News Briefs

Francesca’s may soon disappear from the retail landscape.

The young women’s clothing and accessories chain is getting ready to shut down, reported Women’s Wear Daily. A customer service representative told WWD in an email that that "we are liquidating our inventory and closing soon.” 

The liquidation is believed to include “inventory that has not been paid for,” according to one of Francesca’s vendors, the report said. The vendor told WWD it is owed approximately $250 million in unpaid invoices and that "there has been no correspondence whatsoever from corporate to any of the vendors."

Francesca’s is offering 20% off everything sale on its website, with clearance listed up to 80% off. There is no mention on the site of the company going out of business.

Francesca’s, which was founded in 1999, operates more than 450 stores nationwide, according to its website. The Houston-based retailer declared bankruptcy in 2020 and was sold out of bankruptcy in January 2021 to Francesca’s Acquisition LLC, an affiliate of private equity firm TerraMar Capital, for $18 million. Tiger Capital and SB360 Capital Group were also part of the group that acquired Francesca’s out of bankruptcy.

A&G Real Estate has brought in a new partner to lead its restructuring, financing, and M&A transactions.

Jacob Czarnick, an investment banker for more than 20 years, will focus on restructuring, special situations, and M&A transactions for A&G.

Czarnick arrives at the real estate services company from Raymond James & Associates, where he served as a managing director in its restructuring group. He began his career in corporate finance and M&A at Credit Suisse First Boston and later worked at Bank of America and Citigroup. 

Czarnick has advised transactions in industries that include retail, healthcare, communications, energy, financial services, technology, transportation and utilities. 

“Jacob has spent years representing both companies and creditors,” said A&G co-president Andy Graiser. “That gives him a 360-degree perspective that will directly benefit our clients. He’s a fantastic fit.”

Czarnick will lead business development and strategy to drive growth across sectors and to pursue new business opportunities in lease restructuring, fee-owned property sales, lease mitigation, and capital solutions. 

“A&G has built an impressive real estate advisory practice for some of the most complex cases,” said Czarnick. “They have advised an impressive roster of blue-chip firms across industries in lease optimization and new store growth, as well.” 

Meijer is the latest retailer to enter the telehealth market.

The regional Midwest mass merchandise retailer is teaming with digital healthcare platform WellSync to provide customers with access to virtual healthcare services for common conditions.

Through WellSync, Meijer customers can receive in-home treatment for everyday health concerns, such as cold, flu, allergies, and hair loss. The service costs $29.99 per visit, requires no insurance, and is accessible through the Meijer website or its pharmacy app.

The virtual visits are conducted by board-certified healthcare professionals, providing patients with personalized care and treatment recommendations. Meijer customers can utilize the WellSync service by selecting the Virtual Care option on the pharmacy section of the retailer’s e-commerce site or mobile app, or texting care to a designated number to gain access on their mobile device.

"We're focused on making healthcare simple and convenient for our customers," said Don Sanderson, chief merchandising and arketing officer at Meijer. "As a one-stop shop, this new virtual care option helps our customers stay healthy year-round."

Several other retailers have also launched telehealth offerings. Notable participants in the space include Amazon, which acquired membership-based primary health care provider One Medical for $3.9 billion in February 2023 and transitioned the service to Amazon One Medical with pay-per-visit and annual subscription options in November 2024.

Meanwhile, Walmart sold its MeMD telehealth platform to healthcare technology company Fabric for an undisclosed sum in July 2024, but just debuted Better Care Services, a one-stop digital telehealth destination.

[READ MORE: Walmart launches digital health care platform]

Other examples include Kroger, which offers a free virtual nutrition coaching program called "OptUP Your Nutrition."

Meijer operates more than 500 supercenters, grocery stores, neighborhood markets and express locations throughout the Midwest.

GameStop has kicked off 2026 by shrinking its store footprint across the United States.

