With retail chains going bankrupt or closing stores at a record pace, mall landlords have empty slots that need filling. That’s good news for the retailers who remain and are able to negotiate better deals for their mall stores. [More]
retail
Best Buy To Offer Try-Before-You-Buy Program For Some Products
By 6.12.17
Customers who purchase expensive electronics only to return them days later has long been a bane of Best Buy and other retailers. But now the store is embracing this try-before-you-buy approach for certain products. [More]
Gymboree Files For Bankruptcy, To Close Hundreds Of Stores
By 6.12.17
Retail-watchers have predicted the impending bankruptcy of children’s clothing store Gymboree, and the filing has finally arrived. The chain, which has 1,281 stores between its Gymboree, Gymboree Outlet, Janie and Jack, and Crazy 8 chains, said in a bankruptcy court filing that it plans to close as many as 450 of its stores, but stay in business while cutting its substantial debt. [More]
Owner of Ann Taylor, dressbarn, Lane Bryant, Maurices Could Close Up To 650 Stores
By 6.9.17
You may not know the name Ascena Retail Group, but you know the stores it owns, like Ann Taylor, dressbarn, Lane Bryant, Maurices, among others. Many of these stores could soon be closing if Ascena follows through on its proposal to shutter as many as 650 locations. [More]
Retail Apocalypse Claims 2,000 More Jobs As Hudson’s Bay Scales Back Workforce
By 6.9.17
Earlier this year it looked like Hudson’s Bay — the company behind Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord & Taylor, and Gilt — was looking to expand its footprint by way of purchasing either Macy’s or Neiman Marcus. Now, the retailer looks to be doing the opposite and cutting back by eliminating some 2,000 positions amid lower than expected sales. [More]
Did You Ever Notice There Is No Music At Most Target Stores? That May Change
By 6.8.17
You might be swaying to the music the next time you’re pushing a cart through Target, as the retailer plans to pump music through the sound system at some stores. [More]
Amid Bleak Retail Landscape, Nordstrom Family May Take Company Private
By 6.8.17 — Updated: 6.12.17
Apparently, Nordstrom’s bold move to sell $425 pre-muddied jeans was somehow not enough to end the current retail industry doldrums. Now members of the Nordstrom family say they may take the company back from shareholders and go private. [More]
IKEA Will Try Selling Its Products Through Third-Party Websites Next Year
By 6.8.17 — Updated: 6.9.17
In an effort to expand its online efforts beyond the confines of its own websites, IKEA is planning to test selling its furniture and other home goods through third-party sites starting next year for the first time. [More]
Report: Financial CHOICE Act Would Harm Servicemembers
By 6.6.17 — Updated: 6.9.17
Since its creation, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has worked to protect servicemembers from ne’er-do-wells that aim to line their own pockets by taking advantage of those who protect us; from fining auto lenders for failing to issue refunds to servicemebers to ordering banks to pay for their bad debt collection practices. But with a bill to gut the agency’s power making its way through the legislature, these types of protections come to a screeching halt. [More]
Why Won’t Macy’s Tell Me If Password Reset Email Is Legit Or Not?
By 6.6.17
Someone (either Macy’s or perhaps a mysterious third-party) is confusing shoppers by blasting out emails telling them to either change their Macy’s passwords… or just ignore the email altogether because maybe they don’t have an account and shouldn’t be worried. [More]
Walmart Has A Giant Grocery Vending Machine For Online Order Pickup Now
By 6.6.17
Back in November, Walmart began testing a giant orange vending machine that allowed online customers to pick up their orders without having to wait in line or talk to other people. Now, the company is reportedly testing a similar system, but for online grocery orders. [More]
J. Crew CEO Mickey Drexler Fires Himself, Will Remain Board Chairman
By 6.6.17
Two months after J. Crew sent its creative director packing, the struggling retailer has announced yet another shakeup in its efforts to turn things around: After 14 years on the job, Mickey Drexler will be stepping down from his position as CEO while remaining chairman of J. Crew’s board. [More]
Big Box Stores Blamed For Giant, Terrifying Spider
By 6.2.17 — Updated: 6.3.17
A woman was recently terrified by a very large, very scary spider she found in her toddler’s bedroom learned that it didn’t walk in there on its own — it probably hitched a ride with a big box store. [More]
Walmart Employees Now Delivering Packages To Your Front Door
By 6.1.17 — Updated: 6.9.17
Two-day free shipping, online pickup discounts, grocery pickup — these are just a few ways in which Walmart has tried to up its online shopping game while staying competitive with rival Amazon. Today, the big box retailer rolled out its latest effort: sending associates to customers’ houses with orders in hand. [More]
Kmart Victim Of Second Hack Attack In Three Years
By 6.1.17
Even with fewer stores and sales floors full of boxes, Kmart is still an attractive target for ne’er-do-wells: The retailer has found itself on the receiving end of another hack attack, just three years after its last security breach. [More]
Michael Kors To Close 100 to 125 Stores
By 5.31.17
Last year, Michael Kors pulled back on its department store presence and stopped accepting coupons for its merchandise in those locations in order to polish its brand and increase sales, but those changes have apparently only harmed the brand’s value. Now, the luxury accessories retailer is prepping to close at least 100 of its stores. [More]
Sales At Pottery Barn Are Falling Because Your Apartment Is Too Small
By 5.26.17
It used to be that if someone wanted to update their living room to look like it came straight from a magazine, the place to shop was Pottery Barn. But times have changed and that’s apparently not great news for the home decor retailer, who has seen sales fall along with the size of consumers’ living spaces. [More]
Costco Is Thriving Because People Still Don’t Buy Their Toilet Paper Or Steak On Amazon
By 5.25.17
As retailer after retailer closes up shop, and big box stores like Target and Walmart put increased focus on e-commerce, Costco continues to not only stay open, but to grow, despite having virtually no online retail presence. Why? Because people aren’t yet turning to Amazon to fill up their kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry rooms. [More]
