Australian shoe brand Bared Footwear (Sydney) has opened its inaugural U.S. store, in New York’s SoHo, Footwear News reports. The store is at 152 Spring St., in a space formerly occupied by another Australian shoe brand – R.M. Williams. The opening marks the brand’s inaugural brick-and-mortar location outside of Australia – a major milestone in the brand’s growth trajectory as it seeks to expand its global retail footprint, Anna Baird, founder and owner, told Footwear News. “After 16 years [in business], we do have a large audience in Australia,” Baird said. “So, it’s definitely like starting ..read more

Brooklyn Dumpling Parent Holdings Inc. (New York) has announced two major steps that will help it expand: it has secured some added funding and hired a new CEO. The company said it recently closed a funding round (for an undisclosed sum) that includes well-known investors such as Kevin O’Leary from the “Shark Tank” TV show and fellow guest Shark and prolific food investor Matt Higgins. The investment will be used “to scale the business through franchise restaurant growth, consumer product expansion, team building, accelerated marketing efforts and adjacent acquisitions,” the company said in a ..read more

NEO Architectural Lighting, Louis Poulsen’s exclusive partner for commercial lighting in North America, is launching a contest on April 15, 2024, inviting designers and students to envision any of Christian Flindt’s award-winning Louis Poulsen designs in a conceptual installation project for an indoor or outdoor setting. These designs include the Flindt Bollard, Flindt Garden, Flindt Plaza, Flindt Wall, LP Grand and LP Xperi. Revit files and 3D model files are available in the respective product links provided.  The public will be invited to vote online for the best project in each o ..read more

While economic growth slowed during the first three months of the year, consumers are still spending more than last year, National Retail Federation Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said. “The U.S. economy lost some spring in its step during the first quarter as the pace of growth declined, and the downshift came with an unexpected bout of inflation,” Kleinhenz said, noting that prices for services are still increasing even as prices for goods level off. “But even with signs that the economic expansion is decelerating, the economy remains resilient, boosted by a solid job market and continued sp ..read more

Royalmount, a major new retail/lifestyle center slated to open in midtown Montreal in mid-August, has unveiled a dozen additions to its high-profile retail tenant list: Zara, Nike, Moncler, Longchamp, Anine Bing, Mango, H&M, Alo Yoga, Veronica Beard, Canada Goose, Sephora and Roche Bobois. “The addition of these leading global brands to Royalmount’s already rich roster of iconic names speaks to the power of the vision behind the project,” says Andrew Lutfy, CEO of Carbonleo and lead Royalmount investor. “We’re satisfying Montrealers’ untapped desire for luxury goods and a unique lifestyle ..read more

A New York beauty store allegedly resold more than $1 million worth of stolen goods from Macy’s and several other retailers, authorities said. Two New Yorkers were charged with possessing and reselling the stolen goods through their business, Rehana’s Cosmetics, a perfume and cosmetics store at 870 6th Ave. in Midtown Manhattan, the borough’s district attorney Alvin Bragg said in a news release. About $212,000 of the merchandise was stolen from Macy’s, while the remaining came from CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens and Walgreens-owned Duane Reade, Ulta, Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works and the ..read more

Vericast’s just-released 2024 Restaurant TrendWatch report shows 60% of consumers surveyed will “trade down” from a casual dining restaurant to fast food for less expensive burger prices. The same goes for other fan favorites – pizza and tacos – with 55% of respondents switching to frozen pizza from the grocery store versus pizza from a restaurant, and 55% opting to get fast food tacos instead of fast casual dining. “The steadily increasing cost of dining out is testing the limits of what consumers can and will spend,” said Dana Baggett, Executive Director  at the Restaurant Division of V ..read more

A Northern California woman is facing more than three years in prison after being convicted of stealing more than $60,000 worth of merchandise from a Target store using self-checkout, USA Today reports. Aziza Graves, 43, of San Francisco, has been found guilty of one felony count of grand theft in violation and 52 misdemeanor counts of petty theft in a series of retail thefts occurring at a Target in San Francisco, according to a press release from the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. Between October 2020 and November 2021, she entered the store in the Stonestown Galleria, brought ite ..read more

Pinstripes Holdings Inc. (Northbrook, Ill.), an experiential dining and entertainment brand combining an Italian-American bistro, bowling, bocce and private event space, plans to open a half-dozen outlets during the rest of this year and into 2025. In addition, the company announced the signing of a new Master Broker agreement with Newmark. Pinstripes’ venues typically have 25,000-28,000 square feet of space. Its most recent opening took place last month in Orlando’s Vineland Point. It plans to open Walnut Creek, Calif., and Coral Gables, Fla., in the coming months, followed by two Seattle-are ..read more

The Shop! Association’s Global Development Director, Leo van de Polder, weighed in on the latest retail marketing trends in an exclusive interview with Dekkers International. Discussing “hot topics” like Artificial Intelligence (AI), human-centric design, e-commerce, omnichannel and experiences, the Q&A – conducted by Lizzy Wijkhuisen – also provides suggested tips to retailers like clearly defining your purpose and leveraging all channels. Read the full interview here ..read more