Just a year after it launched, Amazon challenger and fellow e-commerce site Jet.com could soon become the property of one of the largest bricks-and-mortar retailers in the world: Walmart. [More]
retail
Neiman Marcus CEO Denies Reports She’s Stepping Down
By 8.3.16
There have been several rumors circulating in the retail world recently when it comes to Neiman Marcus: the company is looking for a buyer, or that Karen Katz, the retailer’s top executive, is headed for the exit. However, Katz has publicly declared that, contrary to the whispers, she’s not going anywhere. [More]
Best Buy Closing 160 Samsung Mini-Stores, Expanding 250 Others
By 8.3.16
In recent years, Best Buy has taken to carving up some of its stores’ square footage and turning those areas into stores-within-a-store, including a slew of Samsung Experience Shops. Three years into the project, it seems the retailer is changing a few things up. [More]
Walgreens Closing Beauty.com, Drugstore.com
By 7.29.16
With easy-to-remember names like drugstore.com and beauty.com, one might expect these Walgreens-owned websites to be doing gangbusters business. Yet the retailer says it will shutter both sites by the end of September. [More]
Nordstrom Now Facing Same Sales Slump, Challenges As Other Mall Retailers
By 7.25.16
Over the past year, a number of onetime mall behemoths — Macy’s, Sears, and other retailers — have suffered slipping sales that have led to store closures. While these mid-range department stores have working for years to increase sales and meet customer demand, many high-end retailers – like Nordstrom — have avoided that fate, at least until now. [More]
After Failing To Find A Buyer, Texas-Based Retailer Hastings Closing All Stores
By 7.22.16
A month after filing for bankruptcy and outlining a plan to find a buyer for its 123 stores, Hastings Entertainment announced it will instead close all of its stores and liquidate its assets. [More]
Macy’s New App Answers Questions You Used To Ask Store Employees
By 7.20.16
Have you ever walked into a department store, immediately became lost, and, for some unknown reason, you can’t find a sells associate to direct you to the shoe department? These is the kind of information that, traditionally, could be obtained by speaking to a store employee. But why should you speak to an actual human when you can just spend more time staring at your smartphone? [More]
IKEA Shoppers Trapped For Hours While Competing For Single Parking Garage Exit
By 7.18.16
What happens when you pack a bunch of people into a space and then only leave them with one way to exit? You get a big ol’ logjam, the kind that trapped many shoppers at a new IKEA location in the UK for hours while they waited to use the parking garage’s one and only exit. [More]
Walmart Responds To Amazon Prime Day By Offering Free Shipping For All Orders
By 7.11.16
On the eve of Amazon’s second annual Prime Day sale, Walmart is once again trying to play spoiler. The nation’s largest retailer announced this morning that it is dropping shipping fees for all online orders this week.
[More]
NYC Businesses Now Facing Fines For Air Conditioning The City’s Sidewalks
By 7.8.16
Lovely though it might feel to walk through a sudden gush of Arctic air on an otherwise hot, steamy New York City day, businesses that keep their doors open with the air conditioning on can now expect to pay a fine if they’re caught blasting cool air onto the sidewalks. [More]
5 Things You Should Know About Amazon’s Issues With Counterfeits
By 7.8.16
When you see a brand-name handbag or laptop being sold on Amazon for well below its retail price, it’s hard to not hit the “Buy” button. But is it a good deal or just a counterfeit in brand-name clothing? [More]
Target Closes Several In-Store Portrait Studios
By 7.7.16
Years ago, when you wanted to have a family portrait taken you’d hop in the car with the family and head to your local department store — Sears, JCPenney, and others. While some of these studios have closed their doors over the years, Target stepped in to fill the void. Until now: the big box retailer announced this week that it would close a handful of its in-store portrait studios in favor of other initiatives. [More]
Is Amazon Removing List Prices From Product Pages?
By 7.6.16
It’s a time-honored tradition in retail to show shoppers just how much a deal they are getting by showing the “list” price next to the price the customer will actually pay. It’s a practice that online sellers, who can often offer deeper discounts than bricks-and-mortar stores, frequently use, but it looks like Amazon is quietly shifting toward showing shoppers only one price.
[More]
Nearly 501,000 Hoverboards Recalled Over Safety, Fire Hazards
By 7.6.16
Nearly five months ago, major retailer pulled “hoverboard” scooters from shelves after the Consumer Product Safety Commission said the not-actually-hovering devices were unsafe unless they met certain standards. Now the federal safety agency is announcing an official recall of around 501,000 hoverboards. [More]
Adidas, Kanye West Planning To Open Stores Dedicated To Yeezy Products
By 6.29.16
Rumors that musician/shoe designer/famous person Kanye West would release his next line of Yeezy footwear without partner Adidas have proved to be wrong, and then some: West and Adidas have instead announced an expanded partnership, including retail locations that will be dedicated solely to the Yeezy product line. [More]
Shipping Company Ditches Forever 21 Because Business Is Too Slow To Be Profitable
By 6.28.16
In a sign of the sad state of retail these days, a company that delivered clothing to Forever 21’s stores is canceling its contract with the chain, saying business has slowed down to the point where it just isn’t profitable anymore. [More]
Best Buy Pilot Program Sends Non-Geek Squad Techs To Your House
By 6.27.16
Tell us if this sounds familiar: Best Buy has a program that will send tech-savvy staffers to your house to troubleshoot issues with your electronics (while also trying to upsell you on new products). It’s a service model the retailer has been pushing for more than a decade through its Geek Squad and Magnolia brands, but it’s getting yet another makeover in a new pilot program.
[More]
Starbucks Releasing Bottled Cold Brew In July
By 6.23.16
Starbucks already offers a variety of bottled beverages for sale at grocery and convenience stores around the country. But if you’re looking for something a little less sweet than a White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino, you don’t have a ton of options, until now. The coffee giant will begin selling bottles of its unsweetened cold brew at stores starting next month. [More]
