Legal
October 15, 2018 at 9:36 am
Sears Holdings filed for bankruptcy protection early Monday after years of staying afloat through financial maneuvering and relying on billions of CEO Eddie Lampert's own money. Lampert, who has served as CEO for the past five years, will step down from that post, effective immediately, but remain chairman. As part of the bankruptcy, Sears will shutter…
October 11, 2018 at 4:38 pm
On this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Caitlin Sullivan and Joe Keenan discuss the recent enactment of online sales tax laws by 10 more states (Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin), as well as what retailers should be thinking about and doing as online sales tax becomes…
October 8, 2018 at 1:42 pm
Specialty mattress retailer Mattress Firm late last week filed voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware. The move was made, according to Mattress Firm, to "strengthen its balance sheet and optimize its store footprint." The largest U.S. mattress retailer said it plans to close 700 of its 3,230 company-owned stores. Those stores are…
October 4, 2018 at 12:05 pm
eBay has accused Amazon.com of trying to poach sellers for its own marketplace through eBay's internal messaging system, The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday. The report said that on Monday, eBay sent a cease-and-desist letter to Amazon, alleging that 50 Amazon sales agents sent 1,000-plus messages through eBay's system over the last several years in a bid to sway sellers to…
October 1, 2018 at 2:02 pm
Ten states will start collecting sales tax from out-of-state online retailers starting today, thanks to a series of new laws created in response to the South Dakota v. Wayfair case the U.S. Supreme Court decided in June. In deciding the case, the Supreme Court overturned a ruling (Quill Corporation v. North Dakota) that said the Constitution bars states from requiring…
August 31, 2018 at 12:03 pm
Google and Mastercard reportedly drafted a secret deal in which certain Google advertisers had access to data that shows if an online ad resulted in a purchase in a physical store. Bloomberg, citing four people with knowledge of the deal, reported that for the past year, select Google advertisers had access to a tool that tracks…
August 13, 2018 at 1:36 pm
Two women have filed a class-action lawsuit against Nike Inc., alleging it discriminated against them in pay and career advancement, according to a report in Friday's Wall Street Journal. The suit was filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court in Portland, Ore., by two former employees, Kelly Cahill and Sara Johnston, who said that they endured a…
August 7, 2018 at 12:18 pm
In a sign of the times, two more traditional brick-and-mortar retailers have recently filed for bankruptcy protection. National Stores, Inc., parent company of retail brands such as Fallas, Anna’s Linens, and Factory 2-U, announced that in addition to filing for bankruptcy reorganization, it will be closing 74 of its 344 stores. National Stores, which is headquartered in Gardena,…
August 7, 2018 at 10:59 am
After about two months of deliberation, the Supreme Court ruled on one of the most closely watched cases in our industry. Internet retailers like Wayfair, Amazon.com, Overstock.com, and countless others can be required to collect sales taxes in states despite having no physical presence. Online retailers previously benefited from not having to shoulder the burden of…
August 2, 2018 at 3:40 pm
Specialty goods retailer Brookstone, known for quirky products, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Thursday and plans to close all of its remaining mall-based stores. The company hired liquidators to close its roughly 100 remaining mall locations after declining foot traffic and management blunders crushed sales. The retailer has been bleeding cash as customers increasingly shop online…
