Dubli.com promotes web shopping in Charlotte

Online shopping and reverse auction site Dubli.com was in Charlotte last week, promoting its retail platform at the Southern Women's Show.

Representatives handed out Dubli swag, and tried to talk prospective new customers into trying out the site. The business is an eclectic mix of price comparison, cash-back shopping, music streaming, and online reverse auctions - which account for the huge majority of Dubli's revenue.

The site has two million registered users, and is popular in Europe and the Middle East, said Dubli spokeswoman Stefanie Kitzes. "The pitch has really been shop online and get paid to shop," she said. "Eastern Europe is huge. They want American."

The site is also an affiliate marketer for major retailers, meaning it negotiates deals under which it directs shoppers to their site and offers shoppers cash back from the retailers. In addition to its free option, Dubli offers subscriptions for $4.95 a month and $28.95 a month, which offer larger cash-back percentages.

Dubli is hoping to expand its US customer base now. It's rolling out a smart phone app which will allow customers to scan bar codes in stores and then compare prices online (retailers hate such apps, which they see as contributing to the "showrooming" phenomena). The site is also hoping to get more people to use its music service, which helps create a "sticky" experience. That's web-speak for a site users spend a lot of time on and come back to often.

The company's most recent quarterly financial statements show Dubli recorded $201,416,736 worth of revenue for the first nine months of the year. Almost all of that, 92.6 percent, was from the company's reverse auction business. The direct cost of those revenues, mainly providing merchandise for the auctions, was $199,897,997.

For the first nine months of the year, Dubli posted an $8.17 million loss. The company hopes to continue growing its revenue to reach profitability.

Dubli also relies on a network of independent "business associates" who buy "credits" from the site for 63 cents and sell them to people they know for 80 cents. The credits allow people to bid for items in the reverse auctions. The company has also invested in millions of dollars worth of land in Dubai, so Dubli appears to be looking at multiple revenue streams. Dubli also admitted in its quarterly statement that it lacks adequate financial controls and procedures, which it said it is working to address (see Item 4).

Lancaster Kmart to close

Kmart will soon shutter its store in Lancaster, S.C., as the retailer and its parent company Sears Holding Corporation continue closing locations and trying to return to their former retail glory.

The Lancaster location isn't on Sears' latest list of store closings, but an employee at the store confirmed its last day of business will be Dec. 16.

Last year, Sears announced that it would close 100 to 120 of its Kmart and mainline Sears locations, due to poor financial performance. Since then, the retail company has sold more locations and created plans to spin off its Sears Outlet and Hometown stores into a separate company.

But the efforts haven't paid off so far. Last month, Sears reported that its sales were still falling, as revenue fell 7 percent, to $9.47 billion, and the company posted a $132 million loss for the quarter. Sales at Kmart stores open at least a year fell 4.7 percent, a steep drop in comp-store sales for the retailer.

(Thanks to the reader who let me know about this store closing.)


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Pliner to showcase collection at SouthPark Belk

Fashion designer Donald J. Pliner, who creates footwear and accessories for men and women, will be at the Belk store in SouthPark on Saturday, Sept. 29, to showcase his new fall lineup.

Pliner will be showing off and signing items from his new collection from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., in the women's shoe department. Light refreshments will be served at the free event, which is open to everyone, Belk said.

For those unfamiliar with Pliner, the company, "has built a reputation for its innovative materials and quality
craftsmanship in men’s and women’s luxury footwear and accessories. Since 1989, the brand has been
known for the combination of fashion, fit and comfort that embodies every design."

Earlier this year, Belk brought in designer Joseph Abboud to meet customers and show off his lineup at an event that included a beer tasting and cigar rolling.





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New stores at Northlake, SouthPark and Carolina Place malls

Local malls have been announcing a bevy of new stores, with nine new retailers open now or set to open at SouthPark, Northlake Mall and Carolina Place over the coming months.

