News

Pep Boys considering Icahn proposal
Pep Boys, which agreed to be sold to Bridgestone in October, said it is considering a competing offer from Carl Icahn's investment firm that is worth $2 million more.
North Face founder Doug Tompkins dies
Doug Tompkins, the founder of the North Face and Esprit apparel companies, died Tuesday in a kayaking accident in Chile. He was 72.

Tompkins was boating with others on a lake in Chile when his kayak capsized. Tompkins was rescued but spent a lengthy amount of time in the freezing water. He died of hypothermia in a hospital in Coyhaique.

Tompkins founded The North Face in 1964 as an outdoor outfitter and in 1968 he co-founded Esprit clothing, which would grow to do a billion dollars in sales.

Purse purveyor has e-commerce talent in the bag

Executives from Staples and virtual reality firm Magic Leap have joined the strategic advisory board of leading online handbags, luggage and backpacks retailer eBags.

Mike Edwards, eBags president and CEO, said Faisal Masud, executive VP of global e-commerce at Staples, and Scott Henry, CFO at Magic Leap, would bring a wealth of wealth of entrepreneurial and operational experience and an understanding of what it takes to excel in a fast-paced technology to eBags as the newest members of the board.
Study: How can you get store shoppers to use coupons?

Retailers looking to boost in-store redemption rates for coupons should consider implementing a particular leading edge technology.

A new study from Juniper Research, “Mobile & Online Coupons: Redemption, Loyalty & Consumer Engagement 2015-2020,” has found that nearly 1.6 billion coupons will be delivered annually to consumers via beacon technology by 2020, up more than 10 times from 11 million in 2015.
Deloitte: This mobile consumer activity is on the rise

Consumers are increasingly using their mobile phones for one specific retail-related purpose.

According to the Deloitte 2015 Global Mobile Consumer Survey, the use of mobile devices to make in-store payments has nearly quadrupled in the past year. In-store mobile payments have increased from 5% of total in-store payments 2014 to 18% in 2015.
Costco first quarter not as weak as it seems

Don’t be fooled by Costco’s tepid sales growth and first quarter profit decline. The company is accelerating expansion and pursuing some intriguing digital partnerships while members continue to renew at record rates.
How to profit from declining same store sales

Women’s lifestyle brand and retailer Vera Bradley is the latest company to feel the negative sales effects of weaning shoppers off promotions, but the strategic shift has done wonders for the company’s bottom line.
New store concept breaks the rules of traditional retailing model

Four Silicon Valley veterans are looking to reinvent brick-and-mortar retailing with a first-of-its-kind experience built on an unusual business model.
The athleisure trend is becoming a problem for Lululemon

While athleisure apparel is still quite trendy these days, the creator of the trend, Lululemon Athletica, is struggling to grow profits as competitors threaten its value proposition.

For the third quarter ended Nov. 1, the company posted a profit of $53.2 million, or 38 cents a share, down from $60.5 million, or 42 cents a share, a year earlier. Revenue rose 14% to $479.8 million. Same store sales rose 6% for the second quarter in a row on a constant-currency basis.
Vera Bradley profits from declining same-store sales

Women’s lifestyle brand and retailer Vera Bradley is the latest company to feel the negative sales effects of weaning shoppers off promotions, but the strategic shift has done wonders for the company’s bottom line.