Mass Merchant

Hoping to lessen the hustle and bustle of the holidays, Sears Holdings and Uber are expanding its Rider Rewards program to 23 new markets.   The service, which launched this fall in New York City and Chicago, enabled Sears Shop Your Way loyalty shoppers to link their memberships to their Uber accounts. Every Uber ride they take earns them $2 in loyalty points.  

It’s a draw.   Dollar General and Walmart tied for the least expensive overall basket, at $27 each, in Kantar Retail's Opening Price Point Study, which seeks to determine how select retailers meet the grocery and consumable needs of shoppers looking for the lowest absolute shelf prices.     

Beliefs that online shopping has replaced brick-and-mortar shopping are exaggerated, especially when it comes cosmetic and grooming purchases, according to a new The Harris Poll.  

Gordmans Stores named Ramin Mozafari as senior VP of planning and allocation.   Mozafari joins Gordmans from Kohl's Department Stores, where he most recently was senior VP, divisional merchandise manager for accessories. Prior to Kohl's, from 2008 to 2012, he served DSW, where he held various merchandising roles including VP, general merchandise manager.  

Walmart has agreement to a settlement in a lawsuit that accused the retailer of discrimination against gay employees who were unable to get healthcare coverage for their same-sex spouses.      Under the terms of the proposed agreement, the discounter will set aside $7.5 million to compensate the employees affected by the denial of spousal benefits from 2011 to 2014.  (Walmart changed its policy to include same-sex spouses on Jan. 1, 2014, shortly after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage.)   

With many Thanksgiving weekend digital purchases stemming from searches, the convenience of mobility is helping to drive this uptick.   That’s according to the “2016 Search Spend and Purchase Report,” from NetElixir. The study analyzing more than 11 million visits across four different verticals (food and gourmet, consumer electronics, apparel and gifting), starting on Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday.  

Walmart has opened a 4,000-sq.-ft. format that offers pick-up of online grocery orders and a convenience store that also sells snacks, beverages and more.        The 4,000-sq.-ft. location, in Thornton, Colorado, also has on-site gaso-line station, the Denver Business Journal reported.  

Ascena Retail Group reported a profit in its first quarter on lower costs, but it missed Wall Street expectations.    The company, whose banners include Ann Taylor, Loft, Lane Bryant, Dress Barn and more, reported net income of $14 million, or $0.07 per diluted share, in the first quarter, compared to a net loss of $18 million last year, or $0.10 per diluted share. Ascena’s income for the first quarter reflected lower purchase accounting adjustments and acquisition and integration costs.