News

Denver - The Finish Line’s Running Specialty Group (RSG) division, which operates 70 stores, is adding the two-store, Utah-based Striders running company to its national network.

RSG operates in 16 states and the District of Columbia under a variety of banners.

Striders was founded in 2004 by John and Kristin Wojciechowski, who will now join RSG in senior advisory roles and will focus on developing community initiatives to enhance the customer experience.

Best Buy is following the lead of Target and other retailers by partnering with a new app called Curbside at some of its stores.

Best Buy has signed a deal with Curbside, which allows shoppers to pick out what they want online. Curbside employees then buy the items and are there to meet shoppers outside the store an hour later. The app was launched by two former Apple engineers who raised $9.5 million to expand the service, which is free to shoppers.

Charlotte, N.C. – Nothing succeeds like success, and 300-plus-store department store chain Belk Inc. took a previously successful TV holiday campaign and modernized it for the omnichannel era, with impressive results.

Amazon is expanding its same-day delivery service not just to all of Manhattan, but to other New York City boroughs as well, with unknown implications for the retail industry.

The e-commerce giant won't say, but it will say it has expanded its Prime Now same-day delivery service out of Manhattan for the first time and into select neighborhoods in Brooklyn.

The service allows Amazon Prime subscribers in neighborhoods such as Brooklyn Heights, Fort Greene and Prospect Heights to get free delivery on a limited selection of goods within two hours of ordering.

In a move that could alter political debate and improve the image of the world's largest retailer, Walmart announced that it will raise the minimum wage of its employees to as much as $10 per hour by 2016. The decision has received mixed reaction.

Here's a sampling of the analysis of Walmart's big announcement.

Canadian discounter Dollarama has turned to an Office Depot executive to guide the company through expansion plans in 2015.

The company announced that Elisa D. Garcia has been appointed as an independent director and member of the nominating and governance committee of the corporation. Garcia's appointment expands the company’s board of directors to 10 directors, seven of whom are independent.

Boston – Shoe/apparel shopping site ShoeBuy, has relaunched its e-commerce site with changes rooted in customer feedback and consumer research. The retailer aims to deliver a more intuitive website, a refreshed rewards program and a commitment to building an engaging shopping experience.

Build-A-Bear Workshop was busy building a lot of bears this holiday season, if the retailer’s same store sales are any indication.

The company reported that same store sales were up 9.9% for the quarter, with a 8.5 percent increase in North America and 14 percent increase in Europe. Build-A-Bear also saw an $11.8 million profit for the fourth quarter, more than double the $5.4 million profit it reported in the prior-year quarter.