Management

Alibaba announced on Monday that Jack Ma will step down as chairman of the board of the $420 billion e-commerce company on Sept. 10, 2019. At that time,  which is Alibaba’s 20th anniversary, Ma will be replaced by current CEO Daniel Zhang, an 11-year veteran of the company. Alibaba said Ma will continue as executive chairman over the next 12 months…

At the core of Trader Joe’s “modus operandi” is a focus on simplicity, better value and a fun shopping experience. The grocery retailer's success factors are there for everybody to observe and copy, yet nobody has been able to do so successfully. The company's founder, Joe Coulombe, was asked in 2006 by Coriolis Research if…

The rate of turnover in the retail industry (13 percent) is among the highest in the country — second only to the tech sector (software) at 13.2 percent. While the digitization of retail and advent of e-commerce is inevitably taking more workers off the sales floor and into back-channel positions (e.g., telecom sales reps), the…

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…

In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Caitlin Sullivan and Joe Keenan discuss what Sears latest round of store closures means for its future, as well as the steps the company can take to turn its fortunes around.

Women CEOs in all industries — including retail — worked harder and longer than their male counterparts to get to the top, according to a study of current and recent women CEOs conducted by Korn Ferry. The study found women CEOs were four years older, on average, than their male counterparts, and worked in a slightly higher number of roles, functions, companies and industries before getting the top job.

Sears Auto Centers, a division of Sears Holdings Corp., said earlier today that it will expand its partnership with Amazon.com that provides tire installation for customers who purchase any brand of tires on Amazon, including its own DieHard brand. Initially launched at 47 Sears Auto Centers in eight metropolitan areas in May, the Ship-to-Store tire…

Sears Holdings said this week it's shuttering 46 more stores in November. The locations are spread across the United States. Liquidation sales at 33 Sears stores and 13 Kmart locations are expected to begin next week, according to Sears. The company also said that eligible workers will receive severance and be able to apply for openings…

This week, Lowe's announced it would close all Orchard Supply Hardware stores nationwide by Feb. 1. Lowe's is closing the stores to focus on its core home improvement business, the company said. USA Today reports employees were told about the decision Tuesday. Lowe's acquired Orchard Supply Hardware in 2013 out of bankruptcy. The brand had been…

Best Buy announced last week that it will pay $800 million to acquire GreatCall, a company that offers health and medical-alert services to 900,000 older Americans. GreatCall offers seniors several products, including portable medical-alert devices and easy-to-use mobile phones, that provide access to urgent-response teams, doctors and nurses, as well as offer reminders to take medications. The acquisition…