Commerce Dept: March retail sales rise 0.6%

An early Easter helped retailers overcome lousy weather in some areas, but that means April could get hit, especially with tax refunds down.

By Daphne Howland • April 16, 2018

MGA CEO makes $675M bid to save 200 US Toys R Us stores

Isaac Larian submitted a bid that would salvage 200 stores in the U.S. as well as the retailer's Canadian stores. 

By Ben Unglesbee • April 16, 2018

Explore the Trendline➔

The direct-to-consumer landscape in retail

More mature brands are pursuing exit strategies and expanding their reach, while traditional retailers are increasingly shifting to a DTC model.

By Retail Dive staff

Puma boasts solid first quarter as independent brand

In January, French luxury conglomerate Kering divested itself of the athletic shoe and apparel brand, but Puma continues to connect well with shoppers through streetwear styles.

By Daphne Howland • April 16, 2018

Camping World is still in acquisition mode

The RV company, which snapped up Gander Mountain last year, just bought Cullum & Maxey Camping Center and has plans to expand to more markets.

By Daphne Howland • April 16, 2018

Gap exits Weddington Way bridal business

Gap Inc. bought the brand in 2016 and opened the first stand-alone store in the Boston area earlier this year.

By Daphne Howland • April 16, 2018

Ronald Boire named Art Van Furniture CEO

The retail veteran is the former CEO of Barnes & Noble, which he exited in 2016 after less than a year there.

By Daphne Howland • April 13, 2018

Sneaker brand Greats opening SoHo store

The shoe brand, riding a wave of streetwear demand by consumers, is just the latest with a cult following to expand into brick and mortar.

By Daphne Howland • April 13, 2018

Walmart heats up Florida, Texas grocery wars with $477M expansion plan

The retailer will revamp 82 existing locations and open 14 new ones across the Sunshine and Lone Star states, and expand online grocery pickup with Mobile Express Scan & Go and Walmart Pickup Towers.

By Emma Liem Beckett • April 13, 2018

Marking the end of an era, Sears shutters last Chicago store

The department store's ties to the windy city were loosened when its famous skyscraper was renamed in 2009 and again when its flagship shuttered in 2014. The closing of its last Chicago store is a symbolic ending.

By Daphne Howland • April 13, 2018

Sears putting more than a dozen stores on online auction block

The retailer plans to lease back the 16 properties from buyers, as part of the company's never-ending strategy to bring in cash from real estate and other assets. 

By Ben Unglesbee • April 12, 2018

Rite Aid sees sunnier times ahead

Sales slowed in the fourth quarter but new parents, Albertsons and Walgreens, will help right the ship in coming months, executives said on Thursday.

By Daphne Howland • April 12, 2018

Retail CEOs meet with White House on tax and regulatory overhauls

While tariffs were apparently not discussed at the meeting, orchestrated by the NRF, the trade group's CEO last week decried Trump's escalating tariffs on Chinese products as a trade war.

By Corinne Ruff • April 12, 2018

Bed, Bath & Beyond plunges on falling sales

CEO Steven Temares told analysts the retailer is working to differentiate merchandise and position stores with "treasure hunt" potential, but locations may need more.

By Daphne Howland • April 12, 2018

A trade war could hurt retail, jobs and opportunity

The looming trade war between the U.S. and China would hurt small business, writes Jack Ma, executive chairman of Alibaba. 

By Jack Ma • April 12, 2018

Toys R Us poised to sell Asia, Central Europe operations

The bankrupt company is also seeing better-than-expected proceeds from the wind-downs of its European and American businesses, attorneys said in court.

By Daphne Howland • April 12, 2018

Giant Eagle nails down co-location deal with Ace Hardware

The new partnership will place branded hardware outlets inside four of the grocer's stores, with the first one set to open this summer.

By Cathy Siegner • April 12, 2018

UPDATE: Bon-Ton may be headed for liquidation after losing key bid condition

A federal bankruptcy judge nixed a proposal to pay an investor group $500,000 as part of a buyout agreement to keep the retailer going. But the parties are still interested, The Wall Street Journal reports.

By Ben Unglesbee • April 11, 2018

Asos boosts investments as sales soar 27%

As Asos celebrates a new milestone — 1 billion site visits — CEO Nick Beighton said the company needs to keep the momentum going.

By Corinne Ruff • April 11, 2018

Retail defaults hit an all-time high in early 2018

Moody's analysts said that the nine retail defaults are already in range of last year's totals, and single-month defaults in March and February were the most in 20 years. 

By Ben Unglesbee • April 11, 2018

Startup subscription service Billie raises $6M

The female-focused competitor to Harry's and Dollar Shave Club held a second funding round to meet growing consumer demand.

By Cara Salpini • April 11, 2018

Adidas takes on equal pay with #20PercentCounts

The company's flagship Adidas and Reebok brands are joining the likes of Lyft and P&G to raise awareness of the consequences of gender and racial pay disparities.

By Daphne Howland • April 11, 2018

Brookstone opens up stores to inventors

The gadget retailer is partnering with store analytics firm RetailNext to help makers and entrepreneurs develop new products.

By Daphne Howland • April 11, 2018

Ikea planning for a city-dominated world

The Swedish furniture giant is planning for a reality where more people have tighter budgets and smaller spaces, CEO Jesper Brodin told Bloomberg this week.

By Daphne Howland • April 11, 2018

Whole Foods and Walmart expand home delivery to new cities

Amazon Prime Now delivery is now available at Los Angeles-area Whole Foods stores, while Walmart announced a deal with Postmates for delivery in North Carolina. 

By Jeff Wells • April 10, 2018

Mattel to shutter New York office

The move, part of an ongoing $650 million cost savings plan, will affect roughly 100 employees.

By Corinne Ruff • April 10, 2018