Starbucks is finally ready to write its Teavana "tea bar" experiment off as a loss. In 2012, the chain forked over $620 million in cash for the tea line, and Howard Schultz boasted the acquisition presented "a $90 billion global market opportunity." Now the company says the stores haven't lived up to expectations, so it's time…
Innovation and transformation will continue to shape the retail landscape in 2016, and some of the advancements being made can be helpful to both retailers and consumers alike. Closing the Digital Divide The digital and physical worlds will continue to converge, not only impacting checkout, but the overall shopping experience. Interactive tools will allow customers…
With disappointing holiday sales, retailers ended 2015 on a sour note. So far 2016 hasn't looked much better, with U.S. markets in the midst of the worst start of a year ever. Despite the questions swirling about global economic contagion, retail CEOs are quite optimistic — even if no one else is. Since consumer spending accounts for…
I’ve just returned from the National Retail Federation’s Big Show in New York City, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to give those of you who didn’t make it to the show some of the major takeaways I have after spending two days wandering the vast Jacob Javits Convention Center. So without…
Macy's CEO Terry Lundgren said Tuesday the company is taking a more professional view of its real estate assets than ever as it faces pressure to unlock their value. Earlier this month, Starboard Capital urged Macy's to follow through with plans to spin off its real estate holdings in order to raise more cash at a…
Friday morning’s news that Wal-Mart plans to close 269 stores will certainly have an effect on walk-in retail — especially if you’re on the hunt for inexpensive big-screen televisions, ammunition or Garth Brooks’ exclusive-to-Wal-Mart “Blame It On My Roots” box set. But what effect will the closures have on the way you look when you…
Online retailers hold the advantage of 24/7 accessibility, but their brick-and-mortar counterparts have found ways to chip away at it over the past few years. A major taboo fell by the wayside in 2014 when several national retail chains opened their doors on Thanksgiving Day. With the holiday shopping season recently concluded, retailers are evaluating…
Warm weather and deep discounting in the holiday shopping season meant retail sales nationally missed the prediction laid out by the National Retail Federation (NRF), although consumers still spent $626 billion in 2015, or 3 percent more than the previous year. The retail trade group had forecast that sales would rise 3.7 percent during the months…
Wal-Mart said Friday it will close 269 stores across the globe, including 154 in the U.S. The world's largest retailer also will open as many as 405 stores globally in the coming fiscal year, as it shifts its focus toward supercenters and Neighborhood Markets in profitable locations. In all, 16,000 employees will be impacted by the…
Sears Holdings Corp. is confirming it's closing a handful of Kmart stores across the country by mid-April as it continues to trim its ailing fleet. Howard Riefs, a spokesman for the Hoffman Estates, Illinois-based parent, which also operates Sears stores, declined to give a number or offer how many people would be affected, but he said…
