While many Americans know the Whole Foods brand, there are only about 450 locations nationwide, a fraction of the number of stores held by national retailers like Walmart, Kroger, or Target. Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods is expected to help grow the supermarket chain’s footprint — which would help Amazon’s food delivery business — but some competitors have realized they can use the fine print in their real estate contracts to undercut Amazon’s Whole Foods hopes. [More]
retail
How Malls & Big Box Stores Are Using Real Estate Contracts To Stall Amazon’s Whole Foods Expansion
By 10.24.17
Walmart Looking Into Incident After Video Shows Brawl Between Walmart Worker, Customer
By 10.24.17
Sometimes shopping can be frustrating, but that’s no reason to let an in-store experience come to blows. That’s why Walmart is promising to look into what led to a physical altercation between a customer and a store employee in Tennessee. [More]
Amazon Wine Marketplace Closing Dec. 31
By 10.24.17
If you buy wine through the Amazon Wine marketplace, you might want to stock up: The e-commerce giant will close its online wine store Dec. 31. [More]
Sears Stops Selling Whirlpool Appliances, Ending 100-Year Relationship
By 10.24.17
Sears, once the place to purchase home appliances, will soon have a smaller inventory to offer the few customers it has left: After a nearly century-long relationship, Sears and Whirlpool have cut ties. [More]
Target’s Holiday Plan: Fewer Sales, More Focus On Everyday Low Prices
By 10.23.17
From “doorbusters” to “advance deals” to hourly specials all through Black Friday weekend (not to mention Cyber Monday), the holiday shopping season is a continuous barrage of retail promotions varying in quality and value. In an attempt to rein things in, Target says it plans to offer fewer sales this holiday and hope that customers will be won over by everyday lower prices. [More]
Hasbro Foresees Bad Holiday Season With Bankruptcy Of Toys ‘R’ Us
By 10.23.17
The holiday season is so crucial for Toys ‘R’ Us that the toy mega-chain made sure to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy well before the shopping season kicks off, yet promised not to close any stores before the end of that crucial season. However, in its quarterly earnings report, Hasbro, the country’s second-largest toymaker, says that the retailer’s bankruptcy will affect its own earnings for the rest of this year. [More]
For Some Reason, No One Wants Entry-Level Retail Jobs
By 10.20.17
With more commerce shifting online every year and a “retail apocalypse” at hand shuttering stores and malls, you’d think that there would be plenty of folks clamoring for the few retail jobs that remain. But even the stores that are actually looking to hire employees seem to be having trouble finding them, it turns out. [More]
Target’s Plan To Combat Online Rivals: Open, Remodel More Actual Stores
By 10.19.17
While Walmart increasingly turns its focus online to bring in customers, Target is doing the opposite, doubling down on efforts to get customers inside its physical stores. To that end, the company will open dozens of new stores and remodel another 1,000 in coming years. [More]
Would You Buy Luxury Clothes From Walmart?
By 10.19.17
On the surface, Walmart and luxury department store Lord & Taylor don’t have a lot in common outside of selling clothing. But that could soon be changing. [More]
Kohl’s Launches Amazon Mini-Stores, Return Counters
By 10.18.17
Amazon wants a bigger retail presence in physical stores and for its customers to have an easier time returning things, and Kohl’s wants to shrink its physical stores and rent out some extra space. That sounds like a match, which is probably why Kohl’s and Amazon have teamed up to open their first 10 “Amazon Experience” mini-stores and return counters in Kohl’s stores in Los Angeles and Chicago this week. [More]
Why Did This Store Falsely Claim There Was A $10 Fee For Apple Pay Or Samsung Pay?
By 10.17.17
In spite of what this sign at an Indiana retailer said, there is no $10 surcharge for using mobile payment apps like Apple Pay or Samsung Pay to make a purchase. But the fact that someone at this store believed this to be the case is a good example of how myths and misinformation can affect consumers. [More]
Amazon Reportedly Working With Vendors To Create Its Own Sportswear Line
By 10.16.17
Following a report earlier this year that Amazon was perhaps working on launching its own line of workout apparel, it sounds like Amazon is making more moves toward peddling sportswear: A new report says the company is talking to vendors and suppliers that make workout gear for some of the most popular brands. [More]
Coach Changes Name To ‘Tapestry’ Now That It Owns Other Brands
By 10.11.17
Months after Coach went on a shopping spree, picking up rival Kate Spade for $2.4 billion, the company has changed its name to Tapestry. [More]
Target Says It’s Not Trying Compete With Amazon, Just Trying To Be “Best Target”
By 10.10.17
They say that before you can be in a truly happy relationship you have to be happy with yourself. This apparently applies to retail, too: Target executives say the company isn’t trying to compete with Amazon to get customers in the door, instead the retailer is just tying to be the best version of itself for customers. [More]
Walmart App Will Let You Return Online Items In Stores
By 10.10.17
For years, Walmart has been offering ways for customers to shop online and pick up in stores. But Walmart’s new idea to attract online shoppers flips things on their ear by using its retail stores as the places where you return unwanted online purchases. [More]
Dunkin’ Donuts Removing A Third Of Its Donuts From Menus At 1,000 Stores
By 10.4.17
Dunkin’ Donuts recently dropped the “Donuts” from one of its California stores, and now it’s dropping a lot of donuts from its menus at stores around the country. [More]
Target Now Offering Curbside Pickup At Some Stores — Yes, Again
By 10.3.17
Three months after Target once again began testing curbside pickup with employees in the Minneapolis area, the perpetually-playing catchup retailer has expanded the program to actual customers. [More]
Walmart Accidentally Posts Google’s New Mini Speaker, Takes Down Listing
By 10.3.17
Any hope that Google might have had for keeping the design of its newest web-connected speaker a secret was blown out of the water today by the good folks at Walmart who inadvertently posted the device on Walmart.com for all the world to see, a day in advance of Google’s press event. [More]
