stores
Sony will close all 14 of its Canadian retail locations, according to a press release issued on The Canadian Press. The company will shut down the stores "over the next six to eight weeks," resulting in 90 layoffs. The company has "been scaling back its business in Canada for the past year and has already shut several locations, including one at the Toronto Eaton Centre." As reported by CBC News, the locations of the soon-to-close stores are as follows: Alberta (3) The Greater Vancouver area (3) The Greater Toronto Area (5) Ottawa (1) Montreal (1) Quebec City (1) Sony announced plans to sell its Vaio PC business and restructure its TV division in February 2014, at which point it planned to lay off 5,000 employees over the next year. It also shut down 20 stores in the United States while restructuring the Sony Electronics division. The Sony-owned developer Sucker Punch laid off some of its staff in August as well. [Image: Sony]
GameStop to close 120 stores, increase focus on mobile
GameStop intends to close 120 video game retail stores in the current fiscal year as part of its "GameStop 3.0" initiative, the company announced at its 2014 Investor Day event this week. Its plan to scale back gaming operations involves a bigger push into the mobile space, as it will open between 200 and 250 Spring Mobile stores, 20 to 25 Simply Mac locations and 100 to 150 Cricket stores, more than doubling all three retail efforts. The plan to shut down 120 gaming retail locations was first revealed last month in GameStop's guidance for the 2014 year during its fiscal 2013 financial results announcement. The number of stores it expected to close wasn't clear at the time; GameStop noted plans to shutter approximately two percent of its 6,600 stores, amounting to a reduction of roughly 132 stores. We've reached out to GameStop to find out which locations will close in the coming year and will update as we learn more. [Image: GameStop]
eBay plans for the future of commerce: more wearable integration and your own personal shopper
While outlining its plans for the future of retail, eBay has announced a new tea, within its Innovation and New Ventures group, aimed at cramming commerce interfaces into any device that's smart enough and preparing for the future of shopping. The team has already launched apps for both Samsung's Galaxy Gear and the Pebble, and while its next target is connected glass (like interactive touchscreen storefronts), according to TechCrunch, it has more up its sleeve than mere augmented reality parlor tricks. The team is working to fold in personalization, historical behavior and connected home sensors to make the shopping experience as smooth, swift (and dangerously easy) as possible, and it's calling it zero effort commerce (ZEC). According to the team head, Steve Yankovich, ZEC will anticipate what you're shopping for and sort out the rest for you.
The 5 most gorgeous Apple Stores in the world
For many Apple faithful, going to an Apple Store is a bit of a ritual. Apple feeds this idea by making its retail outlets some of the most aesthetically pleasing on the planet. But while many of Apple's stores are whitewashed blocks of mall real estate, there are some downright breathtaking Apple Stores out there. Here are the five most drool-worthy examples so far. 1. Fifth Avenue, New York The entrance to one of New York's most popular Apple Stores is encased within massive glass walls. Walk in and down into the store itself and you're treated to a huge, open layout with Apple devices as far as the eye can see. 2. Opéra, France When Apple took over this gorgeous location it left the architecture almost completely intact, preserving the look and feel of the building while giving it the Apple vibe customers crave. "Elegant" doesn't even begin to describe it. 3. IFC Mall, Hong Kong The most striking thing about this Apple Store is its open design that puts customers face-to-face with the traffic below. Calmly browsing for a new iPad while rush hour traffic rumbles away below your feet is a pretty awesome way to shop. 4. Pudong, Shanghai Like a portal to another world, a glass cylinder protrudes from its surroundings and brings you down into an Apple lair. Awesome. 5. Grand Central, New York I really didn't want to include two Apple Stores from the same city in this list, but there's just no denying the majesty of the Grand Central Apple Store. It's hard to believe that an electronics store could look like it "belongs" among the stone construction of the terminal, but Apple pulled it off with flying colors.
Blockbuster to shutter all of its remaining UK stores
Blockbuster's fate may already be sealed in the US, but there was hope that its UK brand might lead itself out of the darkness. Today, administrators in control of the movie rental chain dealt it a killer blow, announcing the closure of its remaining 91 UK stores by December 16th, resulting in the loss of 808 jobs. Having already shuttered its online business following increased competition from streaming services like Netflix and Amazon's Lovefilm, Blockbuster's UK administrators hoped to find a buyer before reaching the decision to close the remaining stores. Remaining stock will be reduced by up to 90 percent in an attempt to sell it all before December 15th, so do head to your nearest (open) store, indulge in a bit of nostalgia and grab yourself a bargain before Blockbuster closes its doors for the final time.
New Apple Stores set to open in UK and Germany
We heard earlier this year that Apple was planning to expand its retail business "disproportionately outside the US," and it looks like that plan is being put into motion starting now. In addition to a new Apple Store opening up this Thursday in Leeds, UK, the company has posted job listings for stores opening soon in both Munich and Dusseldorf, in Germany. So there are three stores starting up in Europe, and Apple's expanding in other countries as well -- it now has retail locations in 13 countries around the world, after opening up a store in Turkey last year. And Apple's also expanding inside the US, bringing 20 of its local stores to larger spaces. I live right near the Santa Monica, Calif., Apple Store, and it seems that store was one of those that moved: Apple found a new location right down the street from the original, with a much larger space that's reminiscent of the company's flagship Grand Central Terminal store. The new space features high ceilings and lots of space above tables of course filled with various Apple goodies to buy. Most of the innovation we talk about from Apple comes with its new product releases, but it's clear the company is working hard on innovating in the retail space as well.
