Retail Stores

Walmart plans to build or convert more than 150 large-format stores over the next five years, it announced on Wednesday. Some of the locations will be expanded from a smaller location into a Supercenter with a full range of groceries and merchandise, but the majority will be new stores, Josh Havens, a company spokesman, said.…

Valentine’s Day spending on significant others is expected to reach a record $14.2 billion this year, according to the annual survey released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. Overall, consumers plan to spend $25.8 billion to celebrate Valentine’s Day, on par with last year’s spending and the third highest in the…

Retail layoffs are hitting especially hard recently. Macy’s is laying off about 3.5 percent of its total headcount, which amounts to roughly 2,350 employees, and the iconic department store is closing five locations. Also last week, online furniture seller Wayfair said it is cutting about 1,650 jobs, or 13 percent of its global workforce. The Wall…

In a keynote presentation at the ICR Conference in Orlando, FL earlier this month, Jim Conroy, chief executive officer of Boot Barn, detailed four growth strategies the retailer is focused on in 2024. Boot Barn, the nation's leading lifestyle retailer of western and work-related footwear, apparel and accessories, is one of the fastest-growing companies in the…

In episode 435 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Mary Ellen Coyne, CEO, and Kevin McLaughlin, co-founder and creative director of J.McLaughlin, an American lifestyle brand. Listen in as Coyne and McLaughlin provide an overview of the J.McLaughlin brand (0:55), detail the origin of the company (1:55), and identify the customer behaviors they…

We've heard for some time now that traditional brick-and-mortar malls are facing a decline with the uptick in online shopping. However, some experts claim the “death of malls” has been widely exaggerated. According to Coresight Research’s The State of the American Mall report, more malls opened than closed in the last year, the first time…

Consumers are generally dissatisfied with their retail experiences, at least according to a global study from the IBM Institute for Business Value called "Revolutionize retail with AI everywhere: Customers won't wait." The report points out that only 9 percent of consumers said they were content with their in-store shopping experiences and 14 percent content with…

U.S. retail sales unexpectedly rose in November as the holiday shopping season got off to a brisk start amid deep discounting, likely keeping the economy on a moderate growth path this quarter and further alleviating fears of a recession, reports Reuters. The Census Bureau said overall retail sales in November were up 0.3 percent from October…

Two major Macy’s investors, Arkhouse Management and Brigade Capital Management, are in talks to take the famed department store chain private, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. Arkhouse Management, a real estate-focused investing firm, and Brigade Capital Management, a global asset manager, submitted a proposal to acquire Macy's for $5.8 billion on…

In episode 431 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Anna Harman, co-founder and CEO, and Lisa Bubbers, co-founder and chief brand officer, of Studs, a new ear piercing experience that enables consumers to express themselves through "earscaping." Listen in as Harman and Bubbers provide an overview of the company (0:55), their inspiration for…