A few weeks after shaking things up with the abrupt exit of its creative director, more changes are afoot at J.Crew: The company announced today that it would be cutting about 250 jobs as it tries to cut costs amid struggling sales. [More]
shopping
Discount Retailer Stein Mart Selling Ivanka Trump Clothing Relabeled Under New Name
By 4.24.17
A number of higher-end retailers, including Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus, recently stopped selling Ivanka Trump’s clothing and apparel line, citing slow sales. Now some Ivanka items are showing up on the less-glamorous racks of discount retailer Stein Mart, but without the Ivanka name. [More]
What Killed The Malls Of The ’70s & ’80s? Newer, Better Malls, Not Amazon
By 4.18.17
Why are American malls dying? Conventional wisdom often points the finger of blame at Amazon and a desire for shopping from home in your pajamas, but a new analysis claims that the real culprit is competition from newer, better malls that aren’t feeling the same pain as their withering forefathers. [More]
Bad News For Neiman Marcus: Rich People Are Bargain-Hunting Online, Using Purses For Multiple Years
By 4.17.17
Why is the high-end department store Neiman Marcus reportedly restructuring its debt and maybe even seeking a buyer? It turns out that catering to very rich people isn’t a guaranteed way to keep money coming in, since even rich people are turning to online bargain-hunting. [More]
Walmart Looks To Improve Its Wardrobe With Possible Purchase Of Men’s Retailer Bonobos
By 4.17.17
You know that part of every “ugly duckling” movie where the protagonist goes through a head-to-toe makeover in a matter of minutes? That describes the last four months for Walmart, which has revamped its wardrobe with the purchases of ShoeBuy, ModCloth, and even MooseJaw. And it’s apparently not done with apparel, with a possible purchase of online men’s retailer Bonobos in the offing. [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]
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 Delays Opening Of Checkout-Less-Convenience Store
By 3.27.17
If you were hoping to stop by one of Amazon’s new new checkoutless, cashier-free convenience stores soon, you’ll have to put that plan on hold: A new report says the company isn’t quite ready to open Amazon Go to the public due to technical difficulties. [More]
Target Revamps Stores For Customers Looking For Convenience And To Stay Awhile
By 3.21.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Every year, retailers test concepts in their stores in order to meet consumers’ changing shopping habits: from using scan n’ go, no check out lines, or toying with the idea of no shopping carts. Target’s latest version of this revamp will focus on catering to customers who are in a rush and those who want to just get away for a bit. [More]
Costco Gives Shopper New Pants After Phone Catches Fire In Pocket
By 3.17.17
It must be terrifying and possibly humiliating to have your phone suddenly start smoking and catch fire in your pocket, causing you to ditch your pants in the middle of a store. At least one Costco shopper in Washington got a free pair of pants out of the ordeal. [More]
Gordmans Files For Bankruptcy, Will Liquidate
By 3.13.17 — Updated: 3.31.17
A week after reports suggested that midwest retailer Gordmans was preparing to file for bankruptcy, the off-price retailer has done so and revealed plans to liquidate assets. [More]
Amazon Launches Spanish-Language Version Of U.S. Site
By 3.10.17
Amazon is no stranger to selling in multiple languages, with sites in more than a dozen countries, but until now the U.S. version Amazon has never included an option to make it more accessible to Spanish-speaking users. [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]
Costco Raising Membership Fees Starting In June
By 3.3.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
As predicted earlier this year, it was about time for Costco to do it’s once-every-five-years-or-so price increase on membership fees, and we were right. The warehouse club has confirmed a 10% cost increase for most of its members. [More]
Abercrombie & Fitch Shuttering 60 U.S. Stores This Year, Probably More To Come
By 3.2.17
After closing 53 U.S. locations last year, Abercrombie & Fitch says another 60 domestic stores are heading for the garbage pile as the company continues to struggle to bring in customers. [More]
Sears’ Empty Sales Floors May Be Turning Customers Off
By 2.24.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
It should be pretty easy to tell a fully operational department store from one that it is closing down, but some Sears shoppers have found that their local store is not doing much to alleviate concerns about the company’s death spiral. [More]
HomeGoods Parent Company Opening New Home Goods Store That Won’t Be Called HomeGoods
By 2.22.17
TJX Companies — better known as the parent company of TJMaxx and Marshall’s — already has a well-known furnishings and decor store called HomeGoods, but the company apparently believes there’s room for a new, entirely separate set of stores that also sell stuff you might want for your home. [More]
Survey: People Don’t Really Want Fancy Technology To Help Them Shop
By 2.22.17
While retailers are falling all over themselves trying to incorporate the latest and greatest retail technology — anything from smart mirrors in fitting rooms to robots that answer questions you’d ask store employees — frankly, shoppers just don’t seem to give a damn. [More]
