hhgregg, the appliance and furniture store whose name we have capitalized correctly, needs someone to save it. Very soon. The company needs to find a buyer this week, or it will begin its going out of business sales on Saturday, April 8. [More]
Retail Services
J. Crew Could Be In For A New Look After Exit Of Creative Director
By 4.3.17 — Updated: 4.25.17
Times are tough for retailers, so stores are trying to shake things up. If, like J. Crew, you’re a clothing retailer that only sells your house brand, the exit of your longtime creative director might be a step toward turning around flagging sales. [More]
Report: Panera Looking At Possible Sale To Starbucks, Domino’s, Others
By 4.3.17
Want a Panera sandwich with a Starbucks coffee? Right now, you’ll have to go to two different stores, but in the future they could be one and the same: Panera is reportedly looking for a buyer, and the coffee giant is apparently on the shortlist. [More]
Amazon Debuts ‘Amazon Cash’ As A Way For The Unbanked To Shop Online
By 4.3.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Shopping online can provide savings and convenience, but more than 25% of U.S. households have either no bank account or rely on non-bank products and services to handle their finances. In an attempt to reach those potential customers, Amazon has launched “Amazon Cash.” [More]
UPS Rolling Out Saturday Ground Deliveries Nationwide
By 4.3.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Nine months after announcing it would test Saturday package delivery to keep up with online shoppers’ demands, UPS says it’s given birth to a nationwide plan for weekend deliveries for ground shipments. [More]
Number Of Big Retail Bankruptcies In 2017 Already Equal To All Of Last Year
By 3.31.17 — Updated: 4.1.17
We’re only three months into the year and already the retail battlefield is littered with the corpses of nine brands that have filed for bankruptcy — the same number that filed in all of 2016. [More]
Amazon Vs. Walmart Battle Means Lower Prices For You; Headaches For Manufacturers
By 3.31.17
Amazon can now deliver many things in one or two days, so Walmart has to have lower prices for the many customers who can wait. Similarly, Amazon has to undercut Walmart’s grocery prices if it’s going to stake out any significant portion of that $800 billion market. For shoppers at either of these two retail giants, this can mean lower prices, but it’s also forcing manufacturers and suppliers to rethink how they do business. [More]
This 18-Year-Old Would Not Sell Urban Outfitters 10,000 Of His Hats
By 3.30.17
Imagine you’re selling your own line of clothing, and a major retailer asks to buy a few thousand of your designs and sell them in stores. You might be tempted to sign on the dotted line for your shot at the big time with the help of an established chain, but for the social media savvy among us, that’s just not a priority. [More]
H&M Has Too Much Stuff, Needs To Get Rid Of It At Discount
By 3.30.17
As we’ve been reporting for some time now, it’s hard out there for retailers trying to compete for customers. H&M has had a particularly tough time competing in “fast fashion,” what with its late entry into e-commerce and stiff competition from brands like Zara. But what’s bad for H&M could be good for shoppers looking for hefty discounts. [More]
Target Recalls 19K Tic-Tac-Toe Boards Over Magnet Choking Hazard
By 3.29.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
There’s just something about shiny little things that makes children – and some adults – put the objects in their mouths. But that’s dangerous and even more hazardous when the object happens to be a magnet. To that end: Target is recalling thousands of magnetic tic-tac-toe boards. [More]
Amazon Will Shut Down Diapers.com And Wag.com Parent Quidsi
By 3.29.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
Seven years ago, Amazon acquired Quidsi, what was then a five-year-old competitor that ran the sites Diapers.com and Soap.com. Since then, the company has been running independently and expanded its offerings. Now Amazon is shuttering Quidsi’s brands, saying that it’s been unable to make a profit since the acquisition. [More]
New Focus On Small Businesses At Staples Means Co-Working Spaces, K-Cups
By 3.29.17
What is Staples? The company’s leaders probably wouldn’t be pleased to hear you say, “The place where I go for printer cartridges when I can’t wait for an online order,” but plans to change consumer perceptions by offering things small and medium businesses need, from office space to coffee pods. [More]
Target Employees Prevent Couple From Losing $4K To Grandparent Scam
By 3.29.17
Every once in a while, a good samaritan — and an informed retail employee — stops customers from becoming victims of a costly scam. Such was the case for a pair of Target employees being lauded for recently helping to prevent a Virginia couple from losing thousands of dollars to the so-called “Grandparents scam.” [More]
Lawsuit Claims LuLaRoe Misrepresents Quality Of Leggings
By 3.28.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
It’s not just sales consultants who are unhappy with multi-level marketing clothing business LuLaRoe: A pair of customers have filed a class-action lawsuit claiming LuLaRoe knowingly sold defective leggings that can tear after their first use. [More]
Denver Broncos Hope To Not Play Another Season At Stadium Sponsored By Retailer That Doesn’t Exist
By 3.28.17
The Denver Broncos played all of the 2016 NFL season at Sports Authority Field, a stadium named for a retailer that went bankrupt a little more than a year ago. The 2017 season is still many months away, but the Sports Authority name still looms over the Broncos’ home turf. [More]
Samsung Store Catches Fire, Cause Unknown
By 3.28.17
As if Samsung hasn’t had enough problems involving explosions or fires when it comes to its devices: A fire began in the backroom of one of the company’s retail stores in Singapore early today. [More]
AmazonFresh Pickup Will Deliver Groceries To Your Car
By 3.28.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
After reports last year that Amazon had its sights set on expanding its grocery business to curbside delivery, the company has officially announced it’s testing a new service called AmazonFresh Pickup. [More]
Woman Dressed As Target Employee, Stole $40K In iPhones
By 3.28.17
A Target store in Virginia is missing more than $40,000 worth of iPhones after police say a woman masquerading as an employee simply walked out of the store with the devices. [More]
