News

Parents making back-to-school purchases are willing to open their wallets, if the price is right.   That’s according to a new study from digital savings platform RetailMeNot Inc., "Back-to-School Cheat Sheet: Consumer Trends and Insights for Retailers," back-to-school shoppers plan to spend an average of $273 per child, up from their anticipated spending of $246 in 2015.  

The Hershey Company is moving its popular store in Manhattan’s Times Square to a much larger location.   The company will unveil a new Hershey’s Chocolate World flagship at 20 Times Square in late 2017. The new store will be three times larger than the existing Hershey’s store, which has been a major tourist attraction since it opened in 2002. It will also feature even more bells and whistles, including a state-of-the-art digital billboard.  

The customer journey for The Yankee Candle Company Inc. has many potential steps, and the company is ensuring they are all connected and help bring shoppers closer to making a purchase.  

J.C. Penney and Sears are turning up the heat on one another in the appliance category — and that translates into good news for consumers.     Penney began rolling out expanded appliance departments to stores nationwide this past weekend, offering aggressive price cuts and other special deals, Fortune reported.   

Hello Kitty Cafe is pretty darn cute — and popular.    Located at the Irvine Spectrum Center in Irvine, California, the pop-up café opened on July 15, and draw such crowds that it had to temporarily close for a few hours. It’s housed within a pink shipping container that has been refurbished to feature a counter and dining patio area, complete with bistro tables and pink-and-white striped awnings. Bold character graphics adorn the exterior and interior container panels.  

Urban Outfitters, which has a history of selling products that can sometimes cause offense (at least to some consumers),  has entered the presidential debate.   The chain is offering a range of merchandise criticizing Donald Trump, Bloomberg reported, including  a book of Trump quotations styled to look like Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong’s Little Red Book.   

By Dan Berthiaume Walmart Canada has begun following through with a June announcement it would gradually stop accepting Visa payments. On June 11, the retailer issued a release stating it would stop accepting Visa payments across Canada, starting July 18 at stores in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Multiple media reports indicate that as of July 18, Walmart Canada is no longer taking payments via Visa-branded cards at three stores in Thunder Bay.

Ross Stores remains among the nation’s most expansion-minded retailers.     The company  is opening a total of 24 Ross Dress for Less stores and seven dd's Discounts stores across 15 different states in June and July. The openings are part of the company's 2016 expansion plans, which call for the opening of approximately 70 Ross stores and 20 dd's Discounts locations throughout the year.   

Retailers are focused on getting leaner.   That’s according to a new study by Accenture, in which 88% of retailers said they were focused on cost reduction to free up funds necessary to reinvest in growth initiatives.  As for where they are those cost savings, the top three areas were expanding into new geographies (cited by 60%), digital technologies (54%) and enhancing customer experiences (52%).  

In a move that could help its employees save money, Starbucks Corp. is increasing the number of health insurance options available to its employees.    The coffee giant announced Monday that beginning this fall it will give eligible U.S. employees (those who work 20 hours or more per week) the ability to buy their insurance coverage through a private health exchange, which will increase the number of insurance options available to them.,