The Jewelers Security Alliance reports that the number of crimes against U.S. jewelers fell to 1,621 in 2023, a 26.7% decrease from the previous year. At the same time, the total dollar losses from crimes against U.S. jewelry firms reported to JSA was $133.2 million, a 2.9% increase from 2022. The crime category that experienced the greatest reduction in 2023 was grab-and-run thefts. The number of grab-and-runs declined from 984 in 2022 to 663 in 2023. “The reduction in the use of face masks, which had become more prevalent as a result of Covid, has made it more difficult for criminals to disg ..read more

Reginaldo “Reggie” Reyes passed away Monday, April 22, 2024. A longtime supporter and friend of VMSD and the International Retail Design Conference (IRDC), Reggie most recently worked for KNOCK Inc., a Minneapolis-based creative agency where, through his role as VP Brand Experience + Environmental Design, he was a strategic design partner to a range of clients in retail, hospitality, healthcare and more. He previously held positions with several well-known companies and retailers including Hallmark Cards, Target and Marshall Field’s. Reggie will be sorely missed by his many industry friends a ..read more

Jacob Tyler Senior Designer, Arcadis Age: 30 Favorite Snack: Homemade salsa verde and chips Favorite Time of Day: Golden Hour WHY JACOB? Whether it’s learning new technologies, teaching himself new techniques or striving to improve his skills, Jacob’s co-workers describe him as a self-motivated, self-starter with great attention to detail. From large-scale design projects to visual merchandising moments, some retail projects he’s worked on include REI, Toys “R” Us, Capital One Café and Petco, among many others. Beyond mentoring younger designers at Arcadis, he’s also active in his local desig ..read more

How local is local? Uniqlo, the Japanese price-conscious retailer of fast fashion basics, has opened a third store on London’s Oxford Street. The two-floor, 14,000-square-foot outpost has all that you might expect of a store from this stable, with planked wooden flooring, dense merchandising throughout (but with a lot of room to move), and lighting that is about “heroing” the product, rather than being the same everywhere. All this and a brace of digital screens across both floors, aimed at helping to set the mood and make shopping easy, right up to the moment when a move is made to one of the ..read more

Foot Locker Inc. (New York) has taken the wraps off a new retail concept that it says “delivers an elevated shopping experience and unrivaled customer service.” The footwear/apparel retailer debuted the updated format at its Willowbrook Mall location in Wayne, N.J., and said it will incorporate learnings from this concept into its new stores. Informed by customer insights, Foot Locker describes this “store of the future” as featuring a bold storefront, distinct in-store environment, expanded footwear and accessory selections, an emphasis on sustainability, dynamic digital fixtures and other te ..read more

Struggling fashion retailer Express Inc. (Columbus, Ohio) announced it is planning to sell a substantial part of the firm to consortium led by brand-management firm WHP Global and its partners, Simon Property Group LP and Brookfield Properties. To facilitate that process, Express and its subsidiaries have filed voluntary Chapter 11 petitions in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware and plan to close 95 of its 530 Express and Express Factory Outlet and all 12 of its UpWest stores. (The retailer’s operations also include 60 Bonobos Guideshop locations.) Express said it has recei ..read more

Trendy clothing brand Edikted (Los Angeles) will open its third U.S. location, at the Mall of America, the Minnesota mega-mall reports. The fast-fashion brand for women launched as an online company in 2021 and will have three brick-and-mortar locations by the time it opens on Mall of America’s second-level west side this August. (The other locales are a showroom in LA’s The New Mart and a flagship in New York’s Soho.) Edikted is widely popular with Gen Z consumers, and has been worn by young celebrities like Hailey Beiber, Olivia Rodrigo and Addison Rae, the mall’s statement notes. “Edikted h ..read more

Retail executives say their top concern going into the summer season is staffing and wage issues, according to a new survey by Multimedia Plus.  More than 50 percent of senior executives surveyed said staffing and wage concerns are at the top of their minds as they prepare for the summer. Global events, banking sector concerns and new store openings followed, respectively.  Regarding the summer staffing concerns, 30.63 percent said the hiring environment is about the same compared to last year. However, almost a quarter said positions are harder to fill.  Recently, a survey of f ..read more

Kizik (Lindon, Utah), a purveyor of hands-free footwear, has taken the wraps off a new brand platform with the national introduction of its brand promise, “Motion Is Magic.” That proposition will guide Kizik’s continued growth into retail, wholesale and international markets, including an experiential pop-up this past weekend in New York and plans for six more brick-and-mortar stores this year. Locations of those future Kizik stores include the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota; the King of Prussia mall in Pennsylvania and Newbury Street in Boston, a spokesperson told Retail Dive. “We ..read more

Target (Minneapolis) has been hit with a class-action lawsuit alleging it broke the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, which was passed in 2008 and is designed to protect people from their physical characteristics being collected without their knowledge, MediaDailyNews reports. The suit comes a few months after the Federal Trade Commission banned Rite Aid from using facial recognition in its stores for five years. The suit, which lists an Arnetta Dean as the lead plaintiff, was filed several weeks ago in Illinois’ Cook County, which is home to Chicago and its surroundings. Target has ..read more