Retail

New York -- One of the nation’s most well-known toy stores welcomed its last shoppers on Wednesday.

FAO Schwarz closed its store on Manhattan’s 5th Avenue, a victim of rising rents. Shoppers flooded the store in its final hours. For more, click here.
 

Hartland, Wis. – Batteries Plus Bulbs, a 650-store chain specializing in batteries, lightbulbs and personal electronics repair, has a fairly traditional offering of products and services. But that doesn’t stop the retailer from delivering a modern omnichannel customer experience.

“We’re a needs-based business,” said Jayson Serrault VP of omnichannel marketing and analytics, Batteries Plus Bulbs. “Customers come to us with a specific need that has some sense of urgency and immediacy.”

Montvale, N.J. – A supermarket chain that was founded two years before the Civil War began may be going the way of the Confederate flag.

According to the New York Post, The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. (A&P) may file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as soon as this week.

Stride Rite is revamping its brand platform to implement product and service improvements, including an exclusive line of footwear at Target.

Staples Inc. has unveiled several enhancements to its e-commerce operations, including new looks for its websites and streamlined checkout features.

The retailer says the refresh of Staples.com features faster performance, a new interface designed for easier navigation and expanded personalization. A leading edge business to business site, the redesigned StaplesAdvantage.com has an updated look and feel with a new homepage dashboard, streamlined browsing and checkout.

New York -- Ollie’s Bargain Outlet raised $143 million in a wildly successful initial public stock offering that positions the company for steady expansion of its 181 unit store base beyond core markets.

Ollie’s co-founder and CEO Mark Butler told Retailing Today that although the company has identified 950 suitable store locations, proceeds from the IPO will be used to repay debt and the company will maintain a measured pace of expansion.

eBay is selling its enterprise business as it continues streamline operations in anticipation of its separation from PayPal Holdings Inc. on Friday.

In announcing its second quarter results, eBay said it was selling its eBay Enterprise division, which helps retailers enhance their online presence and e-commerce capabilities, to a consortium led by private equity firm Permira for $925 million.

New York -- Google made two announcements on Wednesday, both of which will impact retail.

In the first, the search engine giant said that the “buy” buttons it announced earlier this year will be deployed on a test basis in the next few weeks. The feature, called Purchases on Google, will allow consumers to purchase products directly from ads in select promoted mobile search ads.