Retail Stores

This is the first Christmas in four years that J.C. Penney isn't confusing customers by discontinuing merchandise, killing coupons, introducing brands or having big chunks of its stores under construction. And its merchants and marketers have had a full year to plan Christmas 2014 without a revolving door of its leadership and radical changes in pricing strategy or product mix. "Last year, we didn't have a lot of lead time, but we did have a point of view with our ‘jingle more bells’ campaign," said Deb Berman, senior vice president of marketing.

C. Wonder, the chain created by Tory Burch's ex-husband Christopher in 2011, has plans to shutter most of its stores and transition into a wholesale brand, BuzzFeed News has learned. The retailer will close up to 20 of its 32 locations by Jan. 1, depending on how lease negotiations unfold, two people familiar with the matter told BuzzFeed News on the condition of anonymity. C. Wonder, which bears a close likeness to Tory Burch's luxury brand, though is less expensive, has trimmed its corporate staff to around 75 people from near 120 in the past year, one person estimated.

Online powerhouse Zappos has opened its first-ever freestanding store, a 20,000 square-foot pop-up in the company's hometown of Las Vegas. Powered by state-of-the-art technology, the shop blends online and offline retail. In keeping with the brand's heritage, it will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from Nov. 21 until Dec. 31. 

Dollar General may have to divest more than double the 1,500 stores it said it was willing to sell if it wants to gain regulatory approval to buy archrival Family Dollar. The Federal Trade Commission may require the country's No. 1 dollar store chain to divest more than 4,000 stores to win approval of its stalled $9.1 billion merger proposal, two sources close to the situation said Tuesday. There's concern among the FTC staff that the two chains are mainly in competition with each other — and not with Wal-Mart, drugstores and supermarkets, the sources said.

A group of Wal-Mart employees pushing for higher wages said on Friday they were planning protests at 1,600 Wal-Mart stores nationwide on Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year in the United States. The labor group, Our Wal-Mart, said it had protested 1,200 to 1,400 Wal-Mart stores last year on Black Friday. Wal-Mart Stores Inc, owner of Wal-Mart brand stores, and the largest private employer in the United States, has been a target for activists in the contentious national debate over proposals to raise the minimum wage.

Target has acquired a Pittsburgh-based company that says its software platform brings "an Amazon-like shopping experience" to in-store customers. Powered Analytics Co-Founder Collin Otis and a spokesman for Minneapolis-based Target confirmed the deal Wednesday. Terms weren't disclosed. Otis says the firm, founded in 2012, will remain headquartered in Pittsburgh. Powered Analytics’ Fabric product uses mobile technology, location data and machine learning to connect a retailer's app to the in-store shopping experience.

Dillard's has stopped selling a controversial holiday sign that appeared in the girls section of one of its stores in Florida. The sign read: "Dear Santa, This year please give me a big fat bank account and a slim body. Please don't mix those two up like you did last year. Thanks." The sign was supposed to be part of the home merchandise area with other "whimsical" signs, said Dillard's Spokeswoman Julie Johnson Bull. "We immediately removed it from the little girls display," she said, adding that the sign would no longer be sold in any of the chain's stores.

Thirteen years after the first one opened, the Apple Store has entered an awkward adolescence. While Apple's storefronts remain the envy of the retail world, sales have flattened as the stores undergo a global growth spurt. Using one key measure in the retail industry, the stores generated $4,589 in sales per square foot in fiscal year 2014 — still better than any other brand, but down 23 percent from the $5,971 per square foot logged in 2012, according to research firm Customer Growth Partners.

For many years, Kohl's has struggled with its merchandise assortment. Until recently, management emphasized private labels like Sonoma and Croft & Barrow and Jumping Beans. Now Kohl's is moving away from private brands toward national brands like Nike, Adidas, Keds, Levi, Juicy Couture and Izod, Elie Tahari for DesigNation, Elle, Gloria Vanderbilt, Disney, Arrow, Dockers, Carters and many others. The emphasis on exclusive lines such as Vera Wang, Jennifer Lopez, Dana Buchman and others will continue. 

This Sunday, setting our clocks back an hour for Daylight Saving Time marks the move toward colder, shorter days — but it doesn't have to all be winter humdrum. November is the month of long-awaited Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping days, so retailers should jump at the chance to use Nov. 2 to reset both office clocks and all-important marketing strategies. During the busy holiday season, timing is everything — especially when it comes to the battle of the inbox message that will get consumers buying both online and in-store. I've packaged up some tips and tricks on how to get timing down right so you can "fall" into seasonal revenue: