It’s the part of the clothes-shopping trip that most consumers like least: heading to the fitting room to try things on. And retailers have made little progress in improving that experience, even though a little effort could help them reap financial rewards, according to experts. “If you have a well-run fitting room, it drives an increasing…
lululemon posted first-quarter sales that topped analysts’ estimates, helped by new products like an expanded selection of women’s tops. Sales rose 17 percent to $495.5 million in the quarter ended May 1, the Vancouver-based company said in a statement Wednesday. Analysts projected $487.6 million, on average. The results signal that lululemon’s new merchandise is gaining traction. The yogawear retailer…
Reacting to consumers’ evolving shopping behaviors, noticeably their transitioning between online and offline channels, retailers have had to make adjustments to their organizations to ensure customers and employees alike are satisfied. Internal departments that used to operate in silos — e.g., web and store teams — have become interchangeable, including how they're compensated for their…
Workforce management can be the difference between a retailer becoming a cautionary tale or thriving and going the distance to increase market share and meet customer expectations. With agile omnichannel execution, expanding fulfillment options and seamless customer engagement increasingly vital to brand loyalty and profitability, retailers are tasking their associates with more responsibilities than ever…
Ralph Lauren is the latest retailer to announce cuts in stores and layoffs. The fashion icon will be shedding jobs and closing stores as part of its new turnaround plan, the details of which will be unveiled on Tuesday when the company’s chief executive, Stefan Larsson, speaks with analysts. About 50 stores — mostly full-price locations —…
Michael Kors made headlines last week after an analyst from Wedbush reported that nearly half of Nordstrom stores had decided to stop selling the brand's handbags due to "waning interest from customers" and competition with Macy's because of its "constant discounting" of the product. Nordstrom Co-President Pete Nordstrom refuted the reports, sort of, telling WWD:…
Sears Holdings is looking for ways to squeeze much-needed money out of its most attractive remaining assets: its Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard appliance and tool brands. As the company reported yet another quarter of deep losses and comparable sales declines at its Kmart and namesake department stores, Sears said it was considering options for those…
Some millennials might cry into their kombucha when they learn that the first Whole Foods' 365 store doesn't have a tattoo parlor. The new Los Angeles grocery, Whole Foods' first in more than a dozen 365-branded stores the company is planning, has plenty of other eye-candy, which might prompt some millennials to get snap happy on…
Kroger has big expansion plans in 2016. How big? Enough to build both the Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati and the Great American Tower at Queen City Square — five times. Enough to rebuild the Brent Spence Bridge — twice. Enough to buy Convergys and Chemed combined — not just the downtown buildings, but both entire companies. Kroger's not just…
Target has tapped its largest market, California, to test several potential changes to the look of its future stores. In a pilot program called "LA25," the discounter has taken its 35 top store enhancements that it's been testing across the country and put them all together in 25 stores in Los Angeles. Some of the enhancements include sleeker apparel…
