News

RILA Supply Chain Conference coming in February
Logistics and supply chain executives from such retail powerhouses as Walmart, Target, Hudson’s Bay Company, 7-Eleven, Neiman Marcus, and The Home Depot will be among the speakers at the Retail Industry Leaders Association’s annual Retail Supply Chain Conference.
Homes good retailer files for bankruptcy — again
Gracious Home has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, its second filing in six years. In its filing, the 53-year-old retailer, which operates stores in New York City, said “there is a viable business remaining, albeit on a smaller scale.” Gracious Home previously filed for Chapter in August 2010, citing a sales decline due to the 2008 financial crisis.

New cost cutting move: Kroger offering early retirement

The Kroger Co. is offering early retirement to approximately 2,000 corporate employees. The offer does not include store and district associates, senior officers, and supermarket division presidents. It is part of the chain’s effort to lower expenses without directly impacting shoppers.
Super Saturday could attract more shoppers than Thanksgiving weekend

The biggest shopping day of the year is approaching, and shoppers are ready — almost 156 million, to be exact. On Saturday, Dec. 17, 66% of Americans – an estimated 155.7 million people –plan to or are considering taking advantage of Super Saturday sales to complete their holiday gift list, according to the annual survey released today by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The survey, which asked 6,890 consumers about their holiday shopping plans, was conducted Dec. 1 - 7.
How Amazon’s Transportation Plans Could Impact Retailers

The pressure is on for retailers to not only meet customer expectations, but to exceed them as differentiation in the retail industry becomes paramount. Amazon has raised the bar for expectations with offers such as same-day delivery and free shipping, as well as spread its influence to become one of the world’s biggest retailers.
Citi and PayPal join forces

Digital payments are getting a boost through a new partnership. A strategic agreement between Citi and PayPal will enable Citi cardmembers to use their credit cards with PayPal seamlessly online, in-app or in-store in 2017. The agreement makes Citi the first global bank to partner with PayPal and tokenize cards for customers that want to use PayPal for in-store purchases, across Mastercard and Visa portfolios in the U.S.
Best Buy unveils two-day free holiday shipping

Best Buy pulled out its latest weapon in the battle to win last-minute holiday shoppers: free shipping. For the third year in a row, Best Buy will offer free expedited shipping in the final stretch of the holiday season. Starting Thursday, Dec. 15 through 11:30 a.m. EST on Wednesday, Dec. 21, BestBuy’s online shoppers will automatically have their shipping upgraded to two-day shipping on almost everything.
Beauty retailer on fast track

The fast-growing NYX Cosmetics has opened a store at Brea Mall, Brea, California. The Los Angeles-based cosmetics brand opened its first brick-and-mortar location in 2015. It currently operate 23 locations throughout the United States. Menemsha Solutions provided both architecture and construction for the new store.
Post-Election Analysis: What's Next for Labor?

With most of the business community absorbed in the quadrennial D.C. parlor game of parsing cabinet picks and what they might mean for their industry's agenda going forward, little attention has been paid to what lies ahead for the labor community.
Five Reasons Social Retailing Will Explode in 2017

For a long time, social wasn’t a closed-loop system; but with the shift of e-commerce to mobile-first, brands can now use the data and features of social media to create hyper-personalized connections that get users to buy. And as a result, retailers can better track in-channel purchases, as well as multi-touch attribution.