Brick-and-Mortar

The Advance Retail Sales Report from the Census Bureau showed consumer spending was down less than feared in January. Headline sales declined 0.2 percent, a step down from December's flat reading but better than the projected 0.3 percent decline. However, better days may be on the horizon for retailers. Economists widely expect bigger tax returns this…

Retailers continue to face margin pressures driven by supply chain disruptions, inflation, changing consumer behavior and rising operational costs. Electricity is one of those rising expenses. It has outpaced overall inflation since 2022, according to the Consumer Price Index, and the U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that retail electricity prices were up 6.8 percent year-over-year…

Holiday shopping trends revealed a sharp divide within the retail industry, and big-box stores are caught in the middle. Industry consumer spending data from the biggest pre-Christmas weekend of the year, Black Friday/Small Business Saturday, shows a clear bifurcation of shopping habits. Mid-market retailers report stagnant growth and missed targets, like Target’s 16 percent profit…

After over a decade of conversation about the decline of brick-and-mortar retail, the current state of the market is proving the industry’s resilience, with retailers fighting for physical space. The demand for well-located, quality retail space exceeds the available inventory, intensifying the competition for valuable real estate and driving rents up. Clever retailers have become…

While Amazon.com entering the big-box format with its largest-ever store will be framed as a push to compete with Walmart and Costco and win more physical baskets, the real story is more focused on attribution and retail media. This is more than an expansion of where Amazon sells products. Rather, it’s expanding where it can…

For years, many assumed that malls were nearing the end of their relevance. New consumer research points in the opposite direction. The American mall is adjusting to new expectations and attracting shoppers who want experiences that online retail cannot provide. Accruent’s 2025 Retail Survey found that 70 percent of consumers want to see more traditional…

Meet the Gen Z shopper: phone in hand, switching between TikTok and Instagram while moving through the world around them. Their attention shifts quickly, shaped by a constant feed of tailored content and instant recommendations. They value authenticity and newness, and they decide within seconds whether something feels worth their time. For retailers, this poses…

Outdoor apparel chain Eddie Bauer's nearly 200 stores in the United States and Canada may soon be on the chopping block. An entity of retail holding company Catalyst Brands, which owns the license rights to operate Eddie Bauer stores across North America, is prepping a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, sources familiar with the situation told Business…

The retail industry is already steeped in the nonstop buzz of artificial intelligence. While hype is high, action is lagging. The time is now to accelerate or be left at the bus stop. Yet the question remains: Is there a real return on investment in AI? A recent Google study, ROI of AI, found that…

Sustainable footwear brand Allbirds announced Wednesday it would be shuttering all full-price U.S. stores by the end of February in an effort to focus more on e-commerce and partnerships as part of its multiyear turnaround strategy. It will keep its two U.S. outlet stores and its two full-price London stores open. San Francisco-based Allbirds said…