News

Report: Asda offers pay rise for flexible working
Asda is making its workforce an enticing offer. The British supermarket owned by Walmart is offering staff in its stores a 14% increase in their hourly pay if they sign a contract requiring more flexible working, according to Reuters. The deal requires Asda staff to work in different parts of stores and dif-ferent days or hours, including public holidays. All breaks will be un-paid.
Athletic apparel retailer taps GM veteran to lead innovation
Under Armour named Clay Dean as its chief innovation officer. Dean will be responsible for driving the company's global vision and strategy for innovation, and cross-functional collaboration with the brand’s internal design, marketing, product, and category management teams. He will be based out of Under Armour's global headquarters in Baltimore, and will report to Kevin Haley, president, category management and innovation.

Walgreens makes executive moves

Walgreens Boots Alliance on Friday named two executives to the chief marketing officer and chief merchandising officer positions, promoting Adam Holyk and Joe Hartsig, respectively, to those roles. Both will assume their new roles as of April 1 and report to Alex Gourlay, co-COO for Walgreens Boots Alliance.
Beauty powerhouse preps for sixth DC

Ulta Beauty is getting ready to break ground on its newest distribution center.
Report: Walmart testing kiosks to create ‘an endless aisle’

The retail giant just made another move in its battle against online rival, Amazon. Walmart is testing a touch-screen monitor in its toy aisle at dedicated stores in Texas. The solution connects shoppers to available inventory at store-level, and if it’s not on-hand, the device enables them to order it online, according to The Street.
Tough Q4 for teen apparel retailer

The Buckle reported earnings for its fourth quarter that missed expectations amid a rough market for teen retailers. Net income for the quarter ended Jan. 28 was $36.0 million, or $0.75 per share ($0.74 per share on a diluted basis), compared to $98.0 million, or $2.04 per share ($2.03 per share on a diluted basis). Buckle’s net sales fell 15.7% to $280.0 million, from $332.0 million for the prior year. Same-store sales for the quarter decreased 16.1%.
Longtime CEO of PacSun out

There’s been a change at the top of teen apparel retailer Pacific Sunwear of California (PacSun). Chief executive Gary Schoenfeld has departed the chain, which is owned by Golden Gate Capital. The news was first reported by shop-eat-surf.com Schoenfeld had served as CEO of PacSun since 2009. No reason was given for his departure.
Athletic specialty retailer posts mixed Q4 results

Hibbett Sports posted fourth-quarter sales that missed predictions, even as earnings were in line with forecasts. Net sales for the 13-week period ended Jan. 28, increased 0.5% to $246.9 million compared with $245.7 million in the year-ago period. Same-store decreased 2.2%. Apparel and equipment both experienced declines in comparable store sales, while footwear continued to show stronger sales with a mid-single digit increase.
Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores losses continue in Q4

Lower sales and store closures widened fourth quarter losses for Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores. The hardware, appliance and tool retailer reported its net sales for the quarter ended January 28, 2017, decreased $49.4 million, or 9.2%, to $488.9 million compared to fourth quarter 2015. The company blamed the loss on the impact of closed stores (net of new store openings) and a 4.1% decrease in comparable store sales.
The world’s most valuable retail brands are…

An online giant and the world’s biggest retailer claim the top two positions in a study that ranks retail companies by their brand value. Amazon ranked as the world’s most valuable retail brand in the annual study by valuation and strategy consultancy Brand Finance. The company’s brand value, $106.4 billion, is nearly double that of Walmart ($62.2 billion), which ranked as the second most valuable retail brand. (An explanation of the ranking is provided at the end of article.)