Legal

Following a successful holiday season in 2018, the retail industry was immediately shaken by the longest-lasting government shutdown in U.S. history. Initially, some thought the impact would only affect the first financial quarter, however, as the shutdown lingered, the impact could be felt through the rest of 2019. The federal government shutdown cost the economy…

Amazon.com, the e-commerce giant helmed by Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest man, paid no federal taxes on profit of $11.2 billion last year, according to an analysis of the company’s corporate filings by the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), a progressive think tank. The news of the report was first publicly reported in The Washington Post,…

Amazon.com on Thursday canceled its plans to build an expansive corporate campus in New York City after facing an unexpectedly fierce backlash from some lawmakers and union leaders, who contended that a tech giant didn't deserve nearly $3 billion in government incentives. The retail giant, as part of its extensive search for a new headquarters, had…

Payless Inc. is preparing for its second trip to bankruptcy court with a plan that could drastically shrink the size of the discount shoe chain, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The retailer is seeking a loan to get through bankruptcy proceedings and discussing plans to shutter a significant portion, and potentially all, of…

Sears Holdings got a new lifeline yesterday as its sale to company chairman Eddie Lampert, through an affiliate of his hedge fund ESL Investments, was approved by a federal bankruptcy court judge, according to CNBC. ESL has said the $5.2 billion deal to buy Sears will save 425 stores and roughly 45,000 jobs. While an initial…

Things Remembered, a retailer of engraved gifts and keepsakes, is preparing to file for bankruptcy protection and will shutter most of its roughly 400 stores, people familiar with the matter said last week. The preparations show how a debt restructuring that Things Remembered underwent in 2016 wasn't enough to spare it from the wave of bankruptcies…

Shopko, the general merchandise retailer with stores located throughout the Central, Western and Pacific Northwest regions of the U.S., announced that it, along with its subsidiaries, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In its filing, Shopko cited excess debt and ongoing competitive pressures as the reason for the measure. Shopko reported assets of less than $1…

Gymboree is shopping for a bankruptcy loan as it prepares for a second chapter 11 filing in less than two years. The bankruptcy filing, which could come as early January, would allow the struggling children’s apparel retailer to close most of its stores, the people said. However, the company is seeking a bankruptcy loan that…

A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge on Friday approved Sears Holding Company's request to pay up to $25.3 million in bonuses to top executives, even as the company reported losing nearly $1.9 billion in the first three quarters this year, according to the Chicago Tribune. Sears, which filed for bankruptcy protection in October, said the funds will…

Amazon.com reportedly fired workers in the U.S. and India for allegedly giving internal data to independent sellers linked to scams. Following an investigation into suspected bribes, the e-commerce giant took action against disreputable sellers by limiting access to data and deleting thousands of suspicious reviews, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday. Part of the probe is centered…