News

In a move rumored for weeks, Aéropostale on Wednesday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The struggling teen apparel retailer said it would close 113 stores in the United States and all 41 of its stores in Canada. Store closing sales in the United States will begin this weekend (May 7-8), and in Canada during the week of May 9.

Target Corp. is getting tough with vendors as it works to improve its supply chain.

The retailer plans to tighten deadlines for deliveries to its warehouses, hike fines for late deliveries, and could institute penalties of up to $10,000 for inaccuracies in product information, according to a report by Reuters.

It may seem a little premature given that school is still in session, but the first back-to-school study has been released.

About 62% of households plan to reduce back-to- school spending compared to 2015, according to a survey by Bizrate Insights, a division of Connexity. Average spend will be $606, or $1,086 for households with college-age children.

Well informed. Well connected. Price sensitive.

Those three terms sum up the modern American female consumer, according to a new study from Blackhawk Engagement Solutions, which reveals that that price holds the most weight (75%) when it comes to influencing a purchase, followed by quality (55%). Other factors affecting women’s purchase decisions include brand (31%), store (26%) and availability (14%).

The fast-casual restaurant chain McAlister’s Deli has opened its first store in the New York City area, a market where residents know a thing or two about delis.

In a not unexpected move, Fairway Group Holding Corp., operator of the Fairway Market supermarket chain, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The company filed a “prepackaged” bankruptcy restructuring under which its lenders agreed to exchange existing debt for new equity and debt in a reorganized company. Supporting lenders agreed to vote in favor of the plan and exchange their loans for common equity and $84 million of debt of the reorganized company.

Wal-Mart and other retailers who operate stores in Canada’s Quebec province are going to have make some changes to their store signage.

The Quebec government plans to modify the language laws of the province, where French is the predominant language, to add French to their exterior signage. Companies, however, will not have to change their trademarks.

While teen apparel retailers are feeling the heat from online and fast-fashion competitors, Five Below continues to move across the country.

The extreme-value brand for and pre-teens and teens will open its first store in Wisconsin, in Racine, on May 6, 2016.The Racine store is one of approximately 85 new Five Below locations opening in 2016, on top of 71 new stores that opened in 2015.

Online sales and returns are taking toll on retailers’ bottom lines.

Operating earnings as a percent of sales has declined by up to 25% due to a shift from in-store to online sales, combined with e-commerce and omnichannel investments and the high cost of fulfilling e-commerce transactions, according to a study by strategic retail advisory firm HRC Advisory.

Sears Holdings has been having issues attracting shoppers to stores, as evidenced by the recent decision to close 78 brick-and-mortar locations.

However, the department store retailer is not giving up on efforts to drive store traffic. Sears is combining the eternal appeal of Mom and its strong history of omnichannel customer service to give shoppers a good reason to visit their local store.