Mattel Inc., the parent company of American Girl, announced that select Toy“R”Us locations will now sell the iconic dolls. The partnership, which boosts the brand's store base nearly six times, will make Toys“R”Us the only U.S.-based retailer to feature American Girl shop-in-shops in some stores. Ninety-seven Toys“R”Us stores across the country will debut the American…
Abercrombie & Fitch Co. announced that it will be closing 60 stores in the U.S. after reporting a wider loss for its second quarter. This represents about an 8 percent closure of its store count in the domestic market. Abercrombie reported that sales have been hurt by a decline of tourists to its flagship cities.…
Aeropostale was thrown a lifeline as a group of interested parties bid on its assets. Companies General Growth Properties, Simon Property Group and Authentic Brands Group joined together to bid $243.3 million to save 229 stores from closing, and therefore possibly saving Aeropostale from liquidation. An auction for Aeropostale's assets was supposed to be held…
Lowe's is about to debut its latest addition to its store associate team. This fall, the home improvement retailer will introduce LoweBot, a NAVii autonomous retail service robot. LoweBot make its debut in 11 stores throughout the San Francisco Bay area. According to CNBC, "the robots, made by Fellow Robots, use a 3-D scanner to…
Even in hard economic times, many women love to apply makeup to improve their looks, and aren’t concerned about its actual value insomuch as the product does what it says it will. Therefore, beauty brands and retailers typically do well. Enter Ulta Beauty, the retail chain store that’s planning to increase its stores by 100 this year…
Iconic retailer Sears Holdings last week announced that it would accept a loan offer of $300 million from Edward Lampert, the hedge fund manager who runs the company. The loan, from Lampert's ESL Investments, will help provide funds for the all-important holiday season and reassure lenders and vendors nervous about more than $9 billion in losses…
As part of a turnaround plan, Kohl’s has added beauty departments to all its 1,100 stores. Brands like Lorac, Pür, Bliss and theBalm will be sold in the new departments, which range from 670 to 1,000 square feet depending on the location. Kohl’s also moved hair dryers and irons from the home section into the…
Retail is undergoing its biggest evolution to date. Consumer expectations are on the rise, and a generation of younger shoppers is changing the way brands think about engagement, loyalty and the customer experience. With so much change, it’s inevitable that there will be winners and losers when the dust settles. In fact, we’re already seeing…
To help celebrate its 50th anniversary, Best Buy is showcasing some of the latest technology it sells in a house of sorts it has temporarily put in the middle of the Mall of America. The display, called Best Buy Tech Home, opened in the mall's rotunda on Monday and will stay open through Sept. 17. Inside are…
Amazon.com is planning to open a drive-up grocery store in Seattle, newly discovered planning documents suggest. Permit filings uncovered by GeekWire show plans to renovate a former restaurant in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood into a 9,759 square foot retail space where customers can pick up groceries that they’ve ordered online, in what the project team calls “a new model of grocery shopping.” Amazon appears…
