Strategy

Aeropostale, the teen apparel retailer that most of the industry had written off as dead, has risen like a Phoenix.     Starting this week, the company is reopening more than 500 doors across the United States. In February, Aéropostale will kick off its spring 2017 marketing campaign, which is designed to showcase the brand’s trans-formation under its new owners. The campaign will be in the stores as well as online and through social media.    

FedEx Corp. and Walgreens on Wednesday announced a long-term alliance agreement that will offer convenient access to FedEx dropoff and pickup services at thousands of Walgreens locations across the United States beginning within the next several months.  

Wal-Mart Stores is reportedly planning a major round of job layoffs by the end of this month.   The retailer will eliminate positions at its headquarters and among regional personnel that support stores, the Wall Street Journal reported.  

The National Retail Federation on Tuesday called on the U.S. Supreme Court to allow merchants to freely and accurately show customers the added costs that come with paying by credit card rather than cash.  

Sportsman’s Warehouse is building out its retail portfolio in familiar territory.   The Utah-based retailer announced three new locations: Everett, Washington; Pueblo, Colorado; and Visalia, California. The new stores are expected to open in the second half of 2017.     The location in Everett will be the tenth Sportsman’s Warehouse store in the state of Washington and will be located in the Greentree Plaza.    

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba is making a play for a department store and mall operator in China.   The company made a $2.6 billion bid for Intime Retail, with a plan to take it private, reported the New York Times. Alibaba already owns a 28% stake in the company, which operates 29 department stores and 17 shopping malls in China, mainly in first- and second-tier cities.  

Hudson's Bay Co. is the latest department store retailer to report weak holiday sales.   The Canadian retailer, whose banners include Hudson’s Bay, Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor, reported a 0.7% decrease in consolidated comparable sales in the nine-week holiday selling period that ended Dec. 31.  

With an eye on customer engagement, 7-Eleven is upgrading its point-of-sale fleet chainwide.   7-Eleven entered into an agreement with NEC, making the technology company its exclusive POS provider. Overall, 8,600 7-Eleven stores throughout the United States and Canada will be outfitted with the TwinPOS G5100, a POS system that also features a sleek, durable customer display to run promotions, share information, and create a personalized shopping experience.  

In keeping with its fast-paced growth, Petco is starting the new year by celebrating the grand re-opening of 14 remodeled stores in Los Angeles.    Last year, Petco expanded its retail presence nationwide by opening 71 new stores and one new Unleashed by Petco store, remodeling 41 stores and expanding five stores.     Fourteen Petco stores will celebrate grand re-openings on Jan. 13-15.  

The founder of Rent-A-Center has returned to lead the company while it looks for a new CEO.   The nation's largest rent-to-own operator said that Robert D. Davis has resigned as CEO and director, effective immediately. A 23-year company veteran, Davis was named CEO in February 2014 after holding a variety of management positions.