News

Report: Staples to offer more assets to close deal
Staples is willing to sell more assets to win antitrust approval for its $6.3 billion takeover of Office Depot, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. According to the wire service, representatives from Staples and Office Depot are meeting this week with Federal Trade Commission officials ahead of a Dec. 8 deadline for the agency to decide whether to approve the deal. [Bloomberg]
Starbucks expands delivery
Following its launch of delivery to the Empire State Building in October, Starbucks is offering one-hour delivery in a new, larger location.

Starbucks is partnering with on-demand delivery service Postmates for a pilot program where customers in Seattle can have food or beverages delivered to them within designated areas. The offering is an extension of the Starbucks mobile order and pay feature on its app.

A gorgeous third quarter for Ulta Beauty

Ulta Beauty's formula of one-stop shopping for prestige, mass and salon beauty products continued to produce impressive sales growth in the third quarter.
Listen: Consumer Industries - Predictions for 2016

Dan Berthiaume, senior editor of Chain Store Age, recently participated in a one-hour panel discussion, “Game-Changers 2016 Predictions – Part 1,” sponsored by SAP as part of its “Coffee Break with Game-Changers” Internet radio series.
This mall retailer is still on a roll

Express continues to make all the right moves, reporting better than expected results for its third quarter and raising its 2015 outlook.
This retailer is on a roll; raises outlook

Express continues to make all the right moves, reporting better than expected results for its third quarter and raising its 2015 outlook.

The specialty apparel retailer reported a profit of $26.3 million, or $0.31 per share, versus a year-ago profit of $14.6 million, or $0.17 per share.

Revenue rose 9.8% to $546.6 million. Total same-store sales, including e-commerce sales, rose 6%. E-commerce sales climbed 6% to $83.8 million.
American Express adds Dollar General, Rite Aid as card reload providers

American Express Serve announced this week that it and Rite Aid and Dollar General had joined forces to allow American Express Serve account holders to add money to their cards at the retailers’ locations around the country.
Driving the next generation of digital retail

Retailers and academics are coming together to help drive continuing innovation in digital retailing.

“Our main mission is the advancement of digital retail through collaboration among academic and retail partners,” said Richard Last, senior director of the Global Digital Retail Research Center at the University of North Texas, during an interview with Chain Store Age.
A surging American Eagle Outfitters names CEO—finally

Everything old is new again at American Eagle Outfitters, apparently with good reason.

The teen apparel retailer on Wednesday named Jay L. Schottenstein as CEO, effective immediately. Schottenstein, who has served as interim chief since January 2014, will also continue in his role as executive chairman of the board. The news of his appointment came as the retailer reported a strong increase in its third quarter earnings. It was the chain’s third consecutive quarter of increased sales and profits.
Carhartt dives deep into online consumer data

Vertical specialty workwear retailer Carhartt Inc. is gaining an unprecedented view into what customers want, when they want it.

Carhartt is leveraging the new IBM Commerce Insights solution that is designed to help online retailers evaluate category and product performance for quick merchandising decisions. Leveraging cognitive capabilities from Watson Analytics,IBM Commerce Insights provides a single view of customer behavioral, market and business performance data directly on Carhartt’s storefront.