News Briefs

Walgreens has revealed its store opening and closing plans for the upcoming holiday season.

The retail pharmacy giant plans to close most of its nearly 9,000 locations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico on Thanksgiving Day, which falls on Nov. 28 this year. Remaining open will be the 500 Walgreens stores that are open 24 hours, including the 300 pharmacies within those locations. Walgreens noted this is the second year in a row it has chosen to close its doors on Thanksgiving to allow employees to spend more time with loved ones.

A small number of Walgreens distribution centers and other sites will also continue to operate on Thanksgiving, including supply chain and centralized teams. The employees in these facilities  play an essential role in the company’s readiness to deliver healthcare and convenience for customers and patients leading up to Thanksgiving and through the holiday weekend, Walgreens said.

“This is just one of the ways we’re acknowledging the dedication of our store team members, pharmacists and pharmacy techs who tirelessly deliver incredible service and patient care every single day,” said Tracey D. Brown, executive VP and president, Walgreens retail & chief customer officer. “We heard incredible feedback from team members about their Thanksgiving holiday last year, so we are excited to extend that tradition once again for them to take a much-deserved break.”

Walgreens will be open on Christmas Day (Dec. 25) and New Year’s Day (Jan. 1).

Target Corp.’s holiday hiring plans remain consistent with the past few years.

The discounter said it plans to add approximately 100,000 seasonal employees across its stores and supply chain facilities, which is the same number that it hired for the past three holiday seasons. For its stores, Target will be hiring for roles that include guest advocate, front-of-store attendant, fulfillment expert, general merchandising expert, food and beverage expert and style consultants. 

As it has in past years, the retailer is first offering its current employees opportunities to work extra hours throughout the holiday season. Target said it also continues to leverage its “On Demand” team, a flexible workforce that includes more than 45,000 store associates, in its stores. The team is made up of employees  who have the option to pick up shifts on an as-desired basis to fit their schedule.

To hire for stores positions, Target will once again use pre-recorded video and online interviews. For supply chain positions, candidates will submit applications and online assessments.

The company noted that seasonal roles often are a gateway to a more permanent career with Target. More than half of last year's seasonal team members were offered a position to stay with Target.

Some JCPenney shoppers will be able to have select perfume bottles personally decorated – if they’re in the right store at the right time.

During September at certain locations across the country, JCPenney is offering for one day only the opportunity for customers to personalize fragrance purchases from select brands with complementary engraving or bedazzling. 

Shoppers who purchase any perfume from Oscar de la Renta, Guess, Ann Sui, DKNY and/or Dunhill can have their bottles engraved or bedazzled for free on the spot, with no limit to how many bottles a customer can customize. 

The event is in celebration of the new DKNY 24/7 fragrance launch. Customers can visit a select store on the event date (which will be Friday, Sep. 13 or Saturday, Sept. 14 or 21 depending on location), choose a fragrance, and watch as the bottle is personalized. See a list of participating stores and dates here.

"Whether you’re a fragrance fanatic or simply love a personalized touch, this is an event shoppers won’t want to miss," JCPenney said in a press release. "Make your fragrance collection stand out with a unique feature that’s as individual as you are."

Other personalized services JCPenney has offered this year include a limited-time initiative called Snapshot for Success that provided no-cost professional headshots at participating JCPenney Portrait studio locations during January and February 2024. 

Teen apparel and footwear retailer Tilly’s, Inc. named its new permanent CEO.

The company’s board of directors has appointed Hezy Shaked, the company’s co-founder and executive chairman of the board, as its president and chief executive officer. Shaked had been serving as interim president and CEO of Tilly’s since Jan. 21, 2024 following the retirement of president and CEO Ed Thomas, who had served in the position since October 2014. Prior to that, Thomas was chief executive of The Wet Seal, from 2014 to 2015, and from 2007 to 2011.

Since co-founding Tilly’s in 1982, Shaked served as the company’s president and CEO previously in its history. Tilly’s says Shaked has spent his tenure as the company’s interim president and CEO reviewing all aspects of the business, lending his perspective as the company’s co-founder, and utilizing his experience in the retail industry to work towards improving the company’s operating performance.

“As the co-founder of this 42-year-old company, there is no one who cares about it more deeply than I do,” said Shaked. “I remain fully committed and enthusiastic about making every effort to work toward improving our business.”

[READ MORE: C-Suite Moves: August update]

Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., Tilly’s currently operates 247 total stores across 33 states.

New shopping metrics provide insight into just how popular Amazon is with U.S. shoppers.

According to new analysis from Numerator, 83% of U.S. households made at least one purchase from Amazon during the 12-month period ended June 30, 2024. Households averaged 71 orders during the course of that year, spending an average of more than $2,700.

In other good news for Amazon, Numerator data also shows that in comparison to all U.S. consumers, Amazon shoppers are more likely to be mid-career millennials or Gen X and make impulse purchases. 

[READ MORE: Forrester: Amazon and Walmart to capture one-fourth of U.S. retail sales by 2029]

Numerator also provided the following data points about consumer behavior at a number of major retailers across multiple verticals:

• Among club stores, 46% of U.S. households shop at Costco, compared to 43% shopping at Sam’s Club.
• Costco shoppers have an annual buy rate over $3,000 and are more likely to be high income, urban, Asian, and committed to buying organic.
• Among home improvement stores, Home Depot sees higher household penetration (71% of U.S. households) and more urban and suburban shoppers, while Lowe’s over-indexes with rural shoppers.
• Shoppers of Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s are more likely to be high income, urban millennials committed to buying organics. 
• Eight-in-10 U.S. households shop at Dollar Tree annually, compared to 60% for Dollar General. However, Dollar General shoppers tend to spend more annually – $513 vs. $288.
• Dollar General shoppers are 51% more likely to live in a rural area and 17% more likely to be boomers or older. 
• Walgreens captures 69% of US households, who average 13 trips and spend a little more than $300 annually. 

Poag Development Group, which acquired Oak Court Mall in Memphis last year for $14.25 million, has acquired a department store at the property. 

Poag and its investment partners have acquired the 400,000-sq.-ft. Macy’s at the center for $7 million. According to the mall’s website, it is the largest Macy’s store in the region.

“Macy’s approached us after our acquisition of Oak Court Mall to see if we would be interested in acquiring their store and leasing it back to them,” said Poag. “Our group of investors was eager to jump at the opportunity, as we have already invested in the mall to ensure that the property stays in local hands to be maximized for its highest and best use in the future.”

[READ MORE: Poag Development acquires super-regional mall outside of Grand Rapids]

The Memphis-based developer will work with JLL, its strategic leasing partner, to maximize the potential of the property at the two-story shopping center. Poag added that with Macy’s now under its control, it will determine how to move forward with any potential redevelopment at the property.

“Our redevelopment plans [of Oak Court] were put on hold as we worked through the Macy’s acquisition,” said Poag. “Now that we know what we can control for the long term, we will solicit feedback from stakeholders and neighbors as to what they feel is needed in the community before any major redevelopment decision is made.”