Retail Stores

Lord & Taylor to Close 10 Stores, Including Fifth Avenue Flagship
June 7, 2018 at 2:19 pm

The Hudson’s Bay Co., continuing to suffer same-store sales declines across most of its divisions, is trimming costs by closing 10 Lord & Taylor stores, including its flagship location on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. HBC revealed the planned closures as it reported a net loss of 400 million Canadian dollars, or $308 million, for the…

Costco is Set to Raises Wages for 130,000 Employees
June 4, 2018 at 1:51 pm

Nearly 130,000 Costco employees are poised to get a pay raise starting on June 11. According to the Seattle Times, in a May 31 call with investors, CFO Richard Galanti said that the starting wage for Costco employees would go up $1 to $14 or $14.50 per hour, while other warehouse employees would see hourly raises…

Sweet Experiences Drive Lolli and Pops’ Success
June 4, 2018 at 10:48 am

In episode 148 of Total Retail Talks, Total Retail's Editor-in-Chief Melissa Campanelli interviews Sid Gupta, founder, president and CEO of Lolli and Pops. Gupta discusses why Lolli and Pops is different from other candy shops, what experiential retail means to the brand, how it's using technology as a competitive advantage, among other topics.

Sears to Shutter 72 More Stores
May 31, 2018 at 2:13 pm

Sears Holdings said Thursday it will be closing more than 70 stores in 2018 as its sales continue to decline. Earlier this year, the retailer identified 100 unprofitable Sears and Kmart stores, and announced today that it will be closing 72 of these stores "in the near future." In a statement announcing its fiscal first-quarter results, Sears said:…

Why Retail is and Shall Remain a Human-Driven Experience
May 23, 2018 at 1:55 pm

Is physical retail really dying? Not according to statistics, which show that upwards of 80 percent of all retail sales ​still take place in traditional brick-and-mortar stores. Yes, marketplaces like Amazon.com provide the convenience of online and mobile shopping, but physical retail continues to deliver on the promise of human-centered experiences. After all, humans are…

It’s Time to Rip Off the Omnichannel Band-Aid and Rethink Retail
May 22, 2018 at 9:32 am

Let’s face it: omnichannel was a cool buzzword 10 years ago. With the acceleration of disruption and change, being “omnichannel” isn’t going to bridge the gap between tomorrow’s leaders and laggards. Nordstrom is a notable example of a retailer with a forward-thinking approach. I worked there in 2008, so I can attest that Nordstrom was…

Is Security a Priority for Your Retail Stores?
May 17, 2018 at 10:54 am

Any time customers make monetary transactions on your website or at your store, their information is momentarily vulnerable, especially if you don’t have proper security measures in place. This applies to all retailers, but especially to those with multiple store locations. You might think that the point-of-sale (POS) software or website plugin has adequate security,…

Amazon Go Stores Coming to Chicago, San Francisco
May 15, 2018 at 2:57 pm

Amazon.com's cashier-free grocery store of the future is coming to San Francisco and Chicago. The company is expanding its experimental Amazon Go store to the two cities, but didn't say when they would open. It has posted job listings for store managers in the cities on its site, which were first noticed by the Seattle…

Target Testing New Product Distribution Strategy
May 14, 2018 at 12:26 pm

Target is testing a new product distribution strategy aimed at cutting down its replenishment cycle from days to hours while reducing overall inventory at stores, especially at small-format ones. Preston Mosier, Target's senior vice president of global supply chain and logistics field operations, made the announcement last week during a keynote presentation at the Retail Supply…

Analyzing Mother's Day Retail Spending
May 11, 2018 at 1:40 pm

In this week's episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Caitlin Sullivan and Joe Keenan discuss Mother's Day retail spending, including online vs. in-store shopping, and the product categories primed to see big sales.