The National Retail Federation (NRF) forecasts retail industry sales will grow between 3.8 and 4.4 percent year-over-year, according to its 2018 economic forecast. Online and other nonstore sales, which are included in the overall number, are expected to increase between 10 percent and 12 percent. The numbers exclude automobiles, gasoline stations and restaurants. Retail sales grew…
In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Joe Keenan and Caitlin Sullivan discuss the impact the Super Bowl has on the retail industry, including a specific look at how some verticals (grocery, sports apparel, electronics) fare better than others before, during and after the big game.
Pundits will say that we're in the midst of a retail apocalypse. In 2017 alone, 21 major retailers closed their stores and dozens of brand-name chains around the country filed for bankruptcy. But before you start building your bunker, there's an opportunity for retailers looking for a saving grace: reinvention. To outwit the competition, retailers…
Don’t miss this webinar to learn how to protect your business from costly overstocks, out-of-stocks and returns.
Macy's announced this week that it will be opening pop-up shops in its stores in a new marketplace concept called "The Market @ Macy's." The new storefront layout gives pods of space to brands and companies on the Macy’s ground floor to promote and sell their products. CNBC reports the idea is to give Macy’s customers…
Bon-Ton Stores said yesterday that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The regional department store chain, which has dual headquarters in Milwaukee and York, Pa., is currently engaged in discussions with potential investors and debt holders regarding a financial restructuring plan, which may include a sale of the company or assets. Bon-Ton has received a commitment…
A woman in California has filed a lawsuit against Wal-Mart over claims the company keeps products primarily used by African-Americans inside a locked glass case. Essie Grundy told reporters in Los Angeles on Friday that she felt humiliated and discriminated against when on three occasions this month she had to ask a store employee at…
2017 was a tangibly transformative year for retail, and specifically e-commerce, thanks to a handful of burgeoning technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and voice-assisted devices. At Quill, we’ve consulted our crystal ball to predict what 2018 has in store for the retail industry. Here are some of the retail and e-commerce trends that look set…
H&M announced Wednesday it would be opening fewer stores in 2018, in response the shift to online shopping. H&M also announced it plans to launch a new outlet store to sell external brands alongside its own label. CNBC reports following decades of rapid expansion, H&M has struggled to respond to the growth of e-commerce. The…
It's estimated that over 30 percent of malls in the United States are dead or dying. That amounts to millions of square feet of commercial space. Does this mean retail is dead? While we're going through a metamorphosis in the retail space, I believe retail isn't dead, it’s simply evolving. Demographics, transportation, logistics, technology and…
