Merchandising

Coach on Tuesday announced that it will shutter about 25 percent of its North American department store locations. Most of the locations tend to be low volume, according to the company, and the closings will be spread out in terms of geography. Coach will keep open its best-performing sites and avoid the stores that put its…

For the first time in four years, Target will sell Amazon.com tablets and e-readers on its website and in its stores. Target stopped selling Kindles in May 2012, according to an article from The New York Times. At the time, Target was one of the bigger carriers of the e-readers outside of the e-commerce space.…

Sears Holdings Chief Executive Eddie Lampert is freaking out his employees. The CEO has started moving Kmart stockroom merchandise onto the sales floor. The move, according to the company, is aimed at freeing up employees to assist shoppers, making sure they “[do] not wait in line at the checkout,” reported the New York Post. But…

We’ve all been there. You enter a store for one thing, but on the way to finding that very item you stumble upon countless other products you didn’t know you needed. A hundred dollars later and you have the $5 socks you came for, and a new blender, some shampoo, a birthday card for your…

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…

Urban Outfitters is capitalizing on a presidential election year by violating the unwritten rule of retail: never get political. The retailer, which has a history of selling controversial items, is offering a range of merchandise bashing Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee. That includes a T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan “IDK NOT TRUMP THO.” Total Retail's Take: Urban…

Frank + Oak made its reputation as a retailer of men's apparel, accessories and shoes, first selling online, then adding brick-and-mortar stores. The company is about to undertake another evolution as it prepares to sell womenswear. In episode 43 of Total Retail Talks, Eric Alper, chief marketing officer at Frank + Oak, discusses the company's…

We’ll share a series of techniques that have proven to deliver double-digit search traffic improvements and increased conversions.

CVS announced today the expansion of its healthier foods and beverages initiative to more than 2,900 stores nationwide. Throughout the year, 100 stores each week are being enhanced with a carefully curated selection of national and niche better-for-you brands that make healthier eating convenient and affordable. CVS launched the program as a 500-store pilot in…

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