News

Born the six of seven kids to parents of modest means, Conn’s CEO Norm Miller knows firsthand the challenges facing working families. That’s why he’s proud of Conn’s approach to serving customers and believes the retailer’s unique business model offers staggering growth potential.

When it comes to reaching today’s consumers, Richardson, Texas-based vertical specialty apparel/accessories retailer Fossil Group Inc. is not living in the past.

“We are focusing on image creation for our social promotions,” said Jencey Keeton, marketing manager, digital branding and global marketing for Fossil, during an interview with Chain Store Age. “Images are now the way consumers are speaking. To be relevant, social platforms must include images.”

Retailers and suppliers have a new ally in their efforts to unlock actionable insights from the proliferation of data thanks to what Enhanced Retail Solutions contends is groundbreaking new functionality in its Intelligent Retail Platform.

Teen retailer rue21 is collaborating with a youth nonprofit to make a positive impact on the lives of its customers.

The company announced it is partnering with Together We Rise, a nonprofit dedicated to transforming the way youth navigate through the foster care system in America. The collaboration is a new addition to rue21’s philanthropy initiative, rueGIVESback.

Retailers and hospitality enterprises have a weak point unique to their business – the point of sale (POS) device. Despite significant investment in security, it’s still too easy for cybercriminals to access corporate networks via POS.

POS devices handle most of the payment card transactions around the world for retailers, restaurants, hotels, grocers, and gas stations. Because these systems are highly interconnected and accessed by numerous employees and other devices, they remain a highly lucrative target for organized cybercrime.

Which brands will break new ground, fall from grace, or overcome obstacles in 2016? Here’s my list of brands to watch in 2016. Since I couldn’t narrow the list to a handful as I’ve done in past years, I decided to expand the list to 26, one for each letter of the alphabet.

So here’s a brand-builder’s almanac for the coming year:

The holiday season got off to a horrible start at Bed Bath & Beyond and things went downhill from there, judging from the industry leader’s uncharacteristic and concerning profit warning.

The company badly missed its third quarter sales and profit forecast for a period that included most of Thanksgiving weekend, and said its same-store sales for the fourth quarter were likely to increase 1%.

The holiday season got off to a horrible start at Bed Bath & Beyond and things went downhill from there, judging from the industry leader's uncharacteristic and concerning profit warning.

With 2016 upon us, many employers find themselves nervously awaiting what election-year politics might bring to their doorsteps. Retailers and restaurant operators, more than ever, have been thrust front and center into the political landscape, with labor issues at the top of candidate's agendas as well as the subject of numerous ballot issues at the state and local level.   As a result, the business models and labor practices of entry-level employers are being evaluated by the public in much the same way the candidates are.

Specialty gift retailer Harry & David is taking a visual and social approach to a holiday promotion.

Harry & David is hosting an interactive social media campaign called #TastetheHolidays through Dec. 31. Consumers who sign up for the campaign online and follow Harry & David on Instagram and/or Twitter can win a variety of prizes that include gift cards and baskets.