Finance & Capital Management

Current media reporting on the state of physical retail is mostly doom and gloom. But analysts at real estate research company CoStar listened in on the latest wave of Q1 earnings calls and discovered a generally bullish attitude for brick-and-mortar retail among developers.   “I just think the [negative] narrative is a way ahead of itself," a CoStar report quoted Simon Properties CEO David Simon as saying.   

Gymboree Corp. is planning a significant reduction in its store fleet.   The retailer is looking to close hundreds of stores part of a restructuring under bankruptcy court protection, The Wall Street Journal reported. The final number of stores, however, has yet to be determined.  

The retail industry had some good news on the job front in April.  

The nation’s largest retailer is introducing special financing for its credit cards that comes with an appealing hook.    The new offer provides no-interest financing plans for the Walmart Credit Card and the Walmart Mastercard Credit Card, with plans extending across either six months or 12 months on purchases. Similar to most plans, customers don’t pay any interest during the promotional period. But the Walmart offer is different from most others in that the interest also does not accrue during the promotional period.

Is Neiman Marcus about to be involved in a lawsuit as opposed to a merger?  

The retail environment in Canada is proving more challenging than some U.S. retailers had anticipated.     Express said it will close all 17 of its stores in Canada, and discontinue its Canadian operations through its Canadian subsidiary, Express Fashion Apparel Canada Inc. The retailer will continue to operate 635 stores in the United States.      

Amazon’s fashion journey may have just hit a bump in the road.   Cathy Beaudoin, the online giant’s president of fashion, has left her post — a position she has held for eight years, reported Business of Fashion.