Retail Stores

West Elm is expanding into the hospitality business. The furniture and home goods retailer announced the expansion of its signature modern aesthetic, West Elm Hotels, in partnership with DDK. The first properties are expected to open in late 2018 starting in Detroit, Minneapolis, Savannah, Charlotte and Indianapolis. In addition, each hotel will offer a unique…

Retail industry forecasts that include external economic factors (i.e., leading indicators) are more accurate in signaling future growth, contraction and major shifts in consumer momentum than traditional forecasts that only take historical performance into account. By monitoring these factors and noting changes, retail executives will have better insight with which to make planning decisions. While…

Brand authenticity and reputation are more critical than ever in today’s digital economy. While customer experience has always been a factor in the retail equation, the shift to consumer-centric planning has transformed retail’s business model and separated the successful retailers from the rest of the pack.

Retail executives know they're facing a more challenging environment. Major disruptive changes in recent years have helped fuel the rise of online retail, changed how retailers communicate with consumers, and challenged every aspect of the traditional retail model.

Kmart is closing 64 stores across 28 states. Sears Holdings, which owns Sears and Kmart, informed Kmart employees of the closures on Friday, according to several local news reports and multiple employees who spoke with Business Insider. The stores that are closing will begin liquidation sales on Sept. 22 and close by mid-December, employees said. Total Retail's…

Kohl's said today that it plans to hire more than 69,000 workers this holiday season, the same number of seasonal hires as 2015, which was up about 3 percent from 2014. Positions are available across more than 1,100 stores in 49 states, as well as in distribution and fulfillment centers nationwide, and at Kohl's credit…

Traditional retailers are struggling. In the spring of 2016 alone, we saw Sports Authority declare bankruptcy, Aeropostale lose 93 percent of its share price before declaring insolvency, and sales at Kohl's drop. Even as recently as August 11, Macy’s announced it will close another 100 stores. There's little doubt that competition from online retailers has…

On Wednesday, we reported that things weren't looking too good for Golfsmith International Inc. Well, the retailer has now filed for bankruptcy protection. In addition to here in the U.S., Golfsmith also sought protection under Canada’s chapter 11 equivalent. The company is based in Austin, Texas, but is hoping to get some control of its…

Dollar General plans to hire 10,000 new workers within the next month to support the company's expansion plans. The Goodlettsville, Tenn.-based discount retailer — which has planned to open 900 new stores in fiscal 2016 and another 1,000 stores in fiscal 2017 — announced Thursday it will host hiring events at 600 locations through Sept. 24. The…

Sales at U.S. retailers dropped more than forecast in August, indicating a pause in recent consumer-spending strength that has carried the economy. Purchases declined 0.3 percent from July, the first decline in retail sales in five months, after a revised 0.1 percent advance in the previous month, Commerce Department figures showed Thursday. The median projection of…