Cereal Adventure Celebrates Grand Opening At Mall Of America
General Mills has opened “Cereal Adventure,” a new attraction at the Mall of America. From the Cheerios Play Park to the Wheaties Hall of Champions, this 16,000 sq. ft. site is designed to be the place where your favorite cereal comes to life.
Bursting with bright colors and larger than life characters, Cereal Adventure features a wide range of activities and areas of discovery. “We spent a lot of time creating Cereal Adventure, ensuring that it would be a great experience for kids and their families,” said Ami Miesner, President of General Mills Entertainment. “It is a playful, interactive learning experience where kids can immerse themselves in the exciting world of cereal, from learning how it’s made to creating their very own cereal brand.”
Just minutes from General Mills’ corporate headquarters, Cereal Adventure is located at Mall of America, the nation’s largest retail and entertainment complex.
Shea Inc., a Minneapolis-based architecture and design firm, developed all elements of the site, including graphic and environmental design, multimedia and visual merchandising.
Tupperware And Target Announce Strategic Alliance
Tupperware Corp. and Target stores have announced a partnership to sell Tupperware products in SuperTarget stores. A special selection of approximately 50 Tupperware products will be available this fall at Tupperware product areas within all 62 SuperTarget stores nationwide.
“Three years ago Tupperware promised to re-invent direct selling and the in-home party through its Integrated Direct Access strategy,” said Rick Goings, Chairman and CEO of Tupperware Corporation. “We are pleased to enter into this new strategic alliance with Target Stores to bring this added value and access to new consumers.”
“SuperTarget is pleased to be the first national retail outlet to provide Tupperware products and services to its guests,” said Gregg Steinhafel, President of Target Stores. “Target is known for its assortment of unique and exclusive merchandise, and our alliance with Tupperware reinforces this commitment to offering leading trends.”
Nike Launches Curbside Shoe Recycling
Residents of Laguna Beach, CA will serve as the pilot program aimed at recycling more athletic footwear for Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe program.
“We want to take responsibility for our product through its entire life,” said Bill Malloch, Director-Footwear Sustainability. "Product innovation and performance are our first priority. But we feel it is important to take responsibility one step further-once the consumer is finished using our product, we offer them the option of recycling their old shoes. Shoes in good condition will be donated to charity.”
Once the shoes are collected, the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program will sort, clean, cut and grind them up to create a material called Nike Grind. Nike Grind is then used in athletic courts, tracks, fields and playground surfaces. Since the beginning of the program, some 13 million pairs of athletic shoes have been recycled and Nike has donated 70 athletic surfaces to U.S. communities.
Toys ‘R’ Us & Pepsi Announce Partnership
Toys ‘R’ Us, Inc. and Pepsi-Cola Co. have announced a multi-year partnership that calls for the sale of Pepsi products at Toys ‘R’ Us stores nationwide, and at the upcoming family-style ‘Pepsi Café’ in the Toys ‘R’ Us new flagship store in New York City’s Times Square. In addition, the two companies are teaming up for co-marketing programs that will be tied primarily to major sporting events.
Warren Kornblum, Exec. V.P., Worldwide Marketing and Brand Management for Toys ‘R’ Us, said “The partnership with Pepsi provides Toys ‘R’ Us shoppers with unique opportunities that can’t be enjoyed at other retail stores.”
Toys ‘R’ Us and Pepsi recently forged their partnership by sponsoring of the Major League Soccer All-Star Balloting program.
Piggly Wiggly Prototype Supermarket Opens
Fresh Brand, recently opened its new flagship Piggly Wiggly supermarket in Sheboygan, WI, that will serve as a prototype for future Piggly Wiggly stores. “The store features a new concept in grocery store design and is an important component of our strategy to increase same store sales,” said Elwood Winn, CEO of Fresh Brands. “By offering a more convenient, attractive shopping environment, we believe we will attract more shoppers.”
The new store design features a circular motif with curved walls and ceilings and natural lighting from 10 skylights. Michael Houser, Exec. V.P./Chief Marketing Officer, Fresh Brands, said, “The most significant elements incorporate a fluid shopping design focused on a ‘fresh market’ approach to departmental merchandising. These departments, accented by a circular design and natural lighting, create a unique boutique store-within-a-store shopping experience.”
Bank Of America Express Opens In Atlanta
Bank of America Express has opened in Atlanta, Georgia, as part of a new banking concept designed to provide customers with a fast banking experience. “Bank of America Express is designed to have your banking needs met in a fast, effective and bottom-line way,” said Amy Brady, Sr. V.P., for the Prototype Market in Atlanta. “Our fully staffed teller lines are designed for fast transactions to be taken care of quickly and efficiently.”
