Retail Stores

Retail started the year from a position of strength, with holiday sales exceeding $730 billion. Buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS) was a distribution advantage for physical retailers, and direct-to-consumer (D-to-C) brands and mainstay Amazon.com were meeting their delivery promises. However, with COVID-19, this all came to a screeching halt. States shut down physical stores and…

CVS Health is focused on providing services that are in high demand as the pandemic puts health care top of mind, CNBC reported. The pharmacy chain has opened more than 1,800 drive-thru sites for COVID-19 testing, launched a new B-to-B testing program for colleges and corporations, and is preparing to administer flu shots this coming…

During our July installment of the Women in Retail and Total Retail Virtual Exchange, Rodney Hutton, chief marketing officer, Ethan Allen, participated in a discussion with Brendan Witcher, vice president, principal analyst, Forrester. The two discussed a variety of topics, including how Ethan Allen has evolved its marketing strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic, how a traditional…

Lord + Taylor, one of America's oldest department stores, has filed for bankruptcy, joining a growing list of stores slammed by the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, Tailored Brands, the parent company of Men's Wearhouse and JoS. A. Bank, also filed for bankruptcy. Lord + Taylor, which was sold to rental clothing company Le Tote last…

Around the world, many companies, including retailers, restaurants and personal care businesses, are loosening or even lifting COVID-19-related lockdown measures in one way or another. The New York Times recently reported while all 50 U.S. states have started reopening, substantial variations exist, while much of the public remains anxious about the potential for a second…

In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Melissa Campanelli and Kristina Stidham discuss the trend of retailers closing their stores on Thanksgiving Day in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Walmart first announced nationwide closures last week, and others are starting to follow suit. The list now includes Walmart, Target, Dick's Sporting Goods, Kohl's,…

At the close of 2019, which for most of us seems like a decade ago, it was predicted by many that the experience economy would be valued at $12 billion by the close of 2023. At the time, 72 percent of millennials said they would rather spend money to engage in live events than on…

In this video, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Roger Dunlap, senior vice president of sales and operations at Bob's Discount Furniture, a retail furniture chain with locations across the United States. Dunlap discusses how Bob's is safely reopening its hundreds of retail stores nationwide amidst the coronavirus pandemic — both for shoppers and employees; why the…

Sycamore Partners, the private equity firm that recently backed out of a deal to buy Victoria’s Secret, has a good chance of winning an auction to buy the department store chain J.C. Penney out of bankruptcy, MarketWatch reported. The New York-based firm bid $1.75 billion for the department store chain. If it wins the auction,…

SPARC LLC, a full-service retail operator comprised of the U.S. mall owner Simon Property Group and the apparel licensing firm Authentic Brands Group (ABG), has made a $305 million bid for bankrupt Brooks Brothers, according to a court filing published last week. The offer, still subject to better and higher bids and court approval, will keep at least 125…