Two California supermarket chains have entered tentative deals to buy 36 Haggen stores in California and Nevada for a combined $92 million as the struggling grocer draws the final curtain on its Southwest operations. Haggen is also trying to stir up bids for an additional 96 stores — including six in Washington and Oregon that Haggen had…
Staples is taking a stance against a growing holiday shopping trend and will be closed on Thanksgiving this year, the company said Thursday. The retailer has been open on Thanksgiving the past two years, but this year it says customers and employees should have the chance to stay home with family and friends. Instead, Staples will…
Selfie walls! Wearables! 3-D printers! The newly renovated basement at Macy's massive flagship store in New York City's Herald Square is full of millennial buzzwords. It's called One Below, and the department store wants it to be a destination for young shoppers. One Below is part of a $400 million renovation at Macy's flagship location and…
The clothing chain Hollister will get rid of steps at its trademark entrances at dozens of stores across the U.S. to make the doorways wheelchair accessible as part of a settlement approved Thursday by a federal judge. The agreement marks the end of a six-year court battle involving the retailer that specializes in Southern California-inspired casual…
Like something out of a horror tale, an abandoned store in Paramus, N.J. has come back to life as a Halloween retailer. Spirit Halloween, a chain of more than 1,150 pop-up shops across the country, has reincarnated a former Staples store and filled it with 4,000 costumes and accessories, with themes ranging from zombies to superheroes…
In the months after Patrick Campbell lost his job, the one thing that kept him from losing hope was crafting wooden crosses. He made his first for his wife, a simple one, with their nine children helping. It was her birthday and he had nothing else to give. Her tears upon seeing the gift inspired him to…
With a renewed focus on its core customer, I believe J.C. Penney can regain market share in the coming year from weak competition like Sears, Kmart and Kohl’s. Shifting marketing dollars to a series of specialized catalogs, and developing departments targeted to specific consumers needs will be important in winning back customers and adding back…
The nation's retailers, anticipating what forecasters believe will be a lackluster holiday shopping season, are launching big sales promotions earlier than ever before. But how accurate are forecasters' predictions? A lot is riding on the accuracy of the predictions economists make about how much merchandise shoppers will scoop up between Thanksgiving and December 31: holiday…
Retail sales in the U.S. climbed for a second straight month, a sign consumers may be looking past recent volatility in financial markets. The 0.2 percent increase in August followed a 0.7 percent gain in July that was larger than previously reported, Commerce Department figures showed Tuesday. The median forecast of 84 economists surveyed by Bloomberg…
A 116-year-old name in retail and one of the oldest continuously operating western wear brands is going away this fall. Sheplers stores are being rebranded as Boot Barn, and the changeover is expected to be completed by Thanksgiving, said Boot Barn Vice President Jayme Maxwell. Irvine, Calif.-based Boot Barn purchased Wichita, Kansas-based Sheplers in June for $147…
