Mass Merchant

Shoppers are no longer willing to pay full price as deep discounts influence consumer behavior.   That is one of the key findings of a new consumer report by First Insight, which found that widespread discounting by department stores and mass merchants is significantly influencing the expectations of discounts when consumers shop in other product categories.   

Walmart continues to grow both its e-commerce and fashion presence.    On Friday, the discounter announced it had acquired the assets and operations of online retailer ModCloth, which specializes in eclectic and quirky apparel and accessories for 18- to 35-year-old women. The company did not reveal the purchase price.  

The ax has fallen: J.C. Penney has released the list of 138 stores it plans to close.   

Jones Lang LaSalle has announced the hiring of two new vice presidents to handle leasing of third-party-managed retail properties in West Coast markets.  

Forget about online. The biggest threat to Macy’s and other department store retailers is coming from bricks-and-mortar.   Speaking at a recent conference in New York City, Macy's CFO Karen Hoguet said off-price retailers have proven a bigger long-term challenge to the company than the Internet, CNBC reported.

The chief merchandising officer of Dollar General Corp. is retiring.   The retailer announced that James “Jim” W. Thorpe, executive VP and chief merchandising officer, will retire from Dollar General effective April 15, 2017. Dollar General said it has started a search for a successor and will consider both internal and external candidates for the job.  

DHL is helping high-volume retailers speed up “the last mile” of their omnichannel shopping experience.   DHL eCommerce, a division of logistics company Deutsche Post DHL Group, is expanding the functionality of its fulfillment centers in Columbus, Ohio, and Riverside, California. Specifically, the logistics company is investing in storage and mechanization to support the growing needs of its U.S.-based e-commerce retail partners that ship between 300 and 15,000 orders per day. They will also manage both B2C and B2B transactions.

Dollar General on Thursday reported better-than-expected fourth quarter sales and earnings and said it planned to raise compensation and increase training for store managers.   The discounter also said it plans to open approximately 1,000 stores and remodel or relocate 900 existing stores in fiscal 2017.