News

Target is losing another key executive.   Jackie Rice, Target's chief risk and compliance officer, announced she will be leaving the company at the end of the month. Rice announced that leaving is a personal decision, and she wants to be closer to her family who lives outside of Minneapolis, according to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal.  

Pep Boys is expanding its national service center footprint in the Phoenix area.   The company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Icahn Automotive Group, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Advanced Auto Service & Tire Centers. Advance operates 15 service centers in Arizona, with the majority in the Phoenix area. The Advance locations will be transitioned to Pep Boys Service & Tire Centers.  

Online luxury retailer Gilt.com is kicking off its 10th anniversary with the launch of a new website.   The company, a pioneer in online flash sales, unveiled a complete site redesign on Tuesday. Dubbed “The New Gilt,” the site continues to feature daily new arrivals and the flash sales that it's known for, but it will also feature easier site navigation, more exclusive offerings, and edited and dynamic editorial content — all of which will contribute to a more tailored customer experience, Gilt said. 

Walmart is making a bold move as it continues to seek out ways to distance itself from Amazon.   The discount giant is investing in Nvidia chips. These high-level graphical processing units (GPUs) will be the foundation of a robust cloud network where Walmart data scientists can build out AI systems, reported Geek Wire.  

Amazon is getting ready to introduce its same-day delivery service in its 10th country.   Canada will be the newest country to offer Amazon Prime Now’s free two-hour delivery service. The online giant reportedly plans to pilot the program in Vancouver. Based on positive results, Amazon will expand the service to other Canadian cities throughout 2018, according to Nasdaq.  

An e-commerce giant is making a big push into the brick-and-mortar world.    Alibaba, China’s largest online sales platform, is building its own shopping mall, with a goal of enriching the real-world shopping experience with technology and convenience, reported MarketWatch.  

Pottery Barn is bringing its new store concept to the city where it all began.    The retailer, a division of Williams-Sonoma, will unveil a 17,000-sq.-ft. flagship on September 8, 2017, in Manhattan's Flatiron District. (The first Pottery Barn store opened in 1949 in the West Chelsea section of lower Manhattan.)   

Online mattress start-up Casper is getting more upfront with shoppers.   The fast-growing company plans to open some 15 pop-up shops in cities across North America, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. The pop-ups are scheduled to launch in October 2017, and will remain open through spring of 2018.