Retail Stores
July 27, 2020 at 2:56 pm
COVID-19 triggered a dramatic shift in how we shop: stores deemed “non-essential” were closed, and stores that remained open were significantly changed. Going to a grocery store was suddenly high effort: standing in long lines to get in, wearing masks, and keeping a strict distance from other customers. As retailers open non-essential stores, these restrictions…
July 23, 2020 at 6:34 pm
The retail spaces that shoppers will return to following the COVID-19 pandemic won't be the same ones they shopped in previously. Associates and consumers will have to develop and adjust to new shopping behaviors that minimize physical touch and closeness. This period will be marked by innovation and experimentation, as retailers attempt to drive increased…
July 23, 2020 at 4:14 pm
Ascena Retail Group, the parent company of women’s apparel brands Ann Taylor, Lane Bryant and Catherines, filed for bankruptcy yesterday and said it will close at least 877, or nearly a third, of its 2,800 stores after years of declining sales and growing debt. The company, founded as Dressbarn in 1962, is one of the nation’s…
July 22, 2020 at 5:13 pm
Aldi, a discount grocer, announced that it will open more than 70 new stores in the United States by the end of the year, CNBC reported. The expansion plan will bring Aldi to the Phoenix area for the first time, and will add more stores to states, including California, Kansas, Texas, and New York. In…
July 21, 2020 at 1:50 pm
L.L.Bean is expanding from its original model of direct-to-customer catalog sales and in-stores sales with an agreement to sell its products in Nordstrom, Staples, and sporting goods chain SCHEELS, reports AP News. The company’s first wholesale agreements in the U.S. represent a push to get the brand's products in front of more consumers. The first phase…
July 20, 2020 at 4:10 pm
Verizon Media today announced the launch of Groceries from Walmart, a Yahoo Mail feature that enables users to browse, add to cart, and purchase essential groceries from Walmart within Yahoo Mail. According to Verizon Media, this is the first time that email users can fill a shopping cart from their inbox, streamlining their shopping experience from…
July 12, 2020 at 12:39 pm
Walmart is launching a new subscription service later this month called Walmart+ that closely resembles Amazon Prime, multiple sources told Recode last week. According to the sources, Walmart+ will cost $98 a year, and will include perks such as same-day delivery of groceries and general merchandise, discounts on fuel at Walmart gas stations, and early…
July 9, 2020 at 7:32 pm
Walgreens Boots Alliance announced earlier this week that it will soon have doctor offices inside of hundreds of its U.S. drugstores. The retailer has partnered with VillageMD, which will staff and run the primary-care clinics. The companies said they will open the clinics in 500 to 700 stores in more than 30 U.S. markets over the next…
July 9, 2020 at 5:48 pm
The COVID-19 pandemic drove customers away from stores, shut down businesses, and ground the global economy to a screeching halt. Now that the world has begun to return, retailers must think strategically to prevent temporary disruption from becoming a permanent end. When we talked to more than 400 retailers about how they adapted to the…
July 8, 2020 at 7:46 pm
Retail brand Brooks Brothers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Wednesday and is searching for a buyer, CNBC reported. Brooks Brothers is one of the country's oldest retailers, having been founded in 1818, and is best known for its polos and prepster attire. Rent had become a burden for the iconic retailer, and the disruption…
