Corporate Governance

Report: Black Friday madness alive and well in Great Britain
Black Friday may not be what it used to be in the United States, but the tradition has caught on big time across the pond, according to a report by the New York Times.

The BBC reported that shoppers in different parts of the country experienced gridlock, biting, pinching, punching, kicking and merchandise flying through the air as shoppers leapt over barriers to get their hands on heavily discounted items, the report said.
Report: Judge OKs sales of 47 Haggen stores
Haggen has received approval from a federal bankruptcy court to sell 47 stores. Included in the sale are 33 supermarkets to Albertsons LLC, which formerly owned the stores. Albertsons sold the stores to Haggen just less than 12 months ago.

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Spotlight on Lowe’s Innovation Labs: Q&A with executive director Kyle Nel

Chain Store Age recently spoke with Kyle Nel, executive director of Lowe’s Innovation Labs, who discussed the mission and activities of the retailer’s proprietary technology development center.
Retailers with the best return policies—and the worst

When it comes to return policies, Nordstrom and Forever 21 couldn’t be further apart.

At least that’s according to an annual survey of return policies by GOBankingRates.com. The study rated Nordstrom as offering the best return policies of 2015, with Forever 21 offering the worst.

“Return policies should be a big consideration for holiday shoppers — two-thirds of people return at least one holiday gift,” said Elyssa Kirkham, lead reporter on the GOBankingRates study.
Retail forecast 2016

How will retailers fare in 2016? Very well, according to experienced market watchers.

“We expect core retail sales to grow 5.3% in 2016,” says Scott Hoyt, senior director of consumer economics for Moody’s Analytics, a research firm based in West Chester, Pa. (Core retail sales exclude volatile revenues from auto sales and gas stations.)

That is notably faster than the 4.2% rate anticipated when 2015 sales are finally tallied. The 2015 experience was, again, slightly better than that the 3.9% growth of 2014.
Black Friday still a big thing in Britain

Black Friday may not be what it used to be in the United States, but the tradition has caught on big time across the pond, according to a report by the New York Times.
Retailers with the best--and worst--return policies

When it comes to return policies, Nordstrom and Forever 21 couldn’t be further apart.
Smart & Final expands California footprint

It’s official: Smart & Final Stores is acquiring 32 Haggen stores in Central and Southern California.
Mashable, Visa mix it up for e-commerce

Digital media company Mashable and Visa are doing a little mashing of their own to launch a new online retail entity.

The two companies have launched the Mashable Shop, an e-commerce storefront accessible via the Mashable media site. Mashable Shop offers both original apparel and accessories, as well curated technology products and select merchandise from Williams-Sonoma. The Visa Checkout online payment service will be the exclusive form of payment.
Meijer makes customers so happy they cry

Thanksgiving may be over, but it is worth watching a video of how Meijer made a difference in the lives of hundreds of customers and employees ahead of the holiday and in the process earned itself immeasurable goodwill.
NRF: Data security looks good for holidays

As the holidays approach, retailers face issues like longer wait times to process EMV-compliant cards, the threat of the newly identified ModPOS malware, and the need to go beyon
Report: Macy’s updates Herald Square with one important exception

A four-year, $400 million upgrade has transformed Macy’s Herald Square flagship. But for all the modernization, there is a signature element of the store that remains as is: the Otis wooden escalators—20 in all— that have been in operation for as long as 95 years.