The long-struggling video game retailer is closing more than 470 U.S. stores, according to a report by wkyc.com. Earlier this month, GameStop said in a Securities and Exchange filing that it planned to close a "significant number of additional stores" during the rest of its 2025 fiscal year, which ends on Jan. 31, 2026. The company didn't reveal the locations, but its website lists hundreds of locations as closed. (To see a list of the GameStop locations closing in January, as reported by wkyc, click here.)

In its third-quarter earnings report, GameStop said it had closed 590 stores in the United States during the previous fiscal year as part of a “store portfolio optimization review.” During the quarter, revenue fell 4.6% to $821 million as sales of hardware, software and accessories declined.

GameStop, which had about 2,325 U.S. locations and 900 stores in other countries as of Feb. 1, 2025, recently unveiled a performance award — worth roughly $35 billion —  designed to incentivize CEO Ryan Cohen to achieve “extraordinary growth.” Cohen has been charged with increasing GameStop’s market capitalization to $100 billion from its current $9.3 billion capitalization.

Musicians have a new reason to shop Walmart Marketplace.

The discount giant is launching a curated Premium Musical Instrument Shop on its Walmart Marketplace digital third-party sales platform. According to Walmart, this new digital storefront marks the first phase of Walmart Marketplace’s expansion into professional-grade musical instruments and accessories.

Available now, the Premium Musical Instrument Shop provides a curated selection of guitars, amplifiers, pedals, drum accessories, strings, gig bags, and other music items. Featured brands include Fender, Roland, Boss, Zildjian, Ernie Ball, Hercules, Squier and Barton Bags.

"We’re thrilled to bring some of the world’s most legendary music brands to Walmart Marketplace, giving customers access to the equipment they love from the names they respect," said Manish Joneja, senior VP, Walmart Marketplace and Walmart Fulfillment Services. "This launch represents a major milestone in expanding our Marketplace into premium categories delivering both high quality and value, backed by Walmart’s scale, reliability, and convenience."

The launch also creates new opportunities for musical instrument brands and sellers to reach Walmart’s customer base. Walmart Marketplace has delivered 14 consecutive quarters of double-digit growth and the retailer credits its performance as helping drive a 28% increase in third-quarter U.S. e-commerce sales.

[READ MORE: Walmart launches digital marketplace for comic book collectors]

Headquartered in Bentonville, Ark., Walmart Inc. operates more than 10,750 stores and numerous e-commerce websites in 19 countries.

A majority of consumers are left feeling uncertain after having a customer service interaction with a brand.

That’s according to a new survey from AI-powered support automation platform Capacity, which found that only 42% of customers feel confident that their issue is fully resolved after a support interaction. The remaining majority report “lingering concerns, unanswered questions or uncertainty” after the interaction ends.

This lack of closure can have major consequences for brands. One-in-three (33%) customers stop using a brand after a single unresolved or partially-resolved support experience.

"Resolution is what companies measure. Closure is what customers feel," said David Karandish, founder and CEO of Capacity. "It's clear that customer support has become very good at closing tickets, but far less consistent at delivering confidence. Customers want speed, but they also want to know the issue won't resurface.”

While many customers report feeling relieved (33%) once a service issue is addressed, 18% say they feel frustrated after customer service interactions, compared to just 16% who feel confident in the brand afterward.

Clear communication (52%) and speed to resolution (43%) are the top factors that help consumers feel closure after a customer support interaction, according to the survey. A majority (85%) of consumers say a smooth transition from an AI agent to human support is important, with nearly one-in-four (23%) consumers stating their ideal balance is an equal mix of AI and human support.

[READ MORE: FedEx: AI grows in importance for returns]

"True closure requires an intelligent system that adapts to each individual's needs and ensures a seamless bridge to a human the moment it's required," said Karandish. "That final moment of comprehensive reassurance is where trust is either built or quietly lost."

For its The Closure Index report, Capacity surveyed 1,000 U.S. consumers.