Kohl's to Partner With Grocers, Convenience Stores to Fill Vacant Store Space
January 11, 2018 at 1:44 pm

Big-box retailer Kohl's plans to partner with grocery stores and convenience stores to lease the white space left in the roughly 300 stores it has "right-sized" over the past several years, CEO Kevin Mansell told CNBC at ICR's conference this week. The department store has created operationally smaller, more profitable stores within its roughly 87,000-square-foot boxes. The…

5 Questions That Can Improve Your In-Store Experience
January 10, 2018 at 11:13 am

Ask and you shall (usually) receive. According to research from Accenture, 35 percent of millennials and 40 percent of Gen Zs say they often or very often provide retailers with direct feedback when prompted. Make the most of this opportunity, especially with the younger part of your customer base, by gathering valuable insights whenever possible. The…

Target Latest Retailer to Report Strong Holiday Sales
January 9, 2018 at 1:09 pm

Add Target Corp. to the growing list of retailers who had a more robust holiday season as shoppers were in a spending mood. The Minneapolis-based retailer reported this morning that comparable sales in November and December rose 3.4 percent, much higher than its forecast for sales to be flat to up 2 percent. The company…

Employee Learning Technology Helping Bloomingdale's Save Money
January 8, 2018 at 12:24 pm

In episode 125 of Total Retail Talks, Chad McIntosh, vice president of asset protection and risk management at Bloomingdale's, shares how the upscale department store chain is using gamified learning technology to help store employees minimize safety incidents and theft, saving it millions in the process.

Sears to Close an Additional 100+ Stores
January 5, 2018 at 1:26 pm

Sears Holdings, parent company of Sears and Kmart, told its employees Thursday that it will be closing more than 100 additional stores this year, according to a report from CNBC. The store closings consist of 64 Kmart stores and 39 Sears stores, all of which are expected to shut their doors between early March and…

Macy's Announces New Store Closures, Job Cuts
January 4, 2018 at 2:00 pm

Macy's is planning 5,000 job cuts, including the closure of seven previously unidentified stores and other cuts at remaining locations, as it seeks stability in a tumultuous climate for physical retail. The retailer's cost reductions come after its holiday sales in stores open at least a year rose 1.1 percent. The moves are part of a plan…

Nordstrom Hiring 250 Employees for Stand-Alone Men's Store in Manhattan
January 3, 2018 at 10:43 am

Nordstrom announced that it's hiring 250 employees for its first stand-alone men's store in Manhattan, which is slated to open in April. To promote the start of employee hiring, the retailer wrapped the exterior of its new men's store with larger-than-life "help wanted" banners incorporating witty job descriptions like "Desperately Seeking Sock Svengali," "Now Hiring: Sneaker…

A Retailer’s Guide to Creating a Hit Pop-Up Shop in 2018
January 3, 2018 at 9:35 am

In today’s competitive retail environment, pop-up shops are all the rage, granting shoppers an inside look at their favorite products and the chance to forge deeper brand relationships through unique experiences. From fragrance labs to art installations, pop-up shops — i.e., short-term sales and experiential spaces that serve as real-world brand activations — have already seen massive success and show no signs of slowing down.