News

Teen apparel retailer emerges from Chapter 11
Rue21 is looking towards the future. The retailer announced Friday that it has completed its financial restructuring and has emerged from bankruptcy. The chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May 2017, listing $307 million in pre-petition assets. It filed a month after it said it would close 400 stores. "We are pleased to be moving forward with rue21's next chapter of growth as a highly performing and distinctive retailer," said Melanie Cox, CEO of rue21.
Amazon is hiring for shoppable interactive video start-up
Amazon is on the hunt for a team to head up its newest business venture. The online giant is launching a new start-up called “Amazon Live.” The division “builds interactive streaming experiences that create new shopping experiences for customers,” according to a posting on Amazon Jobs.

Drugstore chain uses analytics to gain insight into IT performance

Walgreens is relying on data analytics to ensure all of its IT systems are working as efficiently as possible. Through a partnership with IBM, the drugstore chain is taking steps to drive more IT support across its enterprise. The first step is to integrate hardware and software from different vendors under one roof. This centralization will make it easier to stay abreast of performance.
Walmart tests new delivery drop-off point — the customer’s fridge

Walmart’s new grocery delivery program could give it a huge edge in the online ordering game.
Smart Energy Management Trends for Brick-and-Mortar Retailers

Commercial retail is a unique and rapidly changing space. With the rise of online shopping, retailers are creatively adapting to improve the experience of being in a physical store. Strategies like experiential retail make shopping a personalized and engaging experience instead of a simple transaction. Retailers are also providing customers with a more tech-friendly brick-and-mortar shopping experience in response to online competitors – the prevalence of self-serve check-out stations being just one example.
Amazon in big restaurant push

Amazon is upping its restaurant delivery program in a move to add some of the nation's best-known chains to its menu. Olo, a New York-based food delivery service, announced that it is integrating Amazon Restaurants’ delivery service into its ordering platform. The collaboration potentially gives the online giant access to 200 restaurant brands, including Chipotle, Denny’s, Five Guys Burgers & Fries and Jamba Juice, among others.
Uniqlo to debut new specialty store concept

Japanese fast-fashion retailer Uniqlo is going all out for denim in Los Angeles. The company, part of Fast Retailing Group, will open a special store dedicated to denim in the Arts District of Los Angeles this fall/winter. The new "denim concept" shop will be Uniqlo's 47th location in the U.S., and ninth in the L.A. region following the opening at Westfield Santa Anita mall earlier in September.
Target in major expansion of next-day delivery program

The delivery wars continue to heat up as Target Corp. announced it was rolling out its next-day delivery service of household essentials, Target Restock, to eight new markets.
The two companies with the highest online grocery satisfaction are...

If traditional supermarket retailers want to become online destinations for grocery, they need to step up their digital shopping experiences. In fact, shoppers rated their overall satisfaction ordering food and grocery items online highest with Amazon (4.63 on a five-point scale where five is highest), followed by Walmart (4.41). Supermarkets/food stores trailed behind with a rating of 4.32.
Tiffany & Co. names veteran retailer as chairman

Tiffany & Co. has named Roger Farah as chairman, effective Oct. 2. Farah, 64, joined Tiffany’s board in March 2017. He succeeds Michael J. Kowalski, who has served as chairman since 2002. Kowalski, who served as CEO of Tiffany from 1999 until his retirement in March 2015, has been acting as interim CEO since February 2017. He will relinquish that title when the company’s newly appointed CEO, Alessandro Bogliolo, takes the reins in October.