News

Target is planning to test a next-day delivery of essentials ordered online in the Minneapolis area.   Called Target Restock, the service will pilot this summer in the discounter’s hometown. Once the pilot is live, shoppers who have a Target REDcard will be eligible to visit a dedicated online experience to access thousands of household essentials.  

One hotel chain is putting a new spin on room service.   Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham is partnering with Peapod and Instacart on a new grocery delivery pilot. Targeting the many travelers who are eager to keep a few “staples” in their hotel room, but struggle to hunt down the closest grocery store in an unfamiliar city, Hawthorn Suites is piloting a program that delivers groceries directly to guests’ doors.  

Lenox knows what its shoppers like — and now it has a way to digitally display luxury products that specifically meet their tastes.    Inundated with a steady stream of new products, the giftware retailer needed a way to streamline its presentation of merchandise across digital channels, and still deliver an engaging customer experience. For Lenox, this included deploying the Oracle Commerce Cloud, an architecture that is modernizing the company’s omnichannel shopping experience.  

Coach has acquired a brand with a strong following among millennials.   The luxury handbag company on Monday announced that it will acquire Kate Spade & Company for $18.50 per share in cash, which represents a premium of 9% to Kate Spade's closing price on Friday. The deal, which has a total transaction value of $2.4 billion, is expected to close in the third quarter of 2017 and add to adjusted earnings in fiscal 2018.  

AmazonFresh is expanding its breadth in one of its biggest markets outside the United States.   

Amazon’s signature Dash button may be getting some competition from a rival very soon.   A patent filing by Walmart reveals that the retail giant could be developing an Internet of Things-based device that tracks how shoppers use products in their homes and then electronically reorders merchandise.  

Online plus-size fast-fashion retailer Eloquii is testing its first physical location, a pop-up shop in the Washington, D.C. area.  

The retail industry had some good news on the job front in April.  

Is Neiman Marcus about to be involved in a lawsuit as opposed to a merger?  

Gymboree Corp. is planning a significant reduction in its store fleet.   The retailer is looking to close hundreds of stores part of a restructuring under bankruptcy court protection, The Wall Street Journal reported. The final number of stores, however, has yet to be determined.