Strategy

Plainfield, Ind. -- Walmart had added to its online fulfillment capabilities.

New York -- Party City isn’t celebrating its second quarter.  But it remains on track to open 30 new stores for 2015 and complete 50-60 remodels and relocations.

The party supply retailer reported a loss for its second quarter traffic amid light traffic. But it as the retailer reported a loss.

In the second quarter ended June 30, Party posted a loss of $23 million, or 20 cents a share, compared with a profit of $2.5 million a year earlier

Retailers rely on a combination of dividend payments and share repurchase programs to return cash to stockholders, but the latter method is coming under scrutiny as Democrats look to leverage the populist theme of income inequality during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Teens with a hankering for pricey furniture and décor — and affluent parents — will now have a new place to shop.

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Target customers at select stores in New York and New Jersey won’t have to get out of their cars anymore to pick up online orders.

Curbside, a Bay Area-based startup, announced that is has expanded its curbside pick-up service to New York and New Jersey with the rollout of 10 new Target locations. Until now, Curbside had only been available in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Corte Madera, Calif. -- Teens with a hankering for pricey furniture and décor — and affluent parents — will now have a new place to shop.

RH (Restoration Hardware) is launching RH Teen, which will offer “tasteful, high quality” furniture, lighting, linens and décor for teens. Launching in late September, RH Teen will have a own dedicated 200-page catalog (or, in RH lingo, “source book”), website and dedicated retail space in the company’s next generation of stores.

Westlake, Ohio -- TravelCenters of America has completed its previously disclosed acquisition of 33 convenience store locations in northern Illinois.

The company expects the stores, which average approximately 3,400 sq. ft., will be rebranded as Minit Mart convenience stores and the sites will undergo improvements in the coming months.

TravelCenters of America operates some 370 convenience stores under the Minit Mart, TA and Petro Stopping Centers brands.
 

JCPenney 's renewed focus on omnichannel seems to be improving profitability for the retailer, which reported sales and revenue increases in the second quarter.

The company posted a net loss of $138 million, or 45 cents a share, in the quarter that ended Aug. 1, compared with a loss of $172 million, or 56 cents a share, a year ago. Total sales increased 2.7 percent from $2.80 billion a year ago to $2.89 billion. Same-store sales were up 4.1% and better than results also reported this week from Macy’s, Kohl’s and Dillard’s.