After the last CEO of Ralph Lauren (the clothing company) butted heads with Ralph Lauren (the man) and made a quick exit in February, the company has announced it’s taking a slightly different tack by hiring a new top executive without prior experience in the apparel business. [More]
retailers
Ralph Lauren Gambles On New CEO With Background In Beauty (And Laundry) Products
By 5.17.17 — Updated: 5.25.17
Target Quietly Raised Minimum Free Shipping Threshold From $25 to $35
By 5.9.17
While Amazon just recently dropped its free shipping minimum from $35 to $25, Target has made the baffling decision to go in the opposite direction, raising its minimum required purchase for free shipping to $35. [More]
Don’t Jump Into The Giant Fish Tank At Bass Pro Shops Just Because You Can
By 5.1.17
Much like fountains, aquariums, zoos and other places where the public can come into contact with lots of water, the fish tank at your local sporting goods shop is not intended to be your personal swimming hole, even if it’s large enough for you to jump into. [More]
‘Financial CHOICE Act 2.0’ Blasted By Retailers & Lawmakers
By 4.26.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
The retail industry has already politely asked Congress to please not roll back financial reforms involving debit card transactions, but as lawmakers on Capitol Hill inch closer to undoing these protections, retailers are once again voicing their concerns that undoing the 2010 law will lead to higher prices and hurt small businesses. [More]
You Might Be Shopping At An H&M Store And Not Even Know It
By 4.12.17
Just like you might not know that your ranch dressing, lip balm, and drain cleaner are all owned by the same company, you could soon be buying clothes from multiple stores, all owned by fast fashion mega-retailer H&M. [More]
Ralph Lauren Closing Flagship Polo Store, Cutting Jobs To Save Money
By 4.4.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
In Ralph Lauren’s latest effort to save some cash amid slumping sales and better compete with fast fashion, the company says it will be closing some stores — including its flagship Polo location in New York City — cutting jobs, and restructuring its e-commerce operations. [More]
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]
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]
Report: RadioShack In The Process Of Closing Around 200 Stores
By 3.7.17
As rumors continue to swirl that RadioShack’s parent company is preparing to file for bankruptcy, a new report backs that up, and says that the chain is in the process of closing around 200 stores. From the response we’ve gotten from readers asking about the status of their local stores, we aren’t surprised. [More]
Company Born From RadioShack’s Ashes May File For Bankruptcy
By 3.3.17 — Updated: 3.4.17
After RadioShack filed for bankruptcy in 2015, a new company — formed by a partnership between Sprint and the Shack’s new owners at Standard General — rose out of the ashes. Now comes news that this company, General Wireless, may also be facing bankruptcy. [More]
Wegmans Changes Price-Comparison Signs After Costco Complaint
By 2.27.17
Price-comparison ads at Wegmans will soon be getting a bit of a makeover following an ad watchdog’s suggestion that the grocer modify in-store displays in response to a Costco complaint that the low-cost price comparisons were misleading and false. [More]
The New American Apparel Brand Will Include Clothing Not Actually Made In America
By 2.24.17
Like a phoenix made of bodysuits and brightly colored leg warmers*, American Apparel will rise from the ashes of its second bankruptcy, reformed as a brand with new Canadian owners who say they will make some American Apparel outside of America. [More]
L’Oreal Looking To Sell Off The Body Shop
By 2.9.17
Another day, another company looking to pull out of a retail entanglement: This time it’s L’Oreal, which has confirmed reports that it’s looking into selling off The Body Shop chain of stores. In other news, today we learned that L’Oreal owns The Body Shop. [More]
Report: TJ Maxx Telling Stores Not To Highlight Ivanka Trump Products, Throw Out Signs
By 2.8.17
Days after Nordstrom announced it would no longer sell Ivanka Trump merchandise at its stores amid slow sales, another big-name retailer is reportedly backing away from brand. [More]
Target Refusing To Pay For Damage After Its Two-Ton Red Ball Rolls Into Driver’s Car
By 2.3.17
It’s not often that a shopping center turns into something out of an Indiana Jones movie, but that’s the first thing we thought of when we heard that a two-ton cement ball had been knocked loose from its berth in front of a Target store in New Jersey and rolled into traffic. And now, Target doesn’t want to pay for the damage it caused. [More]
