Hudson's Bay Co., owner of Saks Fifth Avenue, will convert parts of some department stores into co-working spaces, which will be managed by office-sharing startup WeWork, the companies said, at a time when many employees are negotiating remote work policies. Hudson's Bay will open its first five co-working offices, named SaksWorks, across the New York…
It’s been nearly a year-and-a-half since schools closed across the country. While there are still many unknowns when it comes to the pandemic, families are preparing for a return to school that resembles some sense of normalcy. As we know, the start of the school year means one of the busiest times for retailers. As…
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, grocery store employees overnight became “frontline workers,” contending with everything from empty shelves caused by supply chain disruptions to enforcing purchase limits and in-store social distancing mandates. At this current stage in the crisis, with vaccination numbers increasing and stores returning mostly to business as usual, retailers are…
In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Joe Keenan and Kristina Stidham discuss a research report produced in conjunction with Zipline titled, “Return to Retail: Preparing Your Stores for the Rush of Pent-Up In-Store Shopping Demand.” The resource shares why it’s more crucial than ever for retailers to reinvent physical stores for the…
Following in the footsteps of one of its largest competitors, Target announced Wednesday that it would cover the cost of college for its more than 340,000 U.S.-based part-time and full-time employees working in Target stores, distribution centers and headquarters beginning this fall. The move comes days after Walmart announced it would cover college tuition and books…
Apple plans to restore a mask requirement at most of its U.S. retail stores on Thursday for both customers and staff, even those who are vaccinated, in response to a resurgence in COVID cases. The company informed retail staff of the move Wednesday in a memo obtained by Bloomberg News. Apple already started requiring masks…
In an effort to help curb soaring student loan debts, Walmart announced this week that it will pay 100 percent of college tuition and book costs for its associates, starting Aug. 16. Walmart, the largest U.S. private employer, will drop its existing $1-per-day fee for associates who participate in its Live Better U education program. About 1.5 million…
Merchandise facility managers are having a hard time catching a break this year, dealing with labor shortages and a dearth of shipping containers and air freight capacity. All of that has caused major inventory backlogs for brick-and-mortar retailers. These ripple effects, of course, stem from the pandemic, which temporarily shut down factories and other production…
Consumers plan to spend record amounts for both school and college supplies as families and students plan to return to in-person classrooms this fall, according to the annual survey released today by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insights & Analytics. Families with children in elementary through high school plan to spend an average…
In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Joe Keenan and Kristina Stidham discuss back-to-school spending and behavior. Key data from recent consumer surveys on trends and forecasts show that retailers should prepare for a busy back-to-school season this year. For example, KPMG reports that BTS spending is expected to increase 9 percent year-over-year,…
