Alibaba's 2019 Singles Day generated $38.4 billion in sales, a 26 percent increase over last year's total of $30.8 billion and and a record for the day. The day got off to a strong start for Alibaba, according to the company. Sales hit $12.01 billion in the first hour. Within an hour and a half, Alibaba’s…
Melissa Campanelli
Women in Retail Leadership Circle (WIRLC), sister brand of Total Retail, this week launched a comprehensive rebrand that includes a refreshed logo, redesigned weekly e-newsletter (Inner Circle), and redesigned website. The brand refresh was initiated to help WIRLC better serve, and ultimately grow, its membership. The rebrand was dictated in large part based upon the feedback of…
A day after reports were published that Under Armour is at the center of a federal investigation, executives at the company are maintaining that its accounting practices are above board, according to a report from Business Insider. On Sunday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the retailer's accounting practices have been under federal investigation by the…
Have you heard of the Vendors in Partnership (VIP) Awards? The awards program was created to celebrate innovation, empathy and excellence among the retail solution provider community. In addition to celebrating great product solutions, the companies that are recognized are those that are willing to make changes that are meaningful in creating a better partnership…
French luxury group LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton confirmed Monday that is has offered to buy Tiffany & Co. for $14.5 billion in cash, sending shares in the New York jeweler soaring. The purchase would add another household name to LVMH's portfolio of upscale brands, including Christian Dior, Fendi and Givenchy, as well as watchmaker…
Rothy's, a San Francisco-based direct-to-consumer footwear brand founded in 2012, is creating and selling shoes that are made from 100 percent recycled plastic water bottles and post-consumer recycled materials. A commitment to environmental sustainability is core to the brand's mission. Taking that commitment one step further, Rothy's recently became one of the first brands to…
Ross Stores said this week that is has opened 30 new Ross Dress for Less and 12 dd's DISCOUNTS stores across 19 different states in September and October, completing the company's store growth plans for fiscal 2019 with the addition of 98 new stores. The 42 locations added this fall include nine stores in the company's…
Fashion chain Forever 21 has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The privately held company based in Los Angeles said Sunday it will close up to 178 stores in the U.S. According to the bankruptcy filing, the company operates about 800 stores globally, including more than 500 stores in the U.S. Forever 21 said it would focus…
Walgreens and Wing Aviation LLC, a member of the Alphabet family of companies, announced last week that it's offering what it calls "store to door" delivery of "health and wellness, food and beverage and convenience items — via state-of-the-art drone technology — in minutes," according to a press release. Wing, the first drone operator certified…
J.Crew announced last week that it has filed documents with regulators to prepare for an initial public offering for its fast-growing denim brand, Madewell. According to the filing with the SEC, Chinos Holdings, J.Crew's subsidiary, will be renamed Madewell before the IPO. The company didn't disclose the size of the offering or its target price range, but said it…
Target has announced that it will roll out its new loyalty program, Target Circle, nationwide on Oct. 6. The expansion of the loyalty program complements Target’s branded credit card, Redcard, which only a quarter of its customers use. It also replaces Cartwheel, a separate discount program, in an attempt to offer a “more seamless, intuitive shopping experience.” The…
Retailers are learning about all of the new technologies in the marketplace primarily through self-research. This was a key finding from Total Retail's recently released 2019 Retail Technology Report, which surveyed retail executives on a variety of technology-related topics, including how retailers keep abreast of the new technology solutions and innovations in the market, as well…
Target Corp. introduced today Good & Gather, a private-label brand that features food and beverage products. Good & Gather, Target's largest owned brand launch, will be available in stores and online beginning Sept. 15. By the end of 2020, Target said the brand will include more than 2,000 products such as dairy, produce, ready-made pastas,…
The National Retail Federation (NRF) today announced that retail sales — excluding automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants — were up 0.9 percent in July, up 5.6 percent year-over-year, and the industry trade association remains cautiously optimistic about consumer spending as a whole for the rest of the year. The NRF said its numbers are based on data…
In a post to its company blog last week, popular fashion resale platform Poshmark announced that its servers had been accessed by an "unauthorized third party." The hackers stole private data from users in the U.S. that included personal email addresses, Poshmark account usernames, clothing size preferences, and social media account information. Poshmark, which is…
