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J.C. Penney has gone through some tough times, and that’s an understatement. People tend to forget that the company has done more revamping and restructuring than just the Ron Johnson era, however brief it may have been. It was a company that was struggling before Ron Johnson came, and while it has found a certain…

If the only person who soothed you during Monday’s stock market chaos was an extra-friendly Starbucks barista, thank Howard Schultz. In a flowery memo to the chain’s 190,000 employees (called “partners” in Starbucks lingo), the coffee giant’s billionaire chairman and chief executive told baristas to be especially sensitive to the customers asking them for a…

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) decided not to penalize Target Corp. for the 2013 cyberattack that led to the exposure of millions of customers’ data, the company said Tuesday. The agency was one of several governmental entities to investigate the retailer in the wake of the attack, one of the largest against a U.S. company. In…

U.S. antitrust officials examining Staples Inc.’s planned takeover of Office Depot Inc. are zeroing in on the sale of office supplies to large corporate customers, according to three people familiar with the matter. While consumers can pick up paper and pens anywhere, there are fewer suppliers that can serve companies that buy products in large quantities…

Montvale, N.J.-based Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P) received approval from the bankruptcy court Monday to sell prescription records and inventory from 12 supermarket pharmacies to the Rite Aid drugstore chain for approximately $8.1 million. The 12 supermarket pharmacies included in the sale are at 25 stores that A&P earmarked for immediate closings when it…

Amazon.com doesn't offer its employees a terribly good 401(k) retirement savings plan, according to an analysis of the plan by Bloomberg. Bloomberg even calls the plan "pretty brutal." That's a reference to a recent report in The New York Times that blasted Amazon's work environment, calling it "bruising." (Amazon's founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has refuted that story,…

Target Corp. has agreed to pay $2.8 million to thousands of rejected job candidates for upper-level positions because tests they were given disproportionately screened out applicants based on their race or gender. The payout was announced Monday by the Minneapolis Area Office of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and will be disbursed among more…

If you stopped wearing your K-Swiss sometime around 2002, apparently you’re not alone. Late last year, the nearly-forgotten footwear brand started a campaign to reintroduce itself to the 21st century. The comeback was complete with a Kik campaign, a campaign called “The Board” that crowdsourced creative, and a little help from producer/DJ Diplo. Digiday talked…

Charlotte, N.C.-based Belk Inc. has agreed to be purchased by New York-based private equity firm Sycamore Partners for $3 billion, including the company’s debt. The deal effectively ends local control of the 127-year-old company that began in downtown Monroe, N.C. and grew into the largest family-owned department store chain in the country. Belk said Monday…

Houston-based Stage Stores plans to close 90 stores, as it cut its earnings forecast and said "economic softness" is hurting sales. Stage Stores runs 850 department stores in 40 states under the Bealls, Goody’s, Palais Royal, Peebles and Stage names. The 90 stores set to close in coming years represent 4 percent of total sales.…