Marie Albiges

Marie Albiges

Marie Albiges is the managing editor for Women in Retail, Total Retail, and Women Leading Travel & Hospitality. She is responsible for content development, management and production for the group. Marie is a former journalist, a travel aficionado, a French native and fitness enthusiast who lives in Philadelphia with her partner, stepdaughter and dog. 

Reebok's US Operations Acquired by Galaxy Universal

Galaxy Universal, which owns a number of athletic apparel and footwear brands, has acquired Reebok's U.S. operations and its design group. Sparc Group, which has been the operating partner for Reebok in the U.S. since 2021, announced the news in a press release last week that also shared the details of its merger with JCPenney.…

True Religion Acquired by Private Equity Firm

Jeans brand True Religion has been acquired by private equity firm ACON Investments and retail investment firm SB360 Capital Partners, according to a press release sent by ACON Tuesday. The terms of the deal weren't disclosed. The investment fund SB360 Capital Partners is chaired by Jay Schottenstein, American Eagle's CEO. True Religion's CEO Michael Buckley…

Report: More Than a Quarter of Americans Plan to Buy Gifts on Chinese Marketplaces

Thirty-six percent of Americans planned to shop for gifts this holiday season on Chinese online marketplaces such as Temu and Shein, a new survey from e-commerce marketing platform Omnisend found. The survey, which asked 1,000 Americans about their holiday shopping plans, found that 82 percent of American shoppers are doing their holiday gift buying online…

Amazon Sued By D.C. Attorney General Over Prime Delivery Neighborhood Access

Washington D.C.'s attorney general sued Amazon.com on Wednesday, alleging the e-commerce giant excludes certain D.C-area neighborhoods from having access to Prime's fast delivery, according to the lawsuit. Attorney General Brian Schwalb said Amazon had "secretly" excluded two ZIP codes in Washington D.C. from having Prime delivery since 2022, according to a press release from his…

Amazon Launches Discount Store With Products Under $20

In an effort to stave off competition from discount retailers such as Shein and Temu, Amazon.com announced Wednesday it was rolling out a beta version of a $20-or-less discount store called Amazon Haul, just in time for the holidays. Advertised by Amazon as "Unbelievable finds, crazy low prices," Amazon Haul is only available on mobile…

Walgreens Cutting 256 Support Center Jobs

Walgreens is conducting its third round of layoffs in 2024, cutting 256 support center roles, multiple news outlets reported last week. Walgreens spokesman Fraser Engerman told Fierce Healthcare in a statement that the layoffs were part of the company's "turnaround efforts." Fox 32 Chicago reported the support center roles being cut were primarily in Chicago.…

Tractor Supply Company to Acquire Online Pet and Animal Pharmacy

Tractor Supply Company announced last week it would acquire the specialty online pet pharmacy Allivet, adding to its portfolio and expanding its benefits to its loyalty customers. The retailer, which specializes in farm, home improvement, and animals and includes products and services related to pets, horses and livestock, had already partnered with Allivet to offer…

NRF: Steady Sales Growth Projected for 2024 Holiday Season

The National Retail Federation (NRF) forecasts holiday spending to grow between 2.5 percent and 3.5 percent this holiday season, potentially easing concerns over any economic downturns expected. The retail industry trade association said we should expect people to spend between $979.5 billion and $989 billion in November and December, compared to $955.6 billion in 2023.…

Walmart Launches Proprietary AI Platforms Designed for Personalized Shopping

Walmart is diving into the world of artificial intelligence by launching a series of AI improvements, including a new customer support chatbot, a Roblox activation, and personalized Walmart.com homepages. Calling it a "strategy to accelerate adaptive retail," Walmart said in a press release its propriety AI, generative AI, augmented reality (AR) and immersive commerce platforms…

Signet Jewelers CEO Gina Drosos to Retire; Replacement Named

Virginia "Gina" Drosos, who spent seven years as Signet Jewelers' CEO, announced Oct. 1 she is retiring effective Nov. 4. J.K. Symancyk, most recently the CEO of PetSmart, will replace Drosos as CEO. Drosos will also step down from Signet's board of directors, where she served for 12 years. Under Drosos' leadership, the largest jewelry…

Nordstrom Proposes $3.8B Deal to Go Private

Nordstrom is looking to go private, with members of the Nordstrom family offering $3.8 billion to seal the deal, according to a report from The Seattle Times. Nordstrom CEO Erik Nordstrom and his brother Pete, who serves as president of the company, announced Wednesday they had been exploring ways to take the upscale department store…

Spirit Halloween Announces its Largest Store Footprint Ever

The niche Halloween store Spirit Halloween announced Tuesday it was opening 1,525 stores, the most in its history, this fall across North America. Already the nation's largest Halloween retailer, the 41-year-old seasonal company said it would hire thousands of associates to man the stores in the coming weeks. Over 1,100 locations are already open. "The…

Spanx Founder Sara Blakely Launches High-Heeled Sneaker Brand Sneex

Sara Blakely, who founded the billion-dollar company Spanx over two decades ago, announced Tuesday the launch of Sneex, a hybrid luxury sneaker and high heel that goes for $395 to $595. Multiple news outlets reported that Blakely designed a shoe that "blends the style of a traditional high heel with the performance and comfort of…

e.l.f. Beauty Reports 50% Quarterly Sales Increase

e.l.f. Beauty reported a 50 percent gain in net sales in the first fiscal quarter of 2024 and increased its full year forecast as a result. The company reported a net sales of $324.5 million, saying the increase — from $216.3 million a year ago — was a result of both its brick-and-mortar and e-commerce…

ThredUp Launches New AI Discovery Shopping Tools

ThredUp, one of the largest online resale platforms for apparel, shoes and accessories, unveiled a new suite of artificial intelligence-powered tools to aid in discovery shopping, the company announced Monday. Visitors can now search for products with what ThredUp is calling "natural language" — for example, typing in "swimsuit for a triathlon" or "tank tops…