How desperate are department stores to get shoppers in the door and spending money? Chains including Lord & Taylor, Macy’s, and Bloomingdales are taking the unusual step of actually discounting their cosmetics, trying to get back prestige cosmetics sales that have drifted to cosmetics-only stores like Sephora and Ulta. [More]
department stores
Denim Retailer True Religion Files For Bankruptcy
By 7.5.17
Before recent “crimes against jeans” in which companies are charged hundreds of dollars for “window” jeans, clear jeans, and painted on mud jeans, people would spend the same amount of money on a relatively simple, if not bedazzled, pair of high-end jeans. But with changing fashion and tastes, these denim-focused retailers of yesteryear aren’t faring so well. Case in point: One-time denim darling True Religion has filed for bankruptcy. [More]
Never Mind: Neiman Marcus Isn’t For Sale Anymore
By 6.13.17
Upscale department store Neiman Marcus has been the subject of takeover talks for at least a year, with recent rumors claiming that the company could soon fall under the same corporate umbrella as Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord & Taylor, and Gilt. Alas, Neiman Marcus has decided to remain single for now. [More]
Department Store Closures Are Just Getting Started, Says Real Estate Expert
By 5.17.17
Anchor store mainstays like Sears, Macy’s, and JCPenney have already been closing stores to cut costs and adapt to shoppers’ changing needs, but one prominent real estate analyst says this culling of department stores is far from over, and that even the most popular malls will likely end up with just one or two traditional anchor retailers. [More]
Bloomingdale’s Clerks Want Commissions On Showrooming, In-Store Pickup Sales
By 4.19.17
When a store employee helps you, and you go on to make your purchase from the same retailer’s website, should that employee receive a commission? The union representing clerks at the flagship Bloomingdale’s store in New York City says that they should, even if it isn’t clear on exactly how that would happen. [More]
Bad News For Neiman Marcus: Rich People Are Bargain-Hunting Online, Using Purses For Multiple Years
By 4.17.17
Why is the high-end department store Neiman Marcus reportedly restructuring its debt and maybe even seeking a buyer? It turns out that catering to very rich people isn’t a guaranteed way to keep money coming in, since even rich people are turning to online bargain-hunting. [More]
Retail Continues To Suffer As Sales Decline For Second Month In A Row
By 4.14.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
For the first time in nearly two years, retail sales declined two months in a row, highlighting once again the current challenges facing a retail industry that has suffered a number of bankruptcies and store closures so far in 2017. [More]
Report: Hudson’s Bay In Talks To Buy Neiman Marcus
By 3.14.17
A month after Saks Fifth Avenue and Gilt parent company Hudson’s Bay was reported to be sniffing around Macy’s, the high-end retail giant is now apparently moving on to more luxurious pastures, with news that it is considering a purchase of newly available Neiman Marcus. [More]
JCPenney To Bring Appliances To 100 More Stores, Add Brands
By 2.28.17
While JCPenney recently announced plans to close more than 130 stores and offer early retirement to employees to cut its staff, the department store chain also has some good news. It is expanding appliance showrooms to an additional 100 stores for a total of 600, and adding more brands to its offerings. [More]
Kohl’s & Macy’s Looking For Roommates To Help Pay The Rent
By 2.24.17
The department store business model isn’t quite working in our current retail environment, so two of the country’s larger chains are thinking about taking on some roommates to help pay the bills. Both Kohl’s and Macy’s plan to do business in a smaller part of their existing stores if someone will rent them. [More]
Macy’s Will Add 34 More Stores To The Garbage Heap “Over The Next Few Years”
By 2.21.17
Just last month, Macy’s announced that it would be shutting down 68 stores across the country. Today, the retailer clarified its previously disclosed plans to eventually close a total of around 100 locations by confirming that 34 Macy’s stores will be tossed on the garbage pile “over the next few years.” [More]
JCPenney And Macy’s Settle Long-Running Lawsuit Over Martha Stewart Housewares
By 2.3.17
Does it feel like 2012 was very long ago? That’s when JCPenney and Macy’s began their dispute over who has the right to sell Martha Stewart’s branded housewares in their stores. The two chains have finally decided to settle the case, though the terms weren’t disclosed. [More]
Macy’s Sell Frango Chocolate Brand To Garrett Popcorn Owner
By 1.30.17 — Updated: 1.31.17
More than a decade after Macy’s inherited much-adored chocolate brand Frango from Marshall Field & Co., the struggling department store is selling the label to the owner of Garrett Popcorn. [More]
From Cash Registers To Escalators To Shopping Carts: 11 Important Firsts In Bricks-And-Mortar Retail History
By 12.13.16
These days you can shop from the comfort your couch in your soft pants, ordering up a flat of cat food, paper towels, and a smartphone with one click. So it’s easy to forget that once upon a time shopping at retail stores wasn’t a necessary evil, but an “experience” that many of us actually enjoyed. [More]
Macy’s Profits Drop, But At Least It Still Has Real Estate To Sell
By 11.10.16
As a venerable department store chain with stores in large and small cities, Macy’s has an important advantage when its sales slump: it has a lot of stores, land, and ground leases that it owns and can sell when it needs to raise some cash. The company’s rainy day has come, and it’s time to cash in that property. [More]
Kohl’s Will Start Selling Apple Watches, Market Them As Fitness Products
By 11.3.16
Just over a year ago, Apple expanded sales of its Watch to Best Buy and to Target, seeking new markets for its wrist computer. Now the company is expanding availability to department stores, so far reaching Macy’s and Kohl’s this fall. [More]
Luxury Retailers Offering Fewer Handbag Choices This Holiday Season Amid Lack Of Demand
By 10.31.16
Luxury labels are having a rough go of it lately, what with fewer tourists flocking to department stores and slowing traffic at standalone stores. So if you’re looking for a wide variety of handbag options this holiday season, you might be limited in your choices: the luxury retailers that usually peddle high-end handbags are trimming their lineups. [More]
