MATTOON, Ill. — While many retail chains are struggling, some continue to expand. Illinois-based farm and home retailer Rural King opened its 150th store this weekend in Sebring, Florida. Serving rural America since 1960, Rural King has grownby offering popular big brands to rural areas. The new Sebring location offersMORE HERE
TEANECK, N.J. – Leica Camera, a German camera and optics company, will open a store in Chicago on April 30, 2026. The store sits in the Gold Coast district on Michigan Avenue. The location will include gallery exhibitions, Leica Akademie workshops, and space for visitors to view imaging technology. ItMORE HERE
While the Christmas season continues past Christmas Day into the New Year, the season pretty much ends for retailers on Christmas Eve. Immediately after Christmas, New Year’s Eve items like champagne and drinks arrive, along with sports-themed party food. In department stores, New Years outfits and champagne glasses move toMORE HERE
In retail, national retailers always resist local planners in order to push a uniform brand identity. But the subtleties of each retail location should be recognized. While a retail brand needs to use uniform colors, the way the brand appears on each sign is a bit of local connection. IfMORE HERE
BOSTON – A new Christmas identity for Wayfair‘s flagship catalog has taken a quite normal turn. In this day, that is a bold step. The look is so bold it even features a sterling silver coffee pot atop a breakfast table. The flagship carrier for the season and brand isMORE HERE
In the early 1970s, Levi’s were the brand that everyone wanted, far above competitors like Lee and Wrangler. As Levi’s were the original brand of jeans, any store that carried the line had guaranteed sales and cachet. At that time, the so called “designer” jean brands like Sasson, Calvin KleinMORE HERE
OAK BROOK, Ill. – Ace Hardware Corporation, the world’s largest retailer-owned hardware co-op, announced changes to its Board of Directors after their 2023 Annual Meeting. Following the May 16, 2023 meeting, David W. Cripe and Eric W. Lauterbach were elected as member director and non-member director, respectively, to their firstMORE HERE
CHICAGO – When the family of the True Value Company gathers in Chicago March 16-19 for its 2023 Reunion, it will have something to celebrate. The hardware retailer, now a network of over 4,500 stores, is now one of the world’s largest dry goods wholesalers. Its success gives evidence ofMORE HERE
Looking at the piles of refuse in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, one of the biggest contributors to waste are rusted patio grills, rusty and broken lawn furniture, and plastic furniture. On top of that, and where HOAs permit, there are plastic fences, blown far and wide. Seemingly repairable appliances,MORE HERE
CHICAGO – This month, the retailer Crate & Barrel marks 60 years. Gordon and Carole Segal founded Crate & Barrel on Dec. 7, 1962 on Wells Street in Chicago. As the story is told, it was a year after returning from their honeymoon. He was 23. They were eager to sell the modernMORE HERE