News

Discount giant steps up cloud and AI initiatives
Walmart is making a bold move as it continues to seek out ways to distance itself from Amazon. The discount giant is investing in Nvidia chips. These high-level graphical processing units (GPUs) will be the foundation of a robust cloud network where Walmart data scientists can build out AI systems, reported Geek Wire.
Amazon Prime Now to make its Canadian debut
Amazon is getting ready to introduce its same-day delivery service in its 10th country. Canada will be the newest country to offer Amazon Prime Now’s free two-hour delivery service. The online giant reportedly plans to pilot the program in Vancouver. Based on positive results, Amazon will expand the service to other Canadian cities throughout 2018, according to Nasdaq.

Report: Alibaba to open a physical mall in China

An e-commerce giant is making a big push into the brick-and-mortar world. Alibaba, China’s largest online sales platform, is building its own shopping mall, with a goal of enriching the real-world shopping experience with technology and convenience, reported MarketWatch.
Home furnishings giant to open flagship in New York

Pottery Barn is bringing its new store concept to the city where it all began. The retailer, a division of Williams-Sonoma, will unveil a 17,000-sq.-ft. flagship on September 8, 2017, in Manhattan's Flatiron District. (The first Pottery Barn store opened in 1949 in the West Chelsea section of lower Manhattan.)
Casper extending reach into brick-and-mortar

Online mattress start-up Casper is getting more upfront with shoppers. The fast-growing company plans to open some 15 pop-up shops in cities across North America, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. The pop-ups are scheduled to launch in October 2017, and will remain open through spring of 2018.
Genesco promotes company veteran as it plans for the future

Genesco Inc. announced that Mario Gallione has been named president of the company's Journeys retail division. He most recently served as chief merchandising officer of The Journeys Group. Gallione will report to James C. Estepa, who will continue to serve as CEO of The Journeys Group. Estepa also remains a senior VP of Genesco. Gallione's appointment is intended as the first step in a succession plan to prepare for Estepa's eventual retirement.
New stores fuel online growth

Brick-and-mortar stores are crucial to supporting a retailer's e-commerce growth.
Report: Department store retailer hires turnaround firm

The Bon-Ton Stores Inc.'s struggles may be catching up with it.
Delivery wars heat up as two more retailers expand same-day services

Best Buy and Macy’s are stepping up their same-day delivery efforts as they continue to bolster their defenses to compete with Amazon and other rivals. Best Buy announced on Thursday it is expanding its same-day delivery of online orders from 13 metro areas to 27, with more to come. The retailer expects that customers in nearly 40 cities will be able to take advantage of service for the holiday selling season.
Dollar General beats Street, but profit slides; ups forecast

Dollar General turned in mixed results for its second quarter, with gains in sales but a dip in profits and a decline in gross margins. Net sales rose 8.1% to $5.83 billion in the quarter ended Aug. 4, compared to $5.39 billion in the year-ago quarter, better than analysts were expecting. Same-store sales increased 2.6%, also better than expected, driven by increases in average transaction amounts and customer traffic.