Retail
REI Unveils Four New Stores in a Single Day
The member-owned co-op continues to spread its retail wings while also staying focused on a broader Earth-friendly mission
Outdoor-gear retailer REI Co-op for the first time in its 81-year history is opening the doors to four new stores in a single day, today, Nov. 15. The new stores bring the total number of new outlets opened by the Kent-based company to eight, plus the relocation of two existing stores to larger spaces. The…
PCC, Whole Foods Add to Their Store Muscle in Seattle
The grocery chains unveil new stores within blocks of a major rival
High-end organic grocer PCC Community Markets is opening its 13th store in the Seattle area while last month Amazon-owned competitor Whole Foods Market unveiled its 10th outlet in the Puget Sound region as competition in the high-end grocery market continues to heat up. Both of the new stores are located within blocks of another competitor,…
Starbucks Tops Competitive Online Coffee Sales Market
Online sales rose 23% the past year
Starbucks Corp. is by far the leader in online coffee sales, followed by Green Mountain, Nespresso, Folgers and Dunkin Donuts. The market, however, is very competitive, according to a report by analytics company 1010Data. Seattle-based Starbucks accounts for only 11.6% of online coffee sales and doesnt even appear in the top 10 search terms. Moreover,…
Canadians Will Soon Get a Taste of Seattles MOD Pizza
The pizza chain has inked a deal that will bring five outlets to Vancouver Island
MOD Super Fast Pizza Holdings LLC, better known in Seattle where it is based as MOD Pizza, will soon be serving its pies to customers across the border after inking a deal to open five MOD locations on Vancouver Island in Canada over the next several years, with the first set to open before the…
Pumpkin Spice Latte Gamble Pays Off
Starbucks was initially criticized for the August launch
Store visits at Starbucks Corp. stores rose 19.1% the weekend after the Seattle company introduced its annual Pumpkin Spice Latte in August its earliest launch ever. The company faced criticism on social media for the August launch, but an analysis by Placer.ai says the strategy helped the coffee purveyor combat a dip in summer traffic…
Sea-Tac Ranked as the Spendiest Domestic Airport for Duty-Free Goods Purchases
Overall, though, U.S. airports are still a better bargain than the most expensive overseas duty-free shops, study finds
World travelers looking to pick up some duty-free goods on their journey should probably think twice about doing so in Seattle if they are seeking a bargain. A new study ranks Sea-Tac airport as the most expensive for purchases of duty-free goods of 14 domestic airports analyzed. Sea-Tac ranked as the most expensive airport for…
Costco’s First Warehouse Store Was a Springboard to Global Growth
Seattle | 1983
This article appears in the September 2019 issue. Click here for a free subscription. The now-ubiquitous retailer Costco Wholesale opened its first discount warehouse on Sept. 15, 1983, at 4401 Fourth Ave. S. in Seattle. Before the year was over, Costco unveiled two more warehouse outlets, one in Spokane and the other in Portland, Oregon….
Get Paid $1,000 Just to Drink Coffee
Business.org seeks a self-professed Starbucks junkie to drink from only locally owned shops
A venti white chocolate mocha at Starbucks will cost you almost $5. An organization called Business.org will pay you not to drink there. The Salt Lake City-based organization, which describes itself as a community of small business enthusiasts who work with small and mid-sized businesses, is looking to hire a self-professed Starbucks addict for $1,000…
Plant-based Taiwanese Grocer Plans Seattle Store
VegeFarm operates two stores in the U.S., both in California
Youll soon have a place to buy that veggie fried squid ball youve been craving. VegeFarm Corp., a Taiwanese frozen vegetarian food manufacturer, has plans to open a store in Seattle. The company, which operates two stores in the United States in San Jose and San Francisco, has been operating for more than 70 years,…
Amazon Investing $15B in Third-Party Seller Platform
Worlds largest online retailer says it has already launched 150 tools and services this year
Amazon Inc. will invest more than $15 billion this year in infrastructure, tools, services and programs for third-party sellers. Since the beginning of the year, the worlds largest online retailer has launched 150 new tools and services to help small- and medium-sized businesses grow their online sales, the company said in a press release. Those…
Brooks Running Launches Same-Day Delivery
Service begins today in 10 cities across U.S.
Seattle-based Brooks Running Co. is the latest retailer to start same-day delivery services. The company is partnering with Locally, a New Orleans-based company that connects online shoppers with inventory available for in-store pickup or delivery, to begin same-day delivery in 10 major cities, including Seattle. The service will soon roll out to 25 more cities….
Nordstrom Says it Has Reached Pay Equity Among All Employees
The retailer conducted an in-depth analysis by examining base salary and levels of experience
Nordstrom says it has reached 100% pay equity for employees of all genders and races. The Seattle-based retailer said it evaluated pay equity by analyzing base pay to assess whether employees with similar roles and experience earn equal pay for comparable work. The company said it is nearly at 100% on pay parity, which it…
The State’s Suds Industry Is Hopped up and Growing
Washingtons beer industry is booming. Heres why.
This story appears in the July 2019 issue. Click here for a free subscription. An abundance of hops, an explosion of craft breweries and increasing consumer demand are powering growth in Washington states surging craft beer industry. Craft beer had an overall economic impact of $1.4 billion in 2017, accounting for some 6,300 direct jobs….