Retail Stores

buybuy BABY Returns With In-Store Shopping Events
November 14, 2023 at 3:49 pm

buybuy BABY announced its return on Tuesday with store celebration events set for Sat., Nov. 18, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST at 11 retail stores across the Northeast. The in-store celebrations will include a fun day for consumers to interact with their favorite brands while enjoying treats, giveaways and surprises in time for the holiday gift-giving season, according…

Preparing for Winter Weather: Efficiency Steps Retailers Should Take This Season
November 14, 2023 at 8:55 am

There's an unpredictability of winter weather that makes the upcoming season especially interesting for meteorologists, and far less enjoyable for anyone who has experienced the shock of a significantly higher energy bill thanks to extreme weather events like those that experienced Texas’ February 2021 storms. When we look ahead to the colder months, there’s some…

Walmart to Upgrade 1,400 Stores With $9B Investment
October 31, 2023 at 11:34 am

Walmart is investing more than $9 billion over a two-year period to upgrade and modernize some U.S. stores with improved layouts, expanded product selections and new tech additions. On Friday, 117 stores in 30 states will be re-launched showcasing the enhancements, representing investments of more than $500 million, Walmart said in a statement. In total,…

How to Dismiss the Most Common Objections to On-Premise Shopper Analytics
October 23, 2023 at 10:00 am

Just about any retailer or brand marketer is going to like the idea of using technology to better understand how consumers shop a store. But what they don’t tend to like is any possibility that the technology being used will upset and even alienate those shoppers. Stories regularly find their way into mainstream media about…

How Student Loans and Rising Consumer Debt Are Set to Impact Holiday Spending
October 19, 2023 at 10:30 am

As store shelves fill with fall favorites, it’s hard to ignore the beginning of the U.S. winter holiday shopping season — and the uptick in American spending that typically goes with it. The frenzy from late September through the new year is a well-established critical time for retailers, which count on the “Golden Quarter” for a…

Retail Sales Increase 0.7% in September, Beat Estimates
October 17, 2023 at 11:54 am

Consumers showed surprising strength in September, boosting retail sales well above expectations despite high interest rates and worries over a weakening economy. Retail sales rose 0.7 percent on the month, well above the 0.3 percent Dow Jones estimate, according to the advance report the Commerce Department released Tuesday. Excluding autos, sales were up 0.6 percent, also well…

Macy's to Open Up to 30 Off-Mall Stores
October 3, 2023 at 4:32 pm

Macy's announced on Tuesday that it will open up to 30 smaller stores in strip malls over the next two years, as the retailer chases customers out of shopping malls and into bustling suburbs. The expansion marks an inflection point for the department store operator, which has looked for ways to refresh its legacy brand, cope with…

How GOB and Store Closure ‘Augment’ Efforts Benefit Both Retailer Stakeholders and Suppliers
October 3, 2023 at 2:48 pm

Consumer desire for convenience, speed and the resultant increase in online shopping has dramatically altered the retail landscape. With greatly diminished foot traffic in stores and retail spending now strapped by inflationary pressure on consumer pocketbooks, we've seen record numbers of retail bankruptcies, restructurings, and associated store closures in 2023. When a retail operator goes…

Toys R Us Pushes Ahead With Retail Comeback, to Open 24 New Stores
October 2, 2023 at 2:51 pm

Toys R Us is plotting a bold comeback in the U.S., as it plans to expand its brick-and-mortar presence with as many as 24 new flagship stores and a separate rollout at airports and on cruise ships starting this holiday season. The toy retailer’s parent company, WHP Global, announced what it called the “Air, Land and…

An Inside Perspective on Ashley's Rebrand and Store Refresh
October 2, 2023 at 1:03 pm

In episode 421 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Chris Wantlin, chief retail officer at Ashley, the No. 1 furniture and mattress retailer in North America. Among other topics, Wantlin discusses the company's recent rebrand, how Ashley is bringing consumer awareness to its brand refresh, and the internal collaboration needed to execute the…