Last summer, Ruby Tuesday revealed plans to close nearly 100 underperforming stores as part of the chain’s “Fresh Start Initiative” that aimed to turn around slumping sales. Those efforts apparently haven’t been as successful as the restaurant brand would have liked, and now it’s looking to sell itself instead. [More]
sales
Oculus Closing 200 Best Buy Demo Stations Over Slower Traffic
By 2.9.17
Facebook’s Oculus had been hoping to win wary customers over to the idea of virtual reality by setting up hundreds of pop-up demo stations inside Best Buy stores around the country. Turns out, folks may not be all that interested, so Oculus is shutting down about 40% of these in-store test drive locations. [More]
H&M Slows Down Store Openings, Shifting Focus To Online
By 1.31.17
For years, so-called fast fashion purveyor H&M (which stands for Hennes & Mauritz) has quickly opened store after store around the world to compete with rivals like Zara and others. Now, however, the company says it will slow down its pace of new store openings in order to concentrate on current stores and online sales. [More]
Chipotle’s Sales Suffer In Latest Quarter…. Because Of Avocados?
By 1.10.17
Chipotle’s sales fell in the last quarter of 2016, and the company is no longer blaming the less-than-stellar performance on its inability to bring back customers after its very public bout of food borne illness issues. Instead, the falter is the result of spending too much money on ads, promotions, and avocados. [More]
How Do Some Retailers Succeed While Ignoring The Internet?
By 12.21.16
Shopping online: it’s convenient for customers and brings in big bucks for retailers. But not everyone is jumping at the chance to sell their goods on the internet. HomeGoods and Marshall’s don’t have websites filled with products and TJMaxx has a sparsely filled online platform, and they appear to be doing just fine, thank you very much. [More]
American Apparel To Liquidate Nine Stores Ahead Of January Auction
By 12.20.16
Two weeks after American Apparel confirmed it could lay off 3,500 workers as part of its second bankruptcy go-around in two years, the company received approval to liquidate nine stores by the end of the month. [More]
Former JCPenney CEO: Sales Have Become A Cancer
By 11.29.16
Just days after JCPenney handed out a very limited number of $500 coupons to lure shoppers to stores on Thanksgiving, the retailer’s former CEO made it clear that he believes that similar promotions and sales could ultimately harm department stores. [More]
Office Depot Allegedly Diagnosing Computers With Nonexistent Viruses To Meet Sales Goals
By 11.16.16
Retailers upselling customers on services they don’t need is nothing new, but a new report claims that some Office Depot employees are falsely claiming computers are infected with viruses in order to meet sales goals. [More]
JCPenney Handing Out $500 Coupons To Lure Shoppers On Thanksgiving
By 11.11.16
Even though JCPenney is starting its Black Friday sales online next Wednesday, the retailer is still hoping it can convince some folks that they’d rather be shopping in physical stores on Thanksgiving than spending time with loved ones/taking turkey-induced naps by offering up coupons worth $500 off to the first people to come through the doors. [More]
Report: Takata Could File Bankruptcy Of U.S. Assets, But It Won’t Happen Soon
By 11.4.16
Weeks after Japanese parts maker Takata reportedly began mulling the idea of restructuring through a sale that could include a bankruptcy filing amid the prospect of being saddled with billions of dollars in costs the company faces linked to its massive shrapnel-shooting airbag debacle, we’re learning more about what exactly the bankruptcy prospect means. [More]
JCPenney Isn’t Exactly Hiring Greeters, But Everyone Gets On The Sales Floor
By 10.10.16 — Updated: 10.11.16
If you’re shopping at JCPenney at midday and notice that there are more employees than usual swarming the sales floor and being friendly, don’t worry: the store has probably not been taken over by pod people. Instead, it’s a new initiative that the chain is trying, called “Power Hours,” which is neither a lunch promotion nor a church service. [More]
One Sickened Chipotle Customer Will Get Her Damages In The Form Of Free Burritos
By 9.13.16
Apparently it can be hard to quit Chipotle. Despite reports that 25% of former customers have yet to return — or visit less frequently — to the fast casual restaurant after its very public food-borne illness issues, one woman who was actually sickened after eating at the chain hasn’t completely shunned the burritos. In fact, she asked for — and received — free food as part of her recent settlement with the company. [More]
J. Crew & Nordstrom Enter Into Symbiotic Clothes-Selling Relationship
By 8.29.16 — Updated: 11.4.16
When you’re a clothing line that also has a retail store, you tend to keep your apparel to your own stores. But when you’re a clothing line that could use some new blood, you might make a deal with a retailer that is also in need of an image boost. [More]
Want To Sell Big Name-Brand Products Through Amazon? There’s A Fee For That
By 8.29.16
It’s no secret that online marketplaces like Amazon have a problem with third-party sellers offering counterfeit copies of name-brand products. The company’s latest effort to cut off the stream of fakes involves charging a fee to sellers who want to include certain big-name brands in their stores. [More]
Why Are Home Depot & TJ Maxx Bringing In Customers Other Retailers Can’t?
By 8.17.16
With retailers like Macy’s, Kmart, Sears, and others closing dozens of stores year after year in a bid to boost their bottom line in the face of sluggish sales, you might think the retail world as a whole is struggling. While a number of big names have indeed seen better day, a few companies are bucking that trend. [More]
Ruby Tuesday Closing 95 Underperforming Restaurants
By 8.12.16
Diners across the country will have one fewer salad bar to peruse with their lunch or dinner, as Ruby Tuesday announced it will close nearly 100 restaurants by the end of the year. [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]
Consignment Deals Don’t Work So Well When Retailers Go Bankrupt
By 7.28.16
It’s time for retailers to start placing their orders for the items that will be on shelves during this holiday season, but one thing may be different from last year: they may be ordering less merchandise on consignment after millions of dollars’ worth of merchandise was stuck in legal limbo during the bankruptcy of big-box sporting goods retailer Sports Authority. [More]
