Legal

What Retailers Need to Know About the ‘Californication’ of GDPR
December 19, 2019 at 9:01 am

The point of the broad-based California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA), signed by California Governor Jerry Brown in June, is to protect consumer data. For retailers wondering if the CCPA will impact their business, time is limited to figure out if and how. If you're a retailer selling products online and already compliant with the General Data…

Compliance or Bust: Retail’s Shift Workforce of the Future
December 17, 2019 at 10:08 am

Labor compliance issues have long plagued the retail supply chain, from sourcing to brick-and-mortar employee operations. Consider the tragedy at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in 1911, perhaps one of the most well-known labor compliance fiascos in the retail industry’s history, which was a direct result of abhorrent worker conditions. Thankfully, compliance issues of this caliber…

Are You Ready? Preparing for CCPA and the New Era of Data Regulations
December 6, 2019 at 11:20 am

There’s no understating the impact that small computer in your pocket has made on retail. But governmental bodies are starting to reckon with it. Starting January 2020, California will enact the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). CCPA follows in the footsteps of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and precedes the Brazilian Data…

Under Armour Cooperating With Federal Investigators Over Accounting Probe
November 4, 2019 at 2:48 pm

A day after reports were published that  Under Armour is at the center of a federal investigation, executives at the company are maintaining that its accounting practices are above board, according to a report from Business Insider. On Sunday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the retailer's accounting practices have been under federal investigation by the…

Supreme Court’s Wayfair Ruling Devastating to Online Merchants
November 1, 2019 at 10:21 am

The American Catalog Mailers Association (ACMA) recently conducted a follow-up poll to see how e-commerce, catalog, direct and other remote merchants have fared since the Supreme Court’s June 2018 decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc., which overturned the old Quill v. North Dakota remote sales tax collection physical presence standard. The first poll was…

Destination Maternity Files for Bankruptcy, Closing 183 Stores
October 24, 2019 at 11:53 am

Destination  Maternity, owner of brands such as A Pea in the Pod and Motherhood, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. The company plans to shutter 183 stores. The move comes after the Moorestown, N.J., retailer has struggled for years to regain its footing…

Zappos Draws Criticism for Data Breach Settlement
October 21, 2019 at 12:49 pm

Zappos customers who had their data stolen in a 2012 data breach will receive only a meager 10 percent discount to use on the online footwear and apparel retailer's website, as part of a proposed class-action lawsuit settlement. Their lawyers, on the other hand, are set to receive $1,620,000 in attorneys’ fees and other legal…

Amazon Probed by US Antitrust Officials Over Marketplace
September 13, 2019 at 1:06 pm

A team of Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigators has begun interviewing small businesses that sell products on Amazon.com to determine whether the e-commerce giant is using its market power to hurt competition. Several attorneys and at least one economist have been conducting interviews, according to three merchants. All were asked what percentage of revenue their businesses derive from Amazon vs.…

Walmart Sues Tesla Over Solar Panel Fires at 7 of its Stores
August 22, 2019 at 2:14 pm

Walmart is suing Tesla, Elon Musk’s electric vehicle and clean energy company, after its solar panels atop seven Walmart stores allegedly caught on fire, CNBC reported. The lawsuit, which details evacuations, damaged property and inventory, claims breach of contract, gross negligence and failure to live up to industry standards. Walmart is asking Tesla to remove its solar panels from…