• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, October 21, 2024

There’s plenty of action in physical retail, with several leading retailers unveiling new expansion initiatives. Those include REI, which has announced the location of seven new stores. Macy’s is opening an unusual new Bloomie’s in New Jersey, its only store ever to focus entirely on women. Amazon is trying yet another grocery format, testing an ultra-small store in Chicago. And Buy Buy Baby is again saying goodbye, shuttering all physical locations less than a year after reopening.

REI says it has finalized lease agreements on the new stores, each in locations especially appealing to outdoor adventurers, including sites in Carlsbad and Chico, California; Amherst, New York; Durango, Colorado; and Prosper, Texas.

“Cities that will have new stores represent communities that serve as a gateway to some of the country’s most incredible natural places and where our members currently live or destinations where they love to play outside,” said Mary-Farrell Tarbox, REI’s vice president of stores, in its announcement.

By the end of 2024, the co-op will have opened 10 new stores. Based in Seattle, REI is the nation’s largest consumer co-op, with 24 million members.

While Macy’s transformation efforts have it shutting more than 150 Macy’s stores, Bloomingdale’s expansion plans just got an interesting twist. It has announced the fourth location of Bloomie’s, its smaller store format, which will cater entirely to women. To be located in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, the new store will be the first to carry an all-women's assortment, including contemporary ready-to-wear, accessories and beauty. The company will also offer its “most elevated expression of fine jewelry to date.”

Amazon is also firing up the experimentation engine, opening a 3,800-square-foot grocery store in downtown Chicago. Set up as a convenience store companion to Whole Foods Market, the new Amazon Grocery will offer a tightly edited assortment of fewer than 4,000 items, none of which are sold in Whole Foods.

“We’re always looking for ways to make it easier for customers to shop for groceries, whether online or in-store,” Amazon spokesperson Jessica Martin tells Marketing Daily via email. “We’re testing and learning with a new grocery shopping experience with a small-format store from Amazon under the same roof as Whole Foods Market in the One Chicago building. With this new concept, customers can shop their favorite natural and organic products at Whole Foods Market and get a broader product assortment from Amazon all in one trip, saving them time and money.”

Amazon already sells groceries on its leading ecommerce site and operates grocery stores under Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go.

Another surprise: Buy Buy Baby, which got a new life after being orphaned by Bed Bath & Beyond's bankruptcy, is again shuttering all stores. It will close 10 locations by the end of the year to focus on digital sales. At one time, Buy Buy Baby had 120 stores. Dream on Me bought Buy Buy Baby’s intellectual property for $15.5 million, opening new stores a few months later.