Management

Many retail categories saw an uptick in online sales over the past couple of months. By mid-April, U.S. retailers’ year-over-year revenue growth was at 68 percent. Buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS) orders also experienced quite the surge. In fact, Walmart Grocery quickly became the No. 1 most downloaded shopping app in early April. However,…

Lowe's announced yesterday that it will give $100 million more in bonuses to hourly employees, as strong demand for home improvement continues. It marks the sixth time the home improvement retailer has given additional pay to workers at its stores, distribution centers and support centers during the coronavirus pandemic. It gave bonuses to part-time, full-time and seasonal…

Consumer spending has recovered from the coronavirus pandemic more quickly than expected, but forecasting 2020 holiday sales is like assembling a jigsaw puzzle without all the pieces, National Retail Federation (NRF) Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said in a press release from the trade association. “I'm cautiously optimistic about the fourth quarter in terms of the…

Ryan Gellert was named CEO for Ventura, Calif.–headquartered Patagonia Works, the holding company for the influential outdoor brand Patagonia Inc. as well as separate Patagonia divisions in food, media, investments and joint ventures. Gellert previously served as the general manager for Patagonia’s EMEA/Europe, Middle East and Africa office, which is headquartered in Amsterdam. He came to Patagonia after…

After six months of slumped sales because of the coronavirus pandemic, Kohl's announced this week that it was reducing its corporate workforce by around 15 percent. The department store chain has taken a hit during the pandemic that closed all of its more than 1,100 stores this spring. Net sales were down 32.8 percent in the six…

We’ll address how, through proper communication and training, Sephora was able to set its employees up for success while reopening.

Neiman Marcus Group announced last week that it expects to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy by Sept. 30 under a restructuring plan that's likely to eliminate more than $4 billion of its debt and more than $200 million of interest expense. The upscale retail chain said certain institutional investors will fund a $750 million exit financing package. The…

The e-commerce business and intellectual property of omnichannel specialty retailer RTW Retailwinds were sold at bankruptcy auction last week to investment firm Saadia Group for $40 million plus assumption of certain liabilities, including honoring gift cards. Assets include websites run by the apparel company, which was previously known as New York & Co. Those sites include www.nyandcompany.com,…

In this unpredictable world of 2020, it’s critical that retailers drive customer engagement and focus on customer satisfaction. COVID-19 has turned our lives — personal and professional — upside down. The good news is that the craziness of this year has taught us that we're all capable of change, even rapid change. Yet the road…

Following Tony Hsieh’s decision to step down as CEO of Zappos after 21 years, Kedar Deshpande has taken the reins at the Amazon-owned company. Importantly, Deshpande — who joined Zappos in 2011 — understands the unique corporate culture and company values that Zappos is well known for. He will lead Zappos as the retailer continues to expand…