At SouthPark mall, the new stores announced Monday tend towards the high end. Hanna Anderson is opening in spring 2013. The store will offer "uniquely styled, Swedish-inspired soft, quality clothing for children and babies," SouthPark says. The 1,625 square foot store will have pure organic cotton and environmentally-friendly clothes.

Porsche Design is opening a 1,250 square foot store later this year."Founded in 1972, Porsche Design offers functional and timeless designs for discerning customers," SouthPark said. It will sell, "women’s & men’s fashion, sportswear, luggage, eyewear, watches and jewelry, writing instruments, cutting-edge electronics such as the Porsche Design Smartphone P’9981 from BlackBerry® and much more."

Tara Grinna Swimwear recently opened a boutique in The Village at SouthPark. The 2,620 square foot store sells designer swimwear, as well as custom-made swimsuits.

And Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa will open in November, in a 2,941 square foot store next to Cowfish, the sushi-burger joint. The spa will offer waxing, facials, and a variety of massages, including Swedish and pre-natal.

At Northlake, Forever 21 is moving to a larger space. The 21,000 square foot, fast-fashion store will open in November, in the mall's Dillard's wing.

White House Black Market is going to open next February. The Northlake boutique store will, of course, carry black and white clothes, along with a "seasonal pop of color."

And Chico's, a women's fashion and accessory store, is also opening in February. The store promises fresh designs every week and knowledgeable style experts in the store.

“We’re excited to add these new and expanded brands to our retail lineup,” says Northlake spokeswoman Nan Gray. “In the past few months we’ve also welcomed Apple, The Limited, Pandora and Teavana, so it’s a great time to come see what’s new at Northlake.”

And at Carolina Place, Deb has opened. The national retailer sells junior- and plus size women's clothing, footwear and accessories. Teavana, Francesca’s Collections, Kids Foot Locker and Nestle Toll House Café have also opened at Carolina Place this year, and a TCBY is set to open soon.

Dilworth residents fight Walgreens

Dilworth has a zoning fight on its hands, as residents are fighting a proposed drug store and drive-thru at the intersection of  at Kenilworth Ave. and Morehead St.

Residents against Lincoln Harris' plan, which would tear down five older buildings and build a Walgreens and an office building, will have the chance to voice their opposition at tonight's city council meeting.

You can see the rezoning petition here. City staff have recommended approving the plan. The Tudor-style apartment building and four houses that would be torn down are across from Carolinas Medical Center, and border both a commercial strip of office buildings and one of Charlotte's older residential neighborhoods.

Lincoln Harris is requesting a rezoning to allow the retail development and a drive-thru for the Walgreens, and met with residents in August to allay their concerns. But the Dilworth Community Development Association voted to oppose the project.

Dozens of NO Walgreens signs have
popped up in the neighborhood

"The proposal violates a very recently approved area plan and is certain to create demand for additional retail development along this fragile edge of our neighborhood," the DCDA said in an email to members last week. The group is referring to a city area plan calling for more pedestrian development.

"City Council members will not, however, defeat this proposal if our neighborhood does not speak loudly. We don't call on you often, but this is the real thing- we need your help!" the email continued. The group is asking community members to come to the city council meeting at 6 p.m. to show their opposition.

A city memo on the proposed rezoning says the plan would generate about 1,540 trips per day, which would have a minor effect on the surrounding roads, according to the Charlotte Department of Transportation. That's about twice as many trips as if the site were developed according to the current zoning.
Residents are concerned about the possible increase in traffic.

ead more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/08/07/3438981/residents-planned-walgreens-doesnt.html#storylink=cpy

An online petition, "No Walgreens on Morehead,"  had 830 signatures on Friday, with a goal of 2,000.
It might be too late for concerned residents to prevent demolition of the buildings, some of which are more than 80 years old. According to city documents, the owner, Edward Springs, "intends to tear the buildings down even if the rezoning does not go forward as that would actually enhance the marketability of the property."

Bonus historical observation: A reader with a longer memory than mine reminded me of a similar zoning fight that took place some 30 years ago, when Kroger was planning to build a supermarket on Park Road. Kroger won, and the store eventually became a Bi-Lo, then a Bloom, and is currently a Food Lion. There's a picture below of a "No Kroger-ing" sign from the time below, followed by pictures of the proposed Walgreens and current apartment building.

