Finance & Capital Management

Toys “R” Us is adding a new customer touch-point that it will use to get merchandise into shoppers hands faster.  

Nordstrom may not be going private anytime soon.   Attempts by the Nordstrom family to take Nordstrom private have stalled over financing difficulties, reported CNBC. According to the report, banks have become cautious amid today's unstable retail climate.    The Nordstrom family group owns 31.2% of Nordstrom. In June, the family said it was exploring a possible buy-out.   

Fake news. Or, at the very least, over-exaggerated news. That’s what I call the reports about the death of retail. Retail sales are up $121.5 billion (through the first seven months of the year) and the holiday forecasts look promising, with Deloitte predicting a healthy 4 to 4.5% increase over last season.

Gymboree has emerged from bankruptcy with a reduced footprint — and with new owners.   The children's apparel retailer announced Friday that it has successfully completed its financial restructuring and emerged from Chapter 11 as a new corporation under the name Gymboree Group. The company exited bankruptcy with a reorganization plan that includes a comprehensive recapitalization that will eliminate more than $900 billion in debt and a reduced store footprint.   

NewMark Merrill Mountain States this week issued a double-barreled press release: It closed on a $62 million refinancing of the Village at the Peaks and opened the Boulder-area center at close to 90% capacity.   The $100 million, 442,000-sq.-ft. had been under development for five years in a public/private partnership between NewMark Merrill and the city of Longmont. New financing was provided by Allianz Real Estate of America.  

Walmart is allocating more funds to hurricane relief.    The discount giant announced that it will donate another $5 million in support of Hurricane Maria relief. This is in addition to its previous commitment of $35 million in response to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.  

More unauthorized product ads are hijacking the consumer experience — an issue that will cost retailers precious revenue this holiday season.    As unauthorized product ads are injected into consumer browsers — and appear on retailer sites — consumers are distracted from the retailer’s offerings. This disruption – known as online journey hijacking – cuts directly into retailers’ revenue, an issue that could cost companies $2.1 billion this holiday season.

The nation's largest toy retailer wants everyone to take some time out to play.    Toys "R" Us announced that, this fall, it is launching "play labs" at 42 stores where kids (and parents) can play with some of the season's hottest toys. The retailer said that adults can use the lab to test the items on kids' holiday lists to check for age appropriateness before they make a purchase.