Strategy

Wisconsin has become the third state to legalize the use of the automated robots. Virginia and Idaho passed passed similar legislation earlier this year.    The Wisconsin law places an 80-pound weight limit on the robots, and doesn’t permit the machines to travel faster than 10 miles per hour. The robots are also required to have a person in the loop to take over control in case something goes awry, according to ReCode.  

The Finish Line met earnings estimates for its first quarter amid sales that were less than expected.    The retailer reported net income of $8.1 million. Adjusted earnings per share came in at $0.23, in  line with analysts' expectations.    Consolidated net sales inched down 0.1% to $429.8 million in the quarter ended May 27. Same-store sales decreased 1.1%. Same-store sales at Finish Line in-store shops at Macy’s 13.6%.  

Bed, Bath & Beyond, which missed sales and earnings expectations for its first quarter, is focusing online for growth.   Citing strong digital growth, CEO Steven Temares said on the chain's quarterly earnings call that he expects store closings to increase as leases expire and as the way customers shop continue to evolve.  

Sears Canada is looking to reinvent itself.    The long-struggling department store retailer said it expects to close 59 of its 225 stores and cut 2,900 of its approximately 17,000 workers as part of its restructuring. Sears Canada filed for protection from its creditors under Canada's Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act, the equivalent of Chapter 11 bankruptcy, on Thursday.    

The chief executive of a regional supermarket chain ranks among the nation's highest-rated CEOs.   Charles C. Butt, CEO of H-E-B, based in Austin, Texas, was the only retail chief executive to crack the top 20 of Glassdoor's annual Employee Choice Awards, which honor the 100 highest rated CEOs of large companies across the United States. Butt ranked #16. (The number one position was held by Benno Dorer, CEO of Clorox.)   

Drone deliveries by Amazon could one day originate from an unusual-looking starting point.   

Walmart leads the pack when it comes to paid search advertising in the grocery category.   That’s according to new research from AdGooroo. The search marketing intelligence provider analyzed 124 non-branded grocery store and grocery delivery keywords from June 2016-May 2017.  

While the pace of decline at B&N has eased, the company remains firmly in decline with sales down across the board. The saving grace is that a firm grip on costs, which were slashed by $137 million over the year, allowed the group to reduce losses for the quarter, and to post a $22 million net profit for the full fiscal.  

Ongoing cost reductions helped the nation's largest bookstore retailer narrow its loss in its fourth quarter even as its sales continued to slide.   Barnes & Noble posted a net loss of $13.4 million, or $0.19 per share, for the quarter, compared to a loss of $30.6 million, or $0.42 per share, in the prior year.  For the quarter, the company's retail division generated an operating loss of $15.9 million, while Nook incurred an operating loss of $7.9 million, for a total operating loss of $23.8 million.  

Made-to-measure menswear brand Indochino continues its expansion from the Web into physical retail.