News

Luxury retailers are not advocates of fast fashion, but Matchesfashion.com’s new service gives the term a new meaning.  

Ulta Beauty shows no signs of losing its momentum as the chain reported a strong quarter and raised its full-year outlook for the third time this year.   Ulta’s performance was impressive, both in brick-and-mortar and online where its sales jumped nearly 60%. (For commentary, click here.)    

Ulta has finished its third quarter with another very impressive set of numbers. Despite lapping some tough comparatives, the pace of growth has quickened with strong uplifts in total and comparable sales, as well as on the bottom line where operating and net income both grew by well over 20%.  

At a time when consumers have been trained to hold out for the sale, lingerie retailer Etam has entered into a partnership with First Insights designed to empower the brand to get the product and price right the first time.       

Family-owned and operated Meijer is getting a new CEO — and for the first time in the retailer’s 82-year history, it’s not a family member.   Effective January 1, 2017, Rick Keyes, president of Meijer, will add the title of CEO. He will replace Hank Meijer, who is stepping down as chief executive and will serve as executive chairman of the board.  

Competition was fierce during Cyber Week, however, the clear winners were those retailers that stayed in-stock and offered assortments at the best price points.    That’s according to the third annual “Holiday Season Report” from Ugam. The managed analytics firm collected and analyzed detailed assortment and pricing information among Amazon, Best Buy, Jet.com, Target, Toys "R" Us and Walmart during Thanksgiving week, from Nov. 24-28, 2016.   

Athletic giant adidas has opened a giant of a flagship, on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 46th Street in Manhattan. The four-story, 45,000-sq.-ft. store is the brand’s largest location in the world.    The new space marks the debut of adidas’ stadium retail concept, which is inspired by high school stadiums and celebrates creativity in sport. The store features a tunnel entrance, stands for live-game viewing on big screens, locker room-styled dressing rooms and track and turf sections where customers can try out products.

The new, 45,000-sq.-ft. adidas flagship in New York City is the athletic giant’s largest store in the world — and its most brand immersive.    Sleek and ultra-modern looking, the store marks the debut of adidas’ stadium retail concept, which is inspired by high school stadiums and celebrates creativity in sport. It features a tunnel entrance, high-school reminiscent bleacher stands for live-game viewing on big screens, locker room-styled dressing rooms and track and turf sections where customers can try out products.

It’s not easy for a family-owned company to phase out its homegrown systems in favor of automation.    Cavender’s Boot City has not only taken this bold step, but it’s  upping the ante even further as it transitions its workforce management (WFM) platform to the cloud.   Cavender’s is a 90-year-old western specialty retailer that continues to grow — even while it maintained homegrown IT systems, including a legacy-based WFM operations.   

Big Lots raised its full-year guidance even as it posted a sales decline in its first quarter.   The discounter reported net income of $1.4 million amid improving profit margins, after reporting a loss in the same period a year earlier. Gross profit margin edged up by nearly a full percentage point to 40% of sales.   Revenue fell 1% to $1.11 billion, just missing Street forecasts. Same-store sales were flat.