Multiple news sources report that Peloton, the fitness giant known for luxury in-home stationary bikes and related exercise classes, has quietly removed its unlimited free membership option on its app that was originally intended to capture new customers who may have been intrigued by the brand but weren't willing to spend thousands on its equipment.…
Marie Albiges
Luxury retailer Coach and its parent company are suing Gap Inc., alleging its Old Navy brand sold T-shirts with the word "COACH" printed on them in capital letters. In a lawsuit filed April 3 in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, lawyers for Tapestry, Inc., which includes brands Coach, Kate…
Walmart is raising its return shipping rates for seller-fulfilled orders, citing "changing market conditions," according to an update posted this month on the Walmart Marketplace website. While the retailer doesn't make its return shipping rates public, the company told Talk Business it’s the first rate increase in two years. Walmart marketplace allows third-party sellers to…
Visa, Mastercard, and the banks that issue cards with them agreed to pay $30 billion in a lawsuit settlement that was first brought to the courts by merchants in 2005 . In reaching a settlement, Visa and Mastercard agree to lower credit interchange rates and cap those rates into 2030 in the US, according to…
As it faces regulatory scrutiny over its potential merger with Albertsons, grocery chain Kroger has decided to sell off its specialty pharmacy business to CarelonRx, a subsidiary of Elevance Health. In a press release Monday, Kroger said the sale is expected to close in the second half of the year. "As part of our regular…
Ron Coughlin, who led Petco for five years as the pet retailer's CEO, announced Wednesday he was stepping down from the company and would remain as an advisor to the board. Petco named Michael Mohan, the former Best Buy president and COO, interim CEO while the board conducts a search for a permanent chief executive.…
Whole Foods Market, the Austin-based grocery store chain owned by Amazon.com, announced Monday it was introducing a new, smaller, "quick-shop" store format "designed to provide customers in urban neighborhoods a quick, convenient shopping experience with easier access to fresh, high-quality offerings," according to a company press release. The new format, called Whole Foods Market Daily…
At a session during the eTail West show on Tuesday, James Kim, vice president of digital and technology at Bloomingdale's, shared how the retailer is incorporating artificial intelligence into its business to bring more humanity to a very human activity: shopping. Kim outlined Bloomingdale's innovative approach to integrating AI to enhance customer experiences and drive…
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said Monday it would try to block the merger of two large grocery chains, Kroger and Albertsons, saying it would result in higher prices and lower wages for workers. If successful, the merger would be the largest for supermarkets in history, according to a press release from the FTC.…
Beyond Inc., parent company to Overstock.com, Bed Bath & Beyond, and other online brands, announced Tuesday three leadership changes, including two new CEOs. Chandra Holt, formerly the CEO and president of Conn's Home Plus, will become the new CEO of Bed Bath & Beyond effective Wednesday. Dave Nielsen, who until now was serving as president…
Shoe Carnival is expanding with the acquisition of Rogan's Shoes, a midwestern independent shoe retailer with 28 stores in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois. Shoe Carnival announced the acquisition Tuesday, saying it had purchased Rogan's Shoes for $45 million. The company said the move "advances [its] strategy to be the nation’s leading family footwear retailer" and…
Target is considering offering customers a paid membership program similar to Walmart+ or Amazon Prime, Bloomberg reported Wednesday. The news outlet said the potential membership program would be called Project Trident and could launch as soon as this year, according to people familiar with the matter. Target shares rose 2.4 percent Wednesday following the publication…
Helena Helmersson, who served as H&M's CEO for four years, gave her resignation in a surprise announcement Wednesday. The Associated Press reported that Helmersson said the past few years have been "very demanding at times for me personally. I am very proud of what we together have achieved during the last [few] years when we…
Anyone in retail knows that brands sometimes have to reinvent themselves in order to remain relevant and — for lack of a better word — "cool" to consumers. At the National Retail Federation's Big Show last week, executives from two well-known brands, Claire's and Crocs, shared how their companies overcame setbacks and charted a new…
Seemantini Godbole, executive vice president, chief digital and information officer, joined Lowe's in 2018. In a discussion this week at NRF's 2024 Big Show with Scott Rankin, principal and global head of strategy at KPMG, Godbole said when she was brought into the company, "there was a lot of things to be desired from a…
