News

Barnes & Noble considering new format
On a day when his company reported its fifth straight quarter of sales declines, the CEO of Barnes & Noble sounded a positive note, telling the Wall Street Journal that the retailer is looking at a new store prototype.
Francesca’s profit slips in Q2; reining in expansion
Houston – Rising expenses resulted in falling profits at Francesca’s Holdings Corp., which plans to slow its store expansion going forward.

Francesca’s net income fell 10% to $9.3 million in the second quarter, from $10.3 million the prior year period.

Rising boutique and payroll expenses related to new store openings were the primary factor in decreasing Francesca’s profits. However, new store openings also helped drive a 9% increase in net sales, to $106.03 million from $97.02 million.

JCP and Strahan make Giant menswear move

A former New York NFL star is bringing his unique sense of fashion to the men's department at JCPenney.

The retailer says it is teaming up with former N.Y. Giant and current ABC talk show host Michael Strahan (seen above with co-host Kelly Ripa) on the Collection by Michael Strahan, an exclusive brand of men's tailored clothing, dress shirts, neckwear and accessories now available in over 200 JCPenney stores and at jcpenney.com.
PriceSmart shows sales smarts in August

San Diego - PriceSmart Inc. demonstrated intelligence when it comes to sales in August 2015. The U.S.-based operator of warehouse club stores in the Caribbean and Latin America increased net sales 13% to $232.7 million from $206.7 million in August a year earlier.

Same-store sales rose 3%. PriceSmart will release fourth quarter and fiscal year 2015 results on Oct. 29.
Toy titans square off before the first bell jingles

With Halloween still more than a month away, two of the biggest names in retail have released their lists of the hottest toys this holiday season.

Target and Toy”R”Us have both revealed their 2015 Holiday Hot Toy Lists, with everything from scooters to Star Wars to the trendiest video games.
Study: Slow sites drive away customers

Mahwah, N.J. - Bulky, slow web pages will drive away shoppers.

According to a new study of the top 100 e-commerce sites from Radware, “State of the Union: E-commerce Page Speed & Web Performance Summer 2015,” 57% of site visitors will abandon a web page after just three seconds if they are unable to interact with the key content.
Starbucks, Panama City, Panama

Starbucks Coffee Company's first store in Panama is located in Panama City, in the Street Mall shopping center. With a 28-ft. high ceiling, the focal point of the 3,304-sq.-ft. store is a one-of-a-kind custom made hanging mobile, designed to represent the Geisha coffee plant, which signifies the birth of the coffee industry in Panama.
HSN teams up with a fashion (and omnichannel) ace

Multi-channel retailer HSN is parterning with a tennis legend and fashion icon for an innovative shopping event during New York Fashion Week.

HSN Inc. has announced that Williams will be live-streaming her fall Signature Statement Collection during a special HSN.com "Front Row" event during New York Fashion Week on Sept. 15. The retailer aims to transform the way designers bring their collection to market by allowing fans of Williams's fall collection to shop the runway online immediately after the show.
Tech Guest Viewpoint: Your most valuable customers aren’t buying

It’s a commonly held belief among retailers that their most valuable customer is the one that is a brand advocate, has the loyalty card, and makes purchases on a regular basis. But there is a problem with that assumption.

While the patterns of behavior from your most loyal customer can show you what is working, they can’t tell you anything about what isn’t working -- or how to fix it. In truth, a retailer’s most valuable customer is the one that comes into your store, browses, but then leaves before buying.
Aerosoles picks footwear veteran as CEO

New Jersey-based women's shoe company Aerosoles has named a retail and footwear industry veteran as its next CEO.