News

Report: Amazon expands logistics reach
Amazon.com's China division has registered as an ocean freight forwarder, which will give the e-commerce giant more control over shipping products from Chinese factories to U.S. shoppers, according to Reuters.

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The Mobile Trend That Some Retail Brands May Miss
It was a big season for online retailers. From November through December 2015, the final sales tally exceeded $83 billion (12.7% more than the year before). Cyber Monday alone ended up being the single largest online shopping day in history, generating over $3 billion in sales.

American Apparel board rejects Charney-supported takeover bid

Has founder and ousted CEO Dov Charney made his last stand at American Apparel?

The board of American Apparel Inc. rejected a $300-million takeover bid from Hagan Capital Group and Silver Creek Capital Partners — the investors aligned with Charney — according to the Los Angeles Times.
Sundance, Galleria Edina, Edina, Minnesota

Sundance is gearing up for retail expansion with a new prototype that speaks to its Western roots and brand heritage.
Fresh delivery market gets new player

Move over, Amazon, Target and Google – the fresh delivery space is getting a little more crowded.

FreshDirect, the New York-based online provider of custom and prepared grocery items and meals, is launching a mobile one-hour fresh item delivery service.
Walmart closing unprecedented number of stores

Walmart said it will close 269 stores worldwide this year, including many of its smallest stores, in an unprecedented move CEO Doug McMillon characterized as being more disciplined about growth.
Three trends to watch for at NRF 2016

The NRF annual “Big Show” conference is always marked by a few key technology trends. While the event has been known to throw a few unexpected surprises at attendees, usually it confirms and advances the direction industry momentum has been traveling.

Here are three major themes that will likely be prominently featured and discussed at this year’s NRF conference, which runs January 17 - 20, at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City.

‘Omnichannel’ Comes of Age
Ikea touts kid’s education accomplishments

In pursuit of its altruistic mission of creating a better everyday life for people, Ikea’s efforts go beyond selling opening price point home goods in cavernous stores.

This year's Ikea Foundation Soft Toys for Education campaign, which ran from Nov. 1 through Dec. 26, raised over $1.4 million in the U.S. alone through soft toys, Ikea Family children's books and card games sales.
BevMo launches click and collect

Concord, California-based specialty beverage retailer BevMo is ensuring customers have easy access to products, whether they are in one of its 157 stores or online.
NRF: Holiday sales fall short of forecast

The National Retail Federation confirmed what many retailers already knew and made a downward revision to a holiday forecast that initially called for 3.7% growth.

Citing what it called “unforeseen events,” the National Retail Federation (NRF) said sales during November and December increased 3% to $626 billion, down from an earlier forecast which envisioned growth of 3.7%.