News

NRF files lawsuit against new overtime rule
The National Retail Federation filed suit in U.S. District Court on Wednesday on behalf of the millions of employers and employees who it said will be drastically affected if the Labor Department’s changes to the federal overtime rules go into effect on Dec. 1. Retailers have argued that the new rule will force employers to reduce hours and base pay in order to make up for increased payroll costs.
Target in $5 billion share repurchase program
Target Corp. on Wednesday announced its board has authorized a $5 billion share buyback plan. The retailer will begin repurchasing shares under the new plan upon completion of its current $10 billion program, which is expected before the end of fiscal 2016 in January. Under that program, the company has purchased $8.8 billion worth of shares. Target also declared a dividend of 60 cents per common share for the fourth quarter, unchanged from the third quarter.

Party City jumps on seasonal hiring of a different variety

While most of the industry is focused on the upcoming holiday season, Party City has bigger fish to fry — hiring for Halloween. To prepare for the retailer’s make-or-break season, the chain will hire an additional 35,000 employees nationwide over the next four weeks.
Windsor uses cloud to optimize operations, support expansion

Omnichannel success depends on the ability to scale operations to keep up with consumer demand.
Apparel, accessories retailer taps Stages Stores exec as CEO

Francesca's Holdings Corp. has found a chief executive. The retailer appointed Steven P. Lawrence, who currently serves as chief merchandising officer for Stage Stores, as president and CEO. Lawrence, who was also appointed to the company’s board, will officially join Francesca’s in October 2016. Lawrence replaces Richard Kunes, who has been serving as Francesca’s interim chairman, president and CEO since May 2016. Kunes will become the company’s chairman of the board.
Study: Gaps exist between online and store experiences

Consumers have made it clear: they want to shop across a brand holistically, not a company’s individual channels. Yet, a lack of unified customer experiences continues to haunt customer service, and fails to drive customer loyalty. These details were revealed in “In-Store Meets Online: Unifying the Retail Customer Experience,” a report from Kibo, a cloud-based unified omnichannel commerce platform provider.
Five reasons why Walmart bought Jet.com

With its deal to buy Jet.com officially close, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon decided to answer a question that many folks have been asking: Why Jet.com? In a blog on its website, McMillon listed the top five reasons it bought the online startup. The top reason: to better serve Walmart customers and reach new ones.
Macy’s to host first national holiday hiring day

Macy’s is the latest retailer to announce it will hire roughly the same amount of holiday employees as last year. This holiday season, the department store giant plans to hire approximately 83,000 associates for positions across its Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s stores, call centers, distribution centers and online fulfillment centers nationwide.
Macomb Mall Shops sold

Mid-America Real Estate Corp. announced it had brokered the sale of the Macomb Mall Shops in Roseville, Michigan, for $3.6 million. Lormax Stern Development Company of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, was the seller. The purchaser was an unnamed private developer. The 8,074-sq.-ft. center, located at the northwest corner of Gratiot Avenue and Masonic Boulevard in Roseville, houses AT&T, Chipotle, and Potbelly’s.
Pennsylvania center gets innovative traffic control system

The new Hamilton Crossings shopping center in Lower Macungie Township, Pennsylvania, will benefit from an innovative new traffic control system that manages signal timing based on continuously monitored traffic volumes. The system allows traffic approaching the center from a major artery to the mall “largely unstopped” by lights, township engineer Alan Fornwalt told Allentown’s Morning Call.
Wal-Mart closes Jet.com deal

It’s official: Wal-Mart is ready to service a new online customer base. Wal-Mart’s acquisition of Jet.com was finalized yesterday, a move that extends the chain’s already vast digital presence.
Express beats customer expectations through outsourced services

Omnichannel has pushed the envelope on customer expectations, and retailers need to deliver — literally. Express is not only meeting customer expectations, it is exceeding them by outsourcing its fulfillment and freight operations to Radial. The omnichannel technology and operations provider’s Richwood, Kent.-based fulfillment center features space specifically built out to support Express’ back-end omnichannel needs.