aggregatedcontent
You lipstick-hating, tech-savvy millennials are killing Macy's mojo. On Tuesday, Macy's CFO Karen Hoguet blamed Netflix, millennials and women who like to shop without wearing makeup on weaknesses in the luxury retail market. "We did some consumer research, and the customers said she likes going to the off-price retailers because she doesn't have to put lipstick on," Hoguet said at an industry conference. "I've walked through a lot of malls. I'm not sure." Macy's reported a 1.8 percent increase in revenue last quarter to $9.36 billion that fell short of analyst expectations.
If you're an avid shopper, there's a good chance you've asked yourself some variation of these questions lately: Wasn't that store offering a "40 percent off your purchase" promotion the last time I came to the mall? And maybe the time before that? Indeed, such promotions have become a mainstay at major e-commerce sites and brick-and-mortar stores since the economic downturn, when deep discounts seemed to be the only way to get anxious consumers to make a purchase. But now, as the economic recovery strengthens, some retailers are trying to put the brakes on their years-long promotional ride.
The remnants of RadioShack's retail empire went on the auction block on Monday, giving bidders the first chance to snap up the company's trademarks; patents; leases; and the names, email addresses and phone numbers of millions of RadioShack customers. For RadioShack itself, the stakes are enormous. Bloomberg News reported Tuesday morning that Standard General, a hedge fund that's one of RadioShack's creditors, has won the auction. Hanging in the balance on Thursday, when a federal bankruptcy court is expected to approve or reject the asset sale, is the continuation of the 94-year-old retailer's operations.
Weighed down by millions in debt and poor business ventures, the Boston streetwear company Karmaloop Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Monday. Meanwhile, rapper Kanye West and hip-hop entrepreneur Dame Dash expressed interest in buying a majority stake of the 15-year-0ld company, said Greg Selkoe, founder and chief executive of Karmaloop.
After last week's rumblings that Marc Jacobs would discontinue its freestanding secondary line, folding it into the overall brand, the designer himself has confirmed the plan to Women's Wear Daily. According to Jacobs, the decision to intermingle the two reflects the increasingly high-low scope of fashion today. "The intention now is no different than when Robert [Duffy] and I started Marc by Marc Jacobs or Marc-no-Jacobs," he said. (The latter was what the two jokingly called the label at the outset.)
New York Senator Charles Schumer wants federal regulators to look into allegations that Lumber Liquidators' Chinese-made laminate flooring is tainted with formaldehyde. Schumer made the announcement in front of a New York City Lumber Liquidators showroom on Sunday. "The federal government must step in to investigate whether this product is dangerous and if a recall or other disciplinary action must be taken," he said. Schumer asked the Consumer Product Safety Commission to initiate an investigation about formaldehyde in the company's laminate flooring, following a "60 Minutes" report that said high levels of the chemical were found in Chinese-made laminates.
lululemon athletica says #wemadetoomuch. And the maker of yoga and other apparel isn't talking about money. Clearance sales advertised on individual stores’ Facebook pages, complete with the hashtag, signal a potential worry for investors.
The bad news continues for J.C. Penney. At the end of February, its stock tanked following the announcement of disappointing profit numbers for 2014. Its chief marketing officer, Debra Berman, left abruptly in mid-March, followed, on March 20, by general counsel Janet Dhillon. Now Fortune has learned that a former employee, Robert Blatchford, has filed a claim against the company under Florida's Private Whistleblower Act. The case — which could lead to deposition testimony by former CEO Ron Johnson — brings back to life a dark period in J.C. Penney's history.
Bed Bath & Beyond has modified its return policy, effective April 20. The home goods chain, which operated 1,016 U.S. locations as of May 2014, announced earlier this week that it will deduct 20 percent from a returned item's value for customers who do not provide a receipt, or whose purchase could not be identified through the store's transaction records. Previously, Bed Bath & Beyond offered a full refund for store credit or an exchange even in the case that a customer didn't provide a receipt.
Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores, a retailer fighting for every sale, has evidently found a weapon in Google's Local Inventory Ads that it says works to drive consumers to its stores. The digital marketing product is still fairly new from the search giant, launched last year, and holds the promise of finally helping brick-and-mortar brands take advantage of the online world rather than always getting beaten by it. With that in mind, the Sears spinoff company has been running Google's shopping ads that target by location and reveal whether a product is actually in a location.