News

The mattress wars are heating up
There's more disruption in the mattress category at retail. West Elm has entered into a partnership with hot online mattress company Leesa Sleep, which will replace another hot online startup — Casper — as the home furnishings retailer's official mattress partner. The news come on the heels of Casper's announcement that it will open up more than a dozen pop-up stores in cities nationwide.
Dunkin' Donuts names marketing chief
Dunkin' Donuts has tapped an agency marketing/advertising veteran to head up its U.S. marketing efforts. The company appointed Tony Weisman, 57, to the position of U.S. chief marketing officer, effective in late September. He most recently served as the North American CEO of DigitasLBi, a global digital agency network, which has worked on the Dunkin' Donuts account for some six years.

At Home beats Q2 estimates; raises sales outlook

At Home Group is on a roll — and then some. The fast-growing, value home decor retailer on Tuesday reported its 14th consecutive quarter of same-store sales increases and 13th consecutive quarter of over 20% net sales growth. In the second quarter ended July 29, At Home's net sales increased 23.2% to $232.1 million, from $188.4 million in the year-ago period. Analysts had expected sales of $227.1 million. Same-store sales rose 7.8%.
Regulatory Wrap-Up: Obama overtime rule struck down

Wages
Overtime: A federal district court judge officially struck down the Obama-era overtime rule which would have raised the overtime threshold to $47,476/yr. The same judge issued a stay of the rule last December. The final decision was based on the argument that job responsibilities, and not just salary levels alone, should have been considered in setting the threshold.
Discounter’s head of risk and compliance to depart

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 makes acquisition

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.
Flash site pioneer unveils redesigned, more customized Web experience

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.
Warehouse club giant tops estimates in August

Costco Wholesale Corp. turned in a strong performance in August, helped by a big increase in online sales. Net sales rose 10% to $9.8 billion for the month of August, from $8.9 billion during the similar period last year. Total same-store sales rose 7.3%, higher than the 6.1% Wall Street expected. Same-store U.S. sales rose 7.4%, easily topping estimates for a 4.9% to 5.3% increase. Costco's comparable e-commerce sales jumped 26% in August.
Dyson to set up shop in the U.S.

The British brand best known for its bagless vacuum cleaners, bladeless fans and, most recently, high-tech hair-dryers is expanding its fledgling retail portfolio. Dyson Ltd. will open a "Dyson Demo" store this fall at Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto. Also in the works: a store at 640 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, and one in San Francisco's Union Square.
Westfield in partnership with Uber

Westfield’s billion-dollar renovation of its Century City Mall in Los Angeles will include a swanky Uber Lounge where customers can wait in style for their rides. The shopping center owner has formed a partnership with Uber to facilitate use of shared rides at its centers nationwide. The mall owner will create drop-off and pick-up stations at every one of its U.S. properties, whose locations will be digitally mapped into the Uber app. The idea: make pick-ups and drop-offs easier and build mall traffic.