Natick, Mass.

San Francisco-based PBTeen, a subsidiary of Williams-Sonoma Inc., will open its first store on the West Coast. The new store, located in the Westfield Galleria at Roseville in Sacramento, Calif., will feature the retailer’s new gear assortment, including backpacks, lunch bags and messenger bags. The store will be anchored around a PBteen Design Lab, which will include two computer stations where customers can create a room on the monitors and see it come to life on one of two 55-in. television screens overhead. In addition to the Roseville store, PBteen operates retail showrooms in Atlanta, Chicago, New York City,

Moosejaw, the quirky outdoor retailer based out of Detroit, has announced the grand opening date of March 3rd , 2012 for their 8th retail location in Natick, Mass. The Natick location will be the first to embody Moosejaw’s new retail concept and design. “We wanted to do something totally unexpected from what you would find in a typical outdoor store. When customers come in they will want to explore and engage with their surroundings, the staff and the technology in the space,” explains Bryan Lively, Vice President of Retail. The first thing shoppers will find when they walk in

Willams-Sonoma’s PBteen brand opened its first-ever pop-up store on Nov. 4 in Natick, Mass. The space is centered around the PBteen Design Lab, four computer terminals where shoppers can create a dream room by selecting and placing PBteen furniture and accessories in their virtual room.

BJ's Wholesale Club said that it's decided "to explore and evaluate strategic alternatives, including a possible sale of the company." That only confirms what the market has known for months: there's an auction going on for the retailer.

Natick, Mass. -- BJ’s Wholesale Club confirmed on Thursday that it will potentially put it up for sale. According to a report by the New York Times, the discounter said it will “explore and evaluate strategic alternatives, including a possible sale of the company,” confirming ongoing market rumors that BJ’s was a buyout candidate. The report said that BJ’s has hired Morgan Stanley to run the sales process. Private equity firm Leonard Green & Partners acquired a 9.5% stake in the retailer last July. In January, BJ’s announced it would close five underperforming stores.

For more than a year, Susan Landay and her staff at Trainers Warehouse discussed ways to strengthen the company’s brand. The 17-year-old catalog marketer of such training and teaching aids as buzzers, certificate frames, fidget toys, flip charts, easels and others was profitable, but Landay felt the company wasn’t realizing its full potential. “We realized our products appealed to more than just those who were buying from us,” says Landay, the Natick, Mass.-based company’s president. “We wanted to deepen our penetration into our niche and expand our appeal.” Last February, after some outside consultation, Trainers Warehouse launched a rebranding campaign. Trainers Warehouse learned