Management
June 12, 2013
Outdoor equipment retailer REI recently announced changes to its return policies, which previously allowed customers to return any item for any amount of time, no questions asked
June 11, 2013
Niraj Shah, CEO of Wayfair (formerly CSN Stores), the Boston-based online seller of home furnishings, with 1,250 employees, a global presence, 2012 revenue of $600 million and a 40 percent growth rate, offered his four drivers of long-term retail success during a session at the 2013 Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition in Chicago last week. They include the following:
June 7, 2013
After more than a year of management and financial upheaval, J.C. Penney executives last month asked a therapist to address employees at an internal meeting. He ended up traumatizing them more. According to sources with knowledge of the situation, J.C. Penney chief merchant Liz Sweney brought in an organizational therapist to help employees cope with the firing of former CEO Ron Johnson in April and a disastrous year that saw revenue plummet $4.3 billion, or 25%. The pair proceeded to compare the experience to a bomb explosion and the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
June 6, 2013
Amazon on Wednesday began offering fresh grocery delivery in Los Angeles — its first major market outside of Seattle, where it began its fresh service in 2007. According to published...
June 4, 2013
On Forbes’ The World's Most Powerful Women list, there are but a handful who hail from the retail industry, the largest segment of the U.S. economy. Why aren't there more powerful women in retail? The National Retail Federation congratulates seven women on the list, although two, Spanx founder Sara Blakely (No. 90), and Tory Burch (No. 69), are primarily apparel designers that happen to have a foothold in retail.
May 31, 2013
Singer 22 has developed a bona fide cult following, thanks to its incredible denim collection and innovative use of street-style photos. Paparazzi snaps of celebrities like Jessica Alba, Olivia Palmero and Diane Kruger are incorporated into the site's shopping pages, giving consumers an idea of how items can be styled for real life. The site also boasts one of the best return policies on the planet, offering a 10 percent bonus on returns if you choose store credit.
May 31, 2013
American Apparel CEO Dov Charney has been on the warpath since the deadly collapse of a garment factory complex in Bangladesh took the lives of more than 1,100 people in April, and now he has his
May 28, 2013
Life is going swimmingly for Karl-Johan Persson, H&M's young, handsome CEO. Despite the global recession, the cheap-chic retail chain is doing well. But the recent factory collapse in Bangladesh has put H&M in the focus, even though it, as Persson points out, didn't use the factory. In an exclusive interview with Metro at H&M's headquarters in Stockholm, Persson proposes a new solution: a tag added to every piece of clothing informing the customer whether it was made in a safe factory.
May 28, 2013
When Urban Outfitters CEO Richard Hayne nominated his wife Margaret to its all-male board, it set off a firestorm of controversy. The state treasurer of Connecticut may have put it best, calling it "cynical," an "insult" and "bogus," according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. A company that caters much of its products to women should probably have more women making top-level decisions.
May 23, 2013
Pitted against consumer outrage over controversial comments its CEO made seven years ago about why the teen retailer doesn't make its clothing in large sizes, Abercrombie & Fitch issued an apology this week and pledged to take steps to show their commitment against bullying as well a more welcoming store culture.