Proposed Walgreens

The Tudor-style apartment building at the intersection, as seen in county property records

Restaurant Fresh to Order plans Charlotte expansion

Fresh To Order, an Alpharetta, Ga., based "fast fine" restaurant, is looking to open about seven stores in the Charlotte area, said founder and president Pierre Panos.

"If you look at Charlotte right now, there are a lot of nice restaurants," said Panos. "But if you look at nice restaurants that are under $10 and also healthy, there are not many."

Panos, who has been working in the restaurant industry since he was growing up in South Africa, where his Greek family had businesses. Since immigrating to America, he's developed restaurant concepts such as Stony River, a steakhouse, and Brookwood Grill, a casual fine dining restaurant.

But after the recession, he wanted to develop a restaurant that would offer chef-inspired cuisine faster and cheaper, with dishes under $10 and served in under 10 minutes. They would also require less initial investment to open. "If you're spending $2 - $3 million on a restaurant, it can go south very quickly," said Panos.

He hit on Fresh To Order. The stores have food cooked, as the name implies, from fresh ingredients when it's ordered, in an open kitchen. He said the stores are more nicely decorated and a bit more upscale than fast casual chains, but with an average price that's only $1.50 more.

And though Fresh To Order restaurants have kiosks where people can see how healthy a dish is and select meals to fit their specific diet, Panos said he doesn't want to be thought of as a "healthy" place - too many connotations of bland, unsalted, unsweetened food.

"If I had put 'Fresh to Order - Healthy Restaurant,' I bet you I'd have been out of business in six months," said Panos.

He met with interested franchise owners this week in Charlotte. There are currently nine Fresh To Order locations, one of them in Tennessee and the other eight in Georgia. Panos said he hopes to open his first Charlotte location within 12 months, as either a franchise or corporate store. Here's a look at the restaurant's menu.

Fresh To Order

Hat store brings a touch of style to Brevard Court

"There was a time you couldn't find a man without a hat on," said Keith Christmas, owner of Alexander Hats in uptown's Brevard Court. "Now that is a gentleman."

Christmas, in his shop

Christmas moved his shop from Independence Blvd. to Brevard Court in March, seeking better real estate after the never-ending road widening project on Independence made it harder and harder for customers to find him. At the store, he does everything from make and sell new men's hats to cleaning, re-blocking, and repairing century-old felt hats.

"This is what I do. I just love hats," said Christmas, who started his store in Charlotte seven years ago. He rattles off different styles as he walks around his shop, showing them to visitors: Homburg, fedora, derby, Aspen, Panama, ivy.

Christmas transforms raw felt into hats for clients, shaping, stitching, and tacking on sweatbands and ribbons and stiffening the material into a finished hat by hand.

He learned the hat-making trade in New York, after he and some neighborhood friends who were out causing trouble broke a shop-owner's window. Christmas was 13, and the man told his dad he would call the police unless Christmas paid for the damage. The man owned a hat shop, and Christmas got hooked.

After working for Toyota for years, Christmas wanted to start his own business. The hat business felt right.

He knows that styles have changed, that most men these days are going around bare-headed or in baseball caps. John F. Kennedy was the first president not to wear a hat, and since then, no president has been inaugurated in a hat. "Ever since that, the country went downhill in a handbasket," said Christmas. "Maybe we need to go back to the traditions."

But Christmas said he still does good business, selling to "hat people." He offers young men who trade in their baseball caps $50 to get them into their first real hat; he's making four custom hats for a man in Rio de Janeiro. "I've been open seven years," he said. "Somebody's buying something."

Listening to Christmas, who can guess your hat size accurately when you walk in the door, it's hard not to believe in the transformative power of the hat. "How do you stand out from the crowd? A hat is a statement all unto itself," said Christmas. "If you get the right hat, everything changes. When you wear a hat, you're a different man, brother."


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