Commerce Dept: November retail sales miss expectations

It was a tepid month for retail, with the launch of the holiday period chopped up by election jitters and early seasonal shopping promotions.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 15, 2016

Zara parent Inditex rises on new stores, digital expansion

But gross margins are shrinking at the fast fashion company, and that’s a concern.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 14, 2016

Toys 'R' Us revenue, sales tumble ahead of holidays

The sale of its iconic FAO Schwarz brand mitigated loss in the quarter and the company is regaining its footing. A lot rides on the holiday quarter, according to Moody’s.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 14, 2016

Kohl's to stay open 107 hours straight before Christmas

The end of the marathon opening, Super Saturday, falls on both Christmas Eve and the first night of Hannukah, but heavy discounts could hurt margins.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 14, 2016

Neiman Marcus loss widens as core customers turn away

The upscale department store chain is badly hobbled by debt that is "completely unsustainable for a company of its scale,” according to Neil Saunders, CEO of retail research agency and consulting firm Conlumino.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 14, 2016

November retail hiring plummets to 6-year low

U.S. retailers added 521,800 workers during the first two months of the 2016 holiday season, plunging 14% from year-ago totals, according to global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 13, 2016

How Amazon Go will revolutionize retail convenience

Eight retail experts share their perspectives on Amazon’s checkout-free grocery store and what it means for the future of brick and mortar.

By Jason Ankeny • Dec. 13, 2016

American Apparel earns approval for contested $30M bankruptcy loan

While the retailer's previous Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing was meant to set the stage for a comeback, this time there’s no talk of a turnaround.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 13, 2016

J. Crew reportedly in talks to restructure $2B debt

The struggling retailer is also reportedly in the midst of a plan to transfer its intellectual property to an unrestricted Cayman Islands subsidiary.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 12, 2016

Consumer confidence skyrockets in wake of Trump election

The University of Michigan’s Index of Consumer Sentiment climbed to 98.0 in early December, just one-tenth of a point shy of last year's peak measure, itself the highest level since the start of 2004.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 12, 2016

Report: Walgreens may unload stores to Fred's to clinch Rite Aid merger

Walgreens may need to divest as many as 1,000 drugstores to mollify antitrust regulators.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 12, 2016

QVC puts Sprinkle on top of IT organization

Todd Sprinkle led the earlier development of the shopping network's iPad app, and will now focus on further developing the company's multi platform strategy, which last year grew to encompass online flash sale site Zulily.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 11, 2016

Wal-Mart to invest $1.3B in Mexico operations

The retailer has focused heavily on growth in Mexico, which holds the most Wal-Mart stores outside of the U.S., investing $3.93 billion there over the past four years.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 9, 2016

Restoration Hardware plunges on loyalty program woes, catalog delay

Expenses related to the launch of its RH Modern lines and investments in stores will also temper results in the short term, prompting the upscale furniture retailer to lower guidance for the fourth quarter.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 9, 2016

Macy's, J.C. Penney, Sears and Kohl's sued over false reference pricing claims

The Los Angeles city attorney says the retailers ran afoul of a California law prohibiting retailers from advertising a former price unless it was the prevailing market price within three months of the ad. 

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 9, 2016

Ikea shifts store strategy to urban areas

The furniture retailer plans to integrate more of its stores into larger mixed-use developments encompassing hotels, homes and offices.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 8, 2016

Sears' 20th straight quarterly decline cues more store closures

"In our view, it is now too late to turn this around. The rot has well and truly set in and it is just not financially feasible to reverse it," said Neil Saunders, CEO of retail research agency and consulting firm Conlumino.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 8, 2016

Costco sales gains undermined by discounts, deflation

Despite challenges in the quarter, CFO Richard Galanti said the retailer is investing more in e-commerce and focusing on merchandising and pricing.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 8, 2016

Lululemon same-store sales soar on product innovation, customer experience

The yogawear innovator has solved its quality and supply chain issues, and is once again creating performance fabric that’s giving customers a reason to pay top dollar.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 7, 2016

American Apparel to shutter 9 stores ahead of January auction

The twice-bankrupt retailer will auction its remaining stores on Jan. 12 and has warned that mass layoffs could be possible.

By Corinne Ruff • Dec. 7, 2016

American Apparel warns all SoCal employees of possible layoffs, bankruptcy auction delayed

The embattled apparel retailer has notified some 3,500 Los Angeles-area factory workers they may be let go Jan. 6, but adds "layoffs are not certain."

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 7, 2016

New York City considers ban of on-call scheduling in retail

The nation’s largest city is likely to put in place a package of bills that make it harder for retailers to use controversial super-efficient scheduling.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 7, 2016

Ikea to expand parental leave to all employees, including hourly workers

The new leave packages vary according to tenure and hours worked, and even childless employees have sabbatical options.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 6, 2016

Retailers feature high on LGBTQ corporate equality index

Human Rights Campaign's rating of Fortune 500 companies on LGBTQ issues showed 38 retail and consumer products companies earned a perfect score.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 6, 2016

Hudson's Bay weighed down by Saks Fifth Avenue, outlet stores

The Canadian department store company continues to face challenges in the women’s apparel, department store and luxury segments.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 6, 2016