The store will open to the public at 9:30 a.m., and the gift cards will range from $5 to $500. Belk has been renovating many of its older stores, including the flagship SouthPark store and the Rock Hill Galleria location.
"The newly remodeled store now boasts a 162,000 square foot modern
shopping environment. With the store’s renovation, the following brands
have been added to its collection of top fashion and home brands: Coach,
Vince Camuto, Anne Klein, Lauren by Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors," Belk said of the Carolina Place store, in an email. The in-store overhauls, which include added square footage, more modern lighting, new floors, more stylish fixtures and rearranged and expanded departments, are part of a $600 million capital spending push by Belk. Upgrades to its behind-the-scenes systems, including more e-commerce option, such as a new tablet app, are also part of the push.
Belk is the largest privately-held mainline department store chain, with more than 300 locations in 16 states. The company posted a $27.4 million profit in its most recent quarter, up almost 10 percent from the same period last year.
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The store's improved, but still looks cheap.
ReplyDeleteI think Belk has done a tremendous job in renovating the store and offering new items. I will be in line for my gift car tomorrow. Thanks Belk!
ReplyDeleteEly, please take this as constructive criticism.
ReplyDeleteI have been following this blog since 2009 and have enjoyed reading about the comings and goings in the Charlotte retail market, especially during the time when Jen Aronoff was the writer for this blog. Back then the blog had accurate and mostly complete information and it had a real personal voice that is now lacking.
Embedding Google Maps in place of real content just doesn’t cut the mustard; it’s bland and uninspiring. I am sure that if you cannot put your own pictures due to time constraints or logistics (which apparently rarely stopped your predecessor), companies you write about would be more than happy to provide you with content, especially since you hail from a major newspaper and not some random blogger. Even if they cannot do so on the timescale that you require for quick posting, it is always viewed positively if you put an effort to append them later.
Regarding this post, instead of having a useless Google Maps of the Belk’s location, sans the actual address, why not provide a picture of the interior? I am certain that they have pictures for promotional purposes to give to the media, or at least an artist’s rendering.
Hi Jack. Thanks for writing. It's always nice to see we have engaged readers.
ReplyDeleteWhile the blog was, of course, awesome when my former colleague Jen was writing it, I've made some changes. The first is post frequency. While Jen would post once or twice a week, I try to post some retail news every workday of the week (about 20 times a month or so). That means my posts are usually shorter then Jen's were. Also, this blog is not my primary job responsibility, but one of the many things I keep on top of here.
Regarding the maps, a lot of people don't think they're useless. I've also covered the Belk remodeling before, so running a bunch of promotional pictures might be slightly repetitive. But I certainly appreciate your concerns. I'm sorry you find this doesn't cut the mustard, and I hope you'll keep reading. Thanks.
As a consumer, I think all retailers should make it mandatory to upgrade or renovate their stores once every few years. This is to ensure they are able to re-arrange all their stuff and make room for extra storage to provide new variety to their customers. When a store looks new, it automatically attracts new customers and retain the loyal ones, as everyone loves shopping in a pleasant-looking place. And with the gift cards, they are bound to be getting more customers all right!
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