Legal

Zara Accused of Copying Indie Artist's Designs
July 22, 2016 at 11:10 am

Zara is in the spotlight for allegedly copying the designs of independent artist Tuesday Bassen. The Los Angeles-based illustrator and designer posted the below picture to her over 100,000 Instagram followers earlier this week showing the side-by-side comparisons of her work next to Zara’s designs. Total Retail’s Take: I get that mistakes happen, but when…

Adidas Suing Skechers … Again
July 14, 2016 at 10:53 am

The lawsuit claims Skechers violated Adidas patents by selling sneakers that allegedly “copied Springblade technology.”

Walgreens Lessens Expected Store Closures From Rite Aid Deal
July 7, 2016 at 10:22 am

Walgreens is confident that its acquisition of Rite Aid will close by the end of this year, and CEO Stefano Pessina reports only about 500 stores would need to be sold to address regulator’s antitrust concerns. Analysts first predicted that anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 stores would need to sell to satisfy the Federal Trade…

Abercrombie Sues Gap Over Poaching of CMO
July 6, 2016 at 1:58 pm

Abercrombie & Fitch last week filed litigation against Gap for the recent hire of Craig Brommers as chief marketing officer of Gap's namesake brand. In January, Gap had hired Mr. Brommers to help with the company’s turnaround. Brommers had been the senior vice president of marketing at Abercrombie for three years. The lawsuit alleges Brommers…

Trader Joe's Agrees to Settlement With EPA Over Greenhouse Gas Emissions
June 22, 2016 at 12:38 pm

Yesterday, Trader Joe's, the popular California-based company, was the third supermarket retailer (after Safeway and Costco) in recent years to agree to put funds towards reducing refrigerator coolant leaks that deplete the ozone layer and contribute to global warming. The Los Angeles Times reports the grocery retailer will spend about $2 million to correct the…

Amazon Steps Up Pursuit of Merchants Who Pay for Fake Reviews
June 2, 2016 at 11:14 am

Amazon.com, which has sued more than 1,000 parties for allegedly offering fake reviews for sale to post on the retailer’s website, is now going after merchants who it says paid for false testimony. In three cases filed with the American Arbitration Association, Amazon accused third-party sellers operating on its site of creating or paying for fake…

Under Armour Will Lose $120 Million in Anticipated Sales as Sports Authority Liquidates
June 1, 2016 at 11:13 am

Under Armour will lose $120 million in expected sales to The Sports Authority this year as the chain liquidates in bankruptcy, the Baltimore-based brand said Tuesday. The sports apparel maker said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing it will recognize only $43 million of $163 million in anticipated revenues from the sporting goods chain this…

Staples CEO is Stepping Down After Office Depot Merger Fail
June 1, 2016 at 11:09 am

Office supplies retailer Staples, which called off a deal to buy smaller rival Office Depot this month, said Chief Executive Ron Sargent will step down after the company’s annual meeting on June 14. The decision comes three weeks after a U.S. federal judge ordered to halt the deal because of antitrust concerns. “With the termination of the…