Retail Stores

Brookfield Properties Sues Gap Over Missed Rent Payments at Texas Stores
June 20, 2020 at 10:02 am

Mall operator Brookfield Property Partners is suing Gap Inc. for refusing to open stores at the company’s properties in Texas and for owing more than $2 million in unpaid rent over three months, Bloomberg reported last week. “For three months running, Gap has failed to pay rent at virtually every Brookfield location nationwide, even for stores that Gap…

Dick's Sporting Goods Expands Clearance Store Concepts
June 18, 2020 at 9:29 pm

Dick’s Sporting Goods is expanding two new low-priced concepts. The sporting goods retailer first opened three clearance centers last year in Michigan, South Carolina and Wisconsin. But the 11 new stores — some called Overtime by Dick’s Sporting Goods, and others Dick’ Sporting Goods Warehouse — expand Dick's Sporting Goods off-price presence to nine states. Those include…

‘We’re All in it Together’ Attitude Drives Consumer Confidence in COVID-19
June 17, 2020 at 8:47 pm

Despite the unprecedented challenges retailers are facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, their resilience and determination is both impressive and encouraging. As various parts of the country proceed through a phased reopening, retailers are challenged with opening their stores in a safe and efficient manner. As pressured as they may be to reopen…

Shifts in Shopping: How Businesses Are Prioritizing the Contactless Customer Experience
June 17, 2020 at 7:32 pm

Shopping has changed as we know it. Consumers no longer stroll into stores and take their time interacting with products and people. Now, masks are mandatory almost everywhere and people try their best to stay six feet away from one another while making their way down narrow aisles. And while people are spending more money…

The Children’s Place to Reduce Store Footprint by One-Third
June 12, 2020 at 4:49 pm

The Children’s Place plans to reduce its store footprint by one-third by the end of fiscal year 2021 as part of an ongoing effort to shift its core business online. Three hundred of the company’s 920 stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico are slated to be closed, with 200 closures planned for…

Gap Inc. Closing Men's Athletic Wear Brand Hill City
June 11, 2020 at 7:29 pm

Gap Inc. is closing its trendy athleticwear brand Hill City less than two years after it launched. The apparel retailer said in a blog post on Thursday that it made the decision to close Hill City in order to dedicate its resources to its larger brands — Gap, Banana Republic, and Old Navy. Hill City was launched…

Use E-Commerce Data to Boost In-Store Sales as Retail Reopens
June 11, 2020 at 2:52 pm

Best-selling or trending products are often displayed on a retailer’s homepage. It’s time for retailers to take e-commerce sales data and improve in-store visual merchandising. After all, aren’t window displays essentially a retailer’s homepage come to life? Since the COVID-19 pandemic struck, apparel brands have seen casual and athleisure sales soar. Savvy apparel brands with…

Essential Steps for Retailers Reopening Brick-and-Mortar Stores
June 11, 2020 at 12:17 pm

In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Melissa Campanelli and Kristina Stidham discuss an article recently published by Total Retail titled, “4 Important Steps to Reopening Retail” by Tom Buiocchi, executive director, president and CEO of ServiceChannel. As COVID-19 restrictions and stay-at-home orders are lifted across the U.S., brick-and-mortar retailers face the daunting…

Signet Jewelers Closing 400 Stores This Year
June 9, 2020 at 5:52 pm

Signet Jewelers has announced plans to close 400 stores permanently, reports Yahoo News. The specialty jewelry retailer — parent to the Kay Jewelers, Zales, Jared, H. Samuel, Ernest Jones, Peoples Jewellers, Piercing Pagoda, and jamesallen.com brands — fell short on both top and bottom lines during the most recent quarter, the period when the majority of its…

4 Important Steps to Reopening Retail
June 9, 2020 at 5:07 pm

As more states begin to lift their stay-at-home orders, brick-and-mortar retail chains face the daunting task of reopening on a massive scale. An estimated 630,000 stores were closed during the pandemic, along with gyms, restaurants and other businesses. For comparison, about 2,100 retail stores were opened in all of 2019. These closed businesses now have…