As an editor of Retail Dive, it’s my job to keep tabs on every piece of retail-related news—the good, the bad, and the silly. From Ikea’s restaurant makeover to Barbie’s new friend, here are some of the most interesting retail stories from around the Web.
New year, new look
In an effort to better cater to its Swedish meatball-loving fans (see the 2013 Wall Street Journal video below), Ikea is giving its restaurants a makeover — extreme home edition. Influenced by the 8% sales growth its food division saw last year, the Washington Post reports that the furniture chain is adding plushy seating areas and kid-friendly toys, as well as touting its new menu in the updated spaces.
Uniqlo with a side of Slurpee
Uniqlo is making it easy (maybe a little too easy) for its customers in Japan to indulge both their Slurpee and shopping fixes in one stop. The retailer on Wednesday announced a new partnership with 7-Eleven, which enables customers to pickup their Uniqlo orders at local 7-Elevens, for free.
Barbie’s blue steel
We reported on Barbie’s fashion-forward Instagram in this column before, but recently she’s been joined by a new friend: Derek Zoolander, star of the upcoming Zoolander 2 film. Derek and Barbie have been spotted at spin class, cruising around in Barbie’s convertible, and even perfecting Derek’s signature “Blue Steel” look.
Super Bowl style
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton rocked the twittersphere this week by wearing a pair of black, white, and gold Versace pants on the plane to Super Bowl 50. The pants, which retail at $850, promptly sold out online.
noooooo cam's pants are out of stock pic.twitter.com/AXP1klYm99
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) January 31, 2016
The big game stats
The National Retail Federation reports that an estimated 188.9 million people will tune in and watch Super Bowl 50 between the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos. Here are some fun, retail-related numbers from NRF’s Super Bowl Spending Survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics:
- 8.6 million: The number of new televisions American viewers will purchase for the game
- 78.6%: Percentage of Americans that say Super Bowl commercials are “entertainment”
- 43.3 million: Fans that are planning on hosting a Super Bowl party
- 100%: Percent chance of a Broncos’ win (according to a non-scientific, totally biased calculation conducted by Denver native Kelsey Lindsey)
The Sheriff emoji is ready for #SB50 https://t.co/HtJLThXLeV #BroncosCountryPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/8hI6q4j5IP
— Tim Stephens (@timsportsmanias) February 4, 2016