At the interactive Quick Info Zone, customers can quickly access information on a range of topics. Customers can even trade stocks online. With the Transaction Zone Media outlet, televisions over the teller line educate customers on Bank of America products, and provide market information via CNN.
Kobricks Unveils Retail Coffee Concepts
Kobricks Coffee Co., Jersey City, N.J., has unveiled its new brand identity and branded retail coffee concepts. Developed with New York-based marketing firm, Visual Graphic Systems, the new brand identity is infused throughout the design and aesthetic appeal of the various modular retail concepts.
“Our new modular coffee concepts and recent openings with our licensing partners throughout the mid-west demonstrates our commitment to innovation and to the marketing of turn-key branded coffee concepts,” said Robert Delaby, National Director, Brand Development and Operations, Kobricks Coffee.
The new modular Kobricks Coffee concepts incorporate a warm color-scheme that speaks volumes about the company’s rich history in coffee roasting.
Oakley Expands Presence In Champs Stores
Oakley, Inc. has expanded its relationship with Champs Sports, with the creation of in-store Oakley concept areas featuring a wide variety of Oakley sunglasses, footwear, apparel and watches.
The concept areas will feature a minimum of four display case fixtures, including ones specifically designed for eyewear-Doublewide Mega Towers; footwear-Shoe Rockets; and apparel-Apparel Rockets.
“Oakley is known worldwide as a leading sunglass brand and it is now our goal to be known as a company offering a complete line of footwear, apparel, watches and prescription eyewear,” said Link Newcomb, COO for Oakley. “Concept areas are a great vehicle with which to tell the current Oakley brand story.”
Woodford Reserve Bar and Grill Opens At Louisville International Airport
The first Woodford Reserve Bar and Grill has opened at the Louisville International Airport, centered around Woodford Reserve Small Batch Bourbon and the Labrot & Graham Distillery in Woodford County, Kentucky.
“The Louisville International Airport is an important entryway to this state and we wanted the Woodford Reserve Bar and Grill to showcase Kentucky’s treasures of bourbon, Bluegrass and thoroughbreds,” said John Overfield, V.P. and Marketing Director for Woodford Reserve Small Batch Bourbon, a product of Brown-Forman. “With Woodford Reserve’s homeplace, located in the midst of some of Kentucky’s finest horse farms and Woodford Reserve being the ‘Official Bourbon’ of the Kentucky Derby, we felt that we could create a concept that could successfully represent our region.”
K-B Toys And Sears Launch
Toy Department Test
K-B Toys and Sears, Roebuck and Co. have entered a licensing agreement to test 29 “K-B Toys at Sears” toy departments this holiday season at select Sears locations in Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, and Mobile, AL. K-B Toys and Sears have created a “store-within-a-store” that offers customers the convenience of one-stop shopping, a large selection of name-brand toys and K-B Toys exclusives, all value-priced.
“We believe that the ‘K-B Toys at Sears’ shops are an exciting shopping enhancement that our customers will appreciate and embrace during the busy holiday season,” said Leslie Mann, Senior Vice President of Merchandising, K-B Toys.
QVC Unveils Flagship Retail Location
QVC has unveiled its flagship store, QVC @ The Mall, at Minnesota’s Mall of America. QVC @ The Mall offers consumers a unique shopping experience allowing them to see, touch and purchase much of the same merchandise they can acquire through QVC's television program or through QVC.com.
With a broadcasting studio integrated into the 2,500-square foot store design, QVC can produce live segments directly from its new location. A full-time producer will also serve as the store’s on-air host for its live broadcasts. QVC @ The Mall was designed by the New York-based design firm Glen & Company.
Swiss Army Flagship Store To Open
Swiss Army Brands plans to open a flagship retail store in New York City that will serve as a visual showcase for the full-range of company products, including Victorinox Original Swiss Army Knives, Swiss Army Watches, Victorinox Travel Gear and the new Victorinox Apparel Collection. The flagship retail store will give consumers and retailers an opportunity to experience the brand in an environment that reflects the core qualities of Swiss Army Brands’ products.
“We see this flagship as an opportunity to display the full range of our products under one roof and to showcase the core values of our brands,” said Jeff Turner, President of Swiss Army Brands.
The launch this year of the Victorinox Apparel collection has given Swiss Army Brands the ability to equip its active, urban professional consumers from head-to-toe. This complete product offering gives Swiss Army Brands a solid rationale for displaying the brand under one roof.
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