Corporate News

Outdoor Voices names Urban Outfitters vet CEO

Gabrielle Conforti, who has 15 years of retail and apparel experience, will be in charge of launching products and setting the vision for the DTC brand.

By Caroline Jansen • Feb. 26, 2021

Bernie Sanders' mittens propelled $1.9M in Etsy sales last month

The marketplace embraced its maker ethos after a detour a few years ago. That and demand for masks led to massive growth during the pandemic year.

By Daphne Howland • Feb. 26, 2021

NRF: 2021 retail sales could rise more than 8% on vaccine rollout

The trade group estimates that the figure could top $4.3 trillion as consumers return to stores and the economy bounces back. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Feb. 26, 2021

Best Buy cuts 5K jobs as it shifts to more part-time workers

The electronics retailer is also closing stores and reducing sales space as it preps for long-term digital shifts. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Feb. 26, 2021

Sephora plans 260-store expansion through Kohl's, owned stores

Sixty of the stores will be freestanding Sephora locations, as part of a "2020 strategy shift due to the impact of the pandemic." 

By Cara Salpini • Feb. 26, 2021

Target to roll out dedicated Apple shops inside 17 locations

The recent announcement is the latest shop-in-shop partnership the retailer has made following similar deals with Ulta and Disney. 

By Maria Monteros • Feb. 25, 2021

Victoria's Secret to close as many as 50 more stores this year

L Brands' Bath & Body Works will also continue to shift away from enclosed malls, where stores have lower conversion rates than at off-mall locations.

By Daphne Howland • Feb. 25, 2021

Madison Reed rakes in $52M to fuel 'omnichannel expansion'

The DTC hair color brand saw 130% growth in 2020, and opened 16 of its Color Bars, as part of a plan to expand to 600.

By Cara Salpini • Feb. 25, 2021

Podcast

The Backroom: Amazon enters a new phase

The team talks about how retailers have paved their own way, as Jeff Bezos prepares to hand over the CEO reins at the e-commerce giant.

By Daphne Howland • Feb. 25, 2021

Benefiting from the home category boom, Wayfair posts 45% revenue increase

But the longevity of its success, largely built on pandemic-induced spending trends, remains a question as consumers eventually venture outside the home.

By Caroline Jansen • Feb. 25, 2021

Macy's Media Network brings in $35M since launch

Debuted in August, the effort mirrors how other retailers are trying to combine existing capabilities in areas like loyalty with advertising sales.

By Peter Adams • Feb. 24, 2021

Home Depot, Lowe's round out knockout year with strong Q4

Helped by stimulus check distribution in December, the home improvement sector continued to benefit from consumers investing in their spaces.

By Caroline Jansen • Feb. 24, 2021

Belk exits bankruptcy a day after filing for Chapter 11

The department store retailer won speedy approval of a restructuring plan that allowed it to drop $450 million in debt.

By Ben Unglesbee • UPDATED: Feb. 25, 2021 at 9:55 a.m.

Fry's Electronics abruptly goes out of business, closes stores

The retailer cited a changing industry and the impact of COVID-19 as reasons for closing its doors after nearly four decades. 

By Kaarin Vembar • Feb. 24, 2021

Shippo raises $45M to fuel expansion

Amid the e-commerce spike, the shipping technology startup wants to facilitate Amazon-level deliveries for other marketplaces.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Feb. 24, 2021

Macy's mostly sticks to 'Polaris' turnaround after brutal pandemic year

The department store is stoking its e-commerce and off-price operations in anticipation that its recovery will gain strength in the back half of the year.

By Daphne Howland • Feb. 23, 2021

Estée Lauder snaps up controlling stake in Deciem for $1B

The deal values The Ordinary's parent company at $2.2 billion, with Estée Lauder planning to acquire the rest of the company in three years.

By Cara Salpini • Feb. 23, 2021

Skincare company Heyday raises $20M, plans 'hundreds' of franchised stores

The company is bringing on a former Rent the Runway exec to lead the expansion as it vows to invest in a more personalized online experience.

By Cara Salpini • Feb. 23, 2021

Allbirds names Glossier CEO Emily Weiss to board

Also joining is e.l.f. Beauty's Chief Financial Officer Mandy Fields, though the company is not launching into beauty, a spokesperson said.

By Cara Salpini • Feb. 23, 2021

Deep Dive

The outdoors boom spared many retailers from the harshest impacts of COVID

Outdoor companies faced their share of ups and downs during the pandemic, but a tidal wave of new customers could prime the space for future growth.

By Cara Salpini • Feb. 23, 2021

Activist group attempts Kohl's board takeover with 9 nominations

The discount department store is somewhat resilient thanks in part to its largely off-mall locations, but some investors have a bolder agenda.

By Daphne Howland • Feb. 22, 2021

Tuesday Morning, Casper, Vince on S&P's latest 'most vulnerable retailers' list

The list includes both traditional brick-and-mortar retailers and digital specialists, which face different sets of financial challenges. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Feb. 22, 2021

Tanger Outlets says foot traffic is back to normal

The mall REIT is benefiting from its outdoor orientation and the value proposition of its retail tenants.

By Daphne Howland • Feb. 19, 2021

ThirdLove expands into loungewear

This launch marks the first real expansion for the DTC brand, which up to this point, has been focused squarely on bras and underwear.

By Cara Salpini • Feb. 19, 2021

Standard Cognition hits $1B valuation with $150M investment

The autonomous checkout tech company plans to use the new funding to fuel its goal of reaching 50,000 stores in the next five years.

By Sam Silverstein • Feb. 19, 2021