Days after Target terminated its relationship with one of the world’s biggest textile manufacturers after finding the company supplied the retailer with nearly a million sheet sets labeled as “Egyptian Cotton” that were actually made from non-Egyptian cotton, Walmart says it’s reviewing Welspun India’s records and cotton certifications. [More]
retail
What Should Walmart Do Now That It’s Landed Jet.com?
By 8.23.16
It’s no secret why Walmart bought Jet.com for $3 billion: the company’s e-commerce know-howo and experienced could be the key to the brick-and-mortar retailer’s plans of catching up with Amazon, finally, after all these years. But now that the honeymoon is over, it’s time to look at how, exactly, this marriage will work. [More]
Half-Finished Hollywood Target Stuck In Legal Limbo For Years
By 8.22.16
For nearly two years, the corner of Sunset Blvd. and Western Ave. in Hollywood has been home to the shell of a partially finished, three-story Target store. Thanks to an ongoing legal back-and-forth between the city, neighborhood groups, and the retailer, it could be another three years before construction resumes.
[More]
Foot Locker CEO Claims Malls Are “Far From Dead”
By 8.19.16
Maybe it’s just because Foot Locker had sales growth to report because people are snapping up higher priced- basketball and running shoes, but the company’s CEO seems to be in a very positive mood about the state of malls in the U.S., which is surprising at a time when other mall-based retailers are struggling. [More]
Gap Can’t Seem To Stop Being Normal, And That’s Its Big Problem
By 8.19.16
A few years ago, Gap realized that telling its customers to “Dress Normal” wasn’t such a great idea: customers were turned off, and sales plummeted. That air of normalcy is still plaguing the company. [More]
Report: There Are 1.2M Fewer Retail Workers Than There Would Be Without The Internet
By 8.18.16
What would the retail landscape look like if we didn’t have the Internet and online shopping? No one can say, for sure (unless you know someone who can travel to parallel universes*), but one analyst says there’d be about 1.2 million more people with jobs in retail. [More]
Monkey Gets Loose In Walmart Parking Lot, Throws Down With Employee
By 8.16.16
What happens when a monkey gets loose in a Walmart parking lot and jumps a store employee? Someone catches the whole thing on video, that’s what happens, and the Internet goes crazy. [More]
Department Stores Remember That You Can’t Get Spa Treatments Or Lunch On Amazon
By 8.15.16
You can now order just about anything online, but there are some things that can’t be delivered in a box on your doorstep. If department stores and their business model are going to survive, experts say, they need to change their offerings and sell more products that can’t be purchased online. [More]
Retailers Trying To Lure College Customers Now So They’ll Become Lifelong Shoppers
By 8.12.16
Often when a shopper is loyal to a brand, product, or company, it’s simply because they have a long history with it. That’s why retailers are trying to hook college-age students now — even before full-time jobs bring them a disposable income — in the hopes that they’ll become lifelong shoppers. [More]
Macy’s Closing 100 Stores In “Re-Creating” Its Portfolio, Attempt To Find Profits
By 8.11.16
Seven months after Macy’s announced it would close 40 stores this past spring, the department store has outlined a plan to “re-create” its portfolio by shuttering 100 additional stores. [More]
Michael Kors Pulling Back On Department Store Presence In Effort To Polish Brand’s Image
By 8.10.16
Yet another designer brand has decided to pull back on its department store presence in an attempt to polish up its image in the eyes of consumers and boost flagging sales. Michael Kors announced it will no longer accept coupons for its merchandise sold in department stores, and will be pulling back from that category in general come next year. [More]
Coach Will Close 250 Of Its North American Department Store Locations
By 8.9.16
Much like its fellow luxury retail brands, Coach has been trying to turn around its struggling business in recent years. Today, the company said its efforts have actually paid off, and that sales are picking up. But despite that, Coach says it’s time to cut loose about 25% of its department store locations in North America, so it can continue to climb its way back up the retail ladder. [More]
South African Retail Giant Steinhoff Buying Sleepy’s Owner Mattress Firm For $3.8B
By 8.8.16
Two big names are going to bed with each other, though one of them you may not be as familiar with: South African retailer Steinhoff — known as “Africa’s Ikea” — is buying America’s largest specialty bedding retailer Mattress Firm, for $3.8 billion. [More]
Walmart Officially Acquiring Jet.com For $3 Billion
By 8.8.16
It looks like last week’s rumor mill was right on the money: this morning, Walmart has officially announced its plan to buy Jet.com. [More]
Walmart Customers Report Barrage Of Password Reset Requests
By 8.5.16
Getting an email from a retailer telling you to reset your password because you may have been the victim of a data breach is alarming enough. Imagine you’re one of the Walmart.com shoppers who say they have received dozens of emails directing them to reset their login credentials.
[More]
Target To Sell Amazon Devices Again
By 8.4.16
Once upon a time, you could go into a Target store and purchase an Amazon Kindle or a Fire tablet. Then a spat between the two companies led to Amazon products vanishing from Target shelves and its website. Looks like the two have kissed and made up, with Amazon items making their return after four years away. [More]
Fewer Foreign Tourists Means Kate Spade’s Sales Are Struggling
By 8.3.16
Much like fellow tourist destination Abercrombie & Fitch, Kate Spade is having a bit of a tough time right now, partly because there aren’t as many foreigners visiting the U.S. who are willing to shell out big bucks on shopping trips. [More]
