Department Store

New York – Activist investor fund Starboard Value has reportedly purchased a 6% stake in Staples Inc. and upped its ownership of Office Depot from 8.6% to 10%. According to the Wall Street Journal, Starboard Value may be positioning itself to pressure the two office supply retailers to merge.  

Foothill Ranch, Calif. -  The troubles keep mounting for teen retailer Wet Seal Inc., which reported a wider loss for the third quarter amid lower revenues and fees related to its exit from its former Arden B business.  The retailer posted a loss of $35.9 million in the quarter emded Nov.1, up from a loss of $12.5  million the previous fiscal year.    

Washington, D.C. – Retail sales showed slow but steady growth during November 2014. According to the National Retail Federation, retail sales, not including automobiles, gasoline stations or restaurants, increased 0.6% seasonally-adjusted from October and 3.2% unadjusted from November 2013.  The increases were in line with NRF’s holiday sales forecast, which anticipates an increase of 4.1% from 2013.   

By Shannon Warner, Cognizant Technology Solutions   Talk about a gap: 62% of shoppers say loyalty program membership is beneficial, but only 26% consider retailers’ programs worth joining.   

Lands' End sales fell in its October quarter as its store base dwindled, though an improved merchandise assortment and a more-targeted promotional strategy helped drive a 26% increase in profits.

For the third quarter ended Oct. 31, Lands' End posted a profit of $18 million, or 56 cents a share, up from a profit of $14.3 million, or 45 cents a share, a year earlier. Revenue, meanwhile, fell 2.8% to $373.1 million as same-store sales fell 3.1%.

By Steve Jones   What’s going to keep people coming back to physical store locations, as comfort levels with e-commerce rise every year? Savvy retailers are fighting technology with technology, refreshing the look and feel of their stores by integrating more gadgets, and using data in a more integrated way to inform strategy.  In-store tech helps retailers beat e-tailers at their own game  

Gap Inc., is the only retailer to appear on a flawed list called The Civic50 that presumes to recognize the nation’s most community-minded companies.

Now in its third year, the lack of retail representation on The Civic50 is highly curious considering retailers enjoy a high level of visibility within the communities where they operate and are typically quite generous in supporting local charities and national causes. The consumer packaged goods was also under-represented on The Civic50 although companies such as ConAgra, General Mills and Hershey were included.

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. has turned to a Sears veteran for leadership after longtime and occasionally divisive CEO Michael Jeffries abruptly retired.

Abercrombie announced it will be run by a newly created Office of the Chairman, which includes former Sears CEO and current non-executive chairman of Abercrombie; COO Jonathan Ramsden; Christos Angelides, who oversees the Abercrombie & Fitch division; and Fran Horowitz, who leads Hollister.

Martinez retired from Sears in 2000 after serving as chairman and CEO there for five years.