As an editor of Retail Dive, it’s my job to keep tabs on every piece of retail-related news—the good, the bad, and the silly. From Santa’s stylish new wardrobe to a perplexing Wal-Mart scam, here are some of the most interesting stories from around the Web.
Santa’s hip sibling
The Yorkdale Mall in Toronto is giving the traditional mall Santa a makeover this year, Quartz reports. Part of the mall’s holiday campaign, “Fashion Santa” models high-end mensware sold in the mall while posing with Christmas trees, for his own selfies, and with the obligatory visiting families and children. In the spirit of the holidays, Yorkdale will donate $1 to the SickKids Foundation (up to $10,000) for every customer who takes a selfie and posts it with a designated hashtag.
The mall champion
Racked’s Erika Adams takes a look at Victoria’s Secret’s dominance of the lingerie market and its resilience as other mall retailers languish.
"I think the reason they've dominated is not just based on lingerie — they've had their ups and downs over the years — but they are very good at reinventing themselves," Marni Shapiro, a managing partner at retail analytics firm The Retail Tracker, told Racked. "If you walk into the store today and see what they've built with Pink or with [activewear line] VSX, it's quite a business."
An odd Wal-Mart fraud
In a video that quickly went viral this week, a woman talks about how she comforted a Wal-Mart cashier whose mother apparently committed suicide that day.
Wal-Mart said the company received messages from many customers concerned about the cashier and looked into the events depicted in the video, only to find out that they never happened.
"We've been tracking this story closely and appreciate the concern shown by our customers and associates. They are great examples of the kindness we see in our stores every day. We are happy to report that our associate's mother is, in fact, in good health,” a Wal-Mart spokesperson told the HuffingtonPost.
When reached for comment by KRDO, the woman explained her intentions and defended the video: "What I am doing is not about the fame, it's not about the money, it's not about being on ABC. It's about touching people's lives in a world where we all forget what the meaning of Christmas is."
'The Window Project'
Most retail windows are filled with lavish designs and swoon-inducing luxury goods. But the Untitled & Co. store in Toronto has chosen this year to forgo the holiday cheer for a window display that hopes to expose family violence, which historically goes up during the holiday season. Window shoppers are prompted by the window to text a $5 donation to help fund women and families affected by domestic violence in Canada.
A high-priced estate
Men’s Wearhouse founder and runner-up for the Most Interesting Man in the World George Zimmer is selling his 7.45-acre estate in Hawaii for $35 million, the Los Angeles Times reports. The retail exec is "downgrading" to singer Neil Young’s three-acre compound, which he recently bought for $20 million.
