Retail Stores

GameStop has announced its brick-and-mortar locations will remain closed on Thanksgiving, the latest in a new trend this holiday that sees some retailers opting not to compete as aggressively for sales that day. Over the past several years, retailers have increasingly pushed back store opening times to kick off the holiday season. First they inched earlier and…

The National Retail Federation (NRF) announced today it expects sales in November and December (excluding autos, gas and restaurant sales) to increase a solid 3.7 percent to $630.5 billion, significantly higher than the 10-year average of 2.5 percent. Holiday sales in 2015 are expected to represent approximately 19 percent of the retail industry’s annual sales…

Two California supermarket chains have entered tentative deals to buy 36 Haggen stores in California and Nevada for a combined $92 million as the struggling grocer draws the final curtain on its Southwest operations. Haggen is also trying to stir up bids for an additional 96 stores — including six in Washington and Oregon that Haggen had…

Staples is taking a stance against a growing holiday shopping trend and will be closed on Thanksgiving this year, the company said Thursday. The retailer has been open on Thanksgiving the past two years, but this year it says customers and employees should have the chance to stay home with family and friends. Instead, Staples will…

The clothing chain Hollister will get rid of steps at its trademark entrances at dozens of stores across the U.S. to make the doorways wheelchair accessible as part of a settlement approved Thursday by a federal judge. The agreement marks the end of a six-year court battle involving the retailer that specializes in Southern California-inspired casual…

In the months after Patrick Campbell lost his job, the one thing that kept him from losing hope was crafting wooden crosses. He made his first for his wife, a simple one, with their nine children helping. It was her birthday and he had nothing else to give. Her tears upon seeing the gift inspired him to…

With a renewed focus on its core customer, I believe J.C. Penney can regain market share in the coming year from weak competition like Sears, Kmart and Kohl’s. Shifting marketing dollars to a series of specialized catalogs, and developing departments targeted to specific consumers needs will be important in winning back customers and adding back…

The nation's retailers, anticipating what forecasters believe will be a lackluster holiday shopping season, are launching big sales promotions earlier than ever before. But how accurate are forecasters' predictions? A lot is riding on the accuracy of the predictions economists make about how much merchandise shoppers will scoop up between Thanksgiving and December 31: holiday…

Retail sales in the U.S. climbed for a second straight month, a sign consumers may be looking past recent volatility in financial markets. The 0.2 percent increase in August followed a 0.7 percent gain in July that was larger than previously reported, Commerce Department figures showed Tuesday. The median forecast of 84 economists surveyed by Bloomberg…

A 116-year-old name in retail and one of the oldest continuously operating western wear brands is going away this fall. Sheplers stores are being rebranded as Boot Barn, and the changeover is expected to be completed by Thanksgiving, said Boot Barn Vice President Jayme Maxwell. Irvine, Calif.-based Boot Barn purchased Wichita, Kansas-based Sheplers in June for $147…