Management

Target to Spend $200M for More Bonuses to Employees
January 25, 2021 at 6:40 pm

Target said Monday it will spend $200 million on another round of employee bonuses and extend its coronavirus-related benefits after its strong holiday season. Indeed, Target has been one of the beneficiaries of pandemic trends, as shoppers consolidate trips, fill up bigger baskets and use curbside pickup. That pattern continued over the holidays, boosting the…

American Eagle Outfitters to Close Up to 250 Mall-Based Stores
January 21, 2021 at 6:53 pm

Teen apparel retailer American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) outlined plans to close hundreds of stores in the coming years, while it looks to grow it lingerie and activewear brand Aerie to a $2 billion business. Chief Financial Officer Mike Mathias said during a virtual meeting with investors that AEO, which has about 880 stores, is looking to…

NRF: 2020 Holiday Retail Sales Grew 8.3%
January 18, 2021 at 12:49 pm

Holiday retail sales rose a stronger-than-expected 8.3 percent from 2019, or $789.4 billion, according to data released by the National Retail Federation on Friday. Consumers apparently embraced the gift-giving season as a way to cheer themselves up during the pandemic. The numbers include online and other non-stores sales, which were up 23.9 percent at $209 billion. The NRF had forecast that sales during…

Now More Than Ever, Retailers Need Data to Make Informed Retail Real Estate Decisions
January 13, 2021 at 5:23 pm

COVID-19 has all companies scrambling to make sense of what the future will look like for their businesses. For retailers, brick-and-mortar real estate is perhaps the most integral part, leaving many to question the best path forward should the country face an even more prolonged lockdown. Do you shutter certain stores? What's the right balance between…

Amazon Shuts Down Amazon Pantry
January 11, 2021 at 8:32 pm

Amazon.com has shuttered Amazon Pantry (originally known as Prime Pantry), its grocery and household essentials delivery service, according to Bloomberg.com. Launched in 2014, Amazon Pantry was one of the retailer’s first forays into selling food online. It featured a selection of shelf-stable food and snacks, as well as cleaning products, designed to get shoppers to…

Top Tips and Insights for Retailers to Kick-Start 2021
January 7, 2021 at 7:47 pm

In this episode of Retail Right Now, Ashley Chiaradio and Kristina Stidham discuss Total Retail’s 25 Best Tips of 2020. This list identifies the top tips of 2020, selected from the content we published over the course of the year. Retailers can utilize these relevant insights right now to kick-start business growth in 2021. These…

J.C. Penney's Owners Launch Search for New CEO
January 4, 2021 at 5:21 pm

J.C. Penney’s new owners, Simon Property Group and Brookfield Asset Management, along with strategic partner Authentic Brands Group, announced they have launched a search for a CEO to replace Jill Soltau, who left the company on Dec. 31, 2020, less than a month after the company exited Chapter 11. It’s unclear whether Soltau, who has been…

25 Best Tips of 2020
December 26, 2020 at 11:49 am

This year has been unlike any other in recent memory. The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on people's lives across the globe, challenging businesses in all industries, including retail. As retailers and brands look to survive 2020 and return to growth in 2021, they're going to need some help. With that in mind, Total Retail…

A Review of Total Retail's Top Content in 2020
December 26, 2020 at 10:39 am

As 2020 winds down, Total Retail would like to take the opportunity to highlight some of the top content it produced this year. Our e-newsletter, Total Retail Report, will be on hiatus during the holidays, with the next issue hitting subscribers' inboxes on Tues., Jan. 5. Until then, here’s a list of our most popular content from the past…

Amazon Encourages Whole Foods Employees to Get Weekly Covid Tests
December 16, 2020 at 9:49 pm

Amazon.com is encouraging front-line employees in California to get weekly COVID-19 tests, CNBC reported. This news comes at a time when the state is rolling out updated emergency workplace protections for the coronavirus. The e-commerce giant posted on an internal company website that this request was in accordance with California’s division of the Occupational Safety and Health…