J.C. Penney's new owners, Simon Property Group and Brookfield Asset Management, announced last week that they have cut the corporate staff of more than 3,500 by about 100 people. In addition, field operation was cut by 550 people. When J.C. Penney filed for bankruptcy protection in May 2020, there were about 84,000 associates employed y the…
Macy's cannot offer the use of its Scan and Pay app for purchases from departments where employees make commissions, and must pay back commissions on such purchases, a labor relations arbitrator has ruled, reports RIS News. The determination applies to three collective bargaining agreements between Macy's and employees at stores in Boston and other New…
Store-within-a-store (SWAS) strategies are nothing new, from the more traditional cosmetic brand and department store relationships, to the ongoing partnerships we’ve seen between brands like Best Buy and Sony. And while the concept is a familiar one, this past year has brought a new flurry of activity in this space: Target with Ulta, Kohl’s with…
The National Retail Federation's (NRF) chief economist Jack Kleinhenz said yesterday that the U.S. economy could see its fastest growth in more than three decades. “While there's a great deal of uncertainty about how fast and far this economy will grow in 2021, surveys show an increase in individuals being vaccinated, more willingness to receive…
As vaccines continue to roll out and states begin to open up, many retailers will be opening their doors to the public again, perhaps for the first time since early last year. However, operations won’t return to 100 percent normal; after 2020, the customer experience will look a bit different. If you’re planning on reopening…
There’s no question that physical retail has changed forever, thanks to the pandemic. Stepping into a store looks dramatically different than it did a year ago, and retailers will be adjusting their store experience long after COVID-19 has been contained. The need to do so is confirmed by a recent study by First Insight, which…
Between mid-July 2020 and early August 2020, NAPCO Research conducted an in-store review of 100 top retailers’ COVID-19 safety measures based on 29 unique criteria, including signage, safety messaging, traffic, technology, and friendliness/experience. The resulting report highlighted the top performing retailers, emerging trends in COVID-19 readiness, best practices for retailers, and the main areas for…
A fresh batch of stimulus checks sent consumer purchases surging in March as the U.S. economy continued to get juice from aggressive congressional spending, according to CNBC. Advance retail sales rose 9.8 percent for the month, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. That compared to the Dow Jones estimate of a 6.1 percent gain and a…
In episode 293 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Chase Fisher, founder and CEO of Blenders Eyewear, a direct-to-consumer (D-to-C) lifestyle eyewear brand specializing in fresh, vibrant and affordable eyewear. Listen in as Fisher discusses the origin of Blenders Eyewear, his professional and personal background as a semi-pro surfer, and the first steps…
E-commerce in the grocery industry was already climbing in the past few years, with 23 percent of U.S. households shopping for groceries online in 2017. Today, however, a growing number of households have picked up the online grocery habit throughout COVID-19, with 43 percent saying they’re likely to continue with this even after the pandemic…
