News

Whole Foods is trying to get its groove back, but after reporting weak fourth quarter results it is not clear when that will be as the company expressed concern about the competitive climate and the impact on its profit margins.

Establishing an Internet of Things (IoT) technology strategy may not be easy, but can offer substantial rewards to retailers who overcome the inevitable challenges.

“There is a vast opportunity to use IoT technology to connect retailers with their assets and consumers,” said Michael Colaneri, VP of sales for restaurant, retail and CPG, AT&T, during an interview with Chain Store Age. “But it requires business process re-engineering to connect multiple edgepoints.”

L.L.Bean has gone outside the company for the first time ever to pick a chief executive, according to the Associated Press.

The outdoors retailer has selected the chief merchandising and marketing officer of a Chinese e-commerce business as its new CEO.

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Apps currently dominate the mobile payment space, but that may not be a permanent situation.

According to a new infographic from mobile engagement provider Mobiquity Inc., the industry is on its way to a ‘no-app’ payment landscape. Mobiquity predicts that operating systems, rather than applications, will define the future of mobile payments.

The infographic lists several data points suggesting consumers and retailers do not find mobile payment convenient. These include:

American Eagle Outfitters is adding brands to its portfolio that could diversify the company's reach and eventually lead to new store formats.

American Eagle has acquired Todd Snyder New York, an upscale menswear brand, and Snyder’s Tailgate Clothing Co., a vintage sports-inspired brand that operates a college-town store concept.

Todd Synder, founder and creative director of his eponymous company, will join American Eagle as executive VP, reporting to Chad Kessler, global brand president, American Eagle

Two new offerings from Pinterest make the visually-oriented social media platform even more accessible for e-commerce.

First, Pinterest is launching a new feature called Pinterest Shop. Every day, Pinterest will offer what it calls “hand-picked” product selections. The curated assortments will include products from major retailers like Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom, as well as from smaller boutique retailers.

Pinterest will roll out Pinterest Shop for desktop and mobile in the next couple of weeks.

The splitting up of the eBay empire continues.

eBay has completed the previously announced sale of its eBay Enterprise division, which helps retailers enhance their online presence and e-commerce capabilities, to a consortium led by private equity firm Permira for $925 million. The consortium of buyers has separated eBay Enterprise into four distinct businesses:

Mega deals worth more than $1 billion drove the U.S. retail and consumer sector’s strong third quarter, according to PwC’s U.S. quarterly R&C Deals Insights report.

During the three-month period ending Sept. 30, 36 deals valued over $50 million were announced for the sector, with deal value up 64% in the third quarter, accounting for $46.6 billion, compared to $28.4 billion in the second quarter. Deal volume went up 6% from the second quarter, but down 36% from third quarter 2014.