Ascena cuts 200 jobs amid restructuring effort

The move is part of the company's "Change for Growth" initiative, which looks to focus and downsize a company struggling with traffic and sales declines.

By Ben Unglesbee • June 16, 2017

Amazon reportedly interested in picking up Slack

Could Amazon acquire red-hot collaboration start-up Slack? Here's why it might actually make sense.

By Dan O'Shea • June 15, 2017

Nike to cut 2% of workforce as it reshapes consumer approach

As more big brands go direct to consumer, Nike is reshaping it marketing focus and structure, and cutting about 1,400 jobs in the process.

By Dan O'Shea • June 15, 2017

How Mickey Drexler failed J. Crew — and what James Brett needs to succeed

The era of the Merchant Prince is over, and the incoming CEO is tasked with reinventing the brand and reinvigorating relevancy with shoppers.

By Lara Ewen • June 15, 2017

Gymboree said vendor issues hastened financial woes

Starting in January, when Gymboree's CEO departed, vendors began demanding tougher terms, sparking a vicious financial cycle. 

By Ben Unglesbee • June 15, 2017

Core retail sales flat in May

The monthly snapshot belies relatively healthy consumer confidence, though some retailers benefited more than others.

By Daphne Howland • June 15, 2017

How much will Lidl disrupt the US grocery market?

Thursday’s opening is the first step in an offensive that analysts say will push traditional grocers — perhaps to their breaking point.

By Jeff Wells • June 15, 2017

Amazon reportedly eyeing BigBasket buy in India

Amazon may be close to making another big move in India with the purchase of online grocer BigBasket.

By Dan O'Shea • June 14, 2017

Toys R Us holiday woes continue into Q1

Weakness in the baby and toys business continues to plague Toys R Us, as competition drives down prices.

By Daphne Howland • June 14, 2017

Report: Back-to-school shopping poised to grow 4% this year

E-commerce is grabbing market share from physical stores in all categories thanks to kids’ comfort with online shopping. 

By Daphne Howland • June 14, 2017

Is Walmart's new last-mile delivery program brilliant — or a disaster in the making?

The Uber-like program will have store associates delivering packages on their way home from work. Will it work for Walmart?

By Laura Heller • June 14, 2017

Walmart maintains top Fortune 500 spot for 5th straight year

Walmart maintains its top spot with Amazon rising fast, from No. 8 to No. 12 in a single year. 

By Daphne Howland • June 14, 2017

J.C. Penney adds Libby Edelman to the apparel roster

Women’s apparel is critical for Penney, which hopes the footwear designer can kick-start sales.  

By Daphne Howland • June 14, 2017

Three executives leave Sears amid corporate layoffs

More executive departures at Sears spell, for many, the steady collapse of a one-time giant of American commerce.

By Daphne Howland • June 14, 2017

Supervalu embraces IT transformation, migrates workloads to the cloud

Massive IT transformation is afoot at Supervalu, as the company ditches legacy infrastructure.

By Dan O'Shea • June 13, 2017

New job post signals Amazon Go is a go

Amazon is on the hunt to hire a top-level real estate manager for Amazon Go, a sign that a broader launch could be near. 

By Dan O'Shea • June 13, 2017

Neiman Marcus sales drop 5% as talks with Saks parent stall

The luxury retailer logged a $100 million-plus loss in the third quarter on top of sales declines for every quarter of this fiscal year.

By Ben Unglesbee • June 13, 2017

Report: FTC staff to recommend against Walgreens-Rite Aid merger

The merger could be sunk because a deal with regional drugstore company Fred's reportedly isn't passing muster with FTC competition enforcers.

By Daphne Howland • June 13, 2017

Sears slashes 400 more corporate jobs

The move follows the elimination of 130 positions earlier this year and nearly 250 planned store closures for 2017. 

By Ben Unglesbee • June 13, 2017

Hudson's Bay-Neiman Marcus merger talks reportedly break down

The takeover may not have made much sense, considering the customer overlap, but Neiman Marcus is now left with fewer options in the face of mounting debt.

By Daphne Howland • June 13, 2017

Why Macy's couldn't sell its stores fast enough for Starboard

The hedge fund pressured the retailer to divest its real estate en masse. But while Macy's kept control of its destiny, the opportunity to extract the most value may have been missed.

By Ben Unglesbee • June 13, 2017

J. Crew announces debt restructure amid plummeting Q1 sales

Same-store sales plunged 9% in the quarter as CEO Mickey Drexler prepares to relinquish the keys to the struggling company.

By Daphne Howland • June 13, 2017

Licensing companies snap up BCBG assets

BCBG Max Azria could buck the odds and emerge from bankruptcy with wholesale and retail brand opportunities largely intact.

By Daphne Howland • June 13, 2017

'This is the Wild West': Inside Peapod's ambitious plans to defeat its online grocery rivals

The only online grocery player to survive the dotcom crash now faces a fresh wave of deep-pocketed challengers, including Instacart and AmazonFresh.

By Christopher Doering • June 13, 2017

Gymboree files for Chapter 11, expects $900M in debt relief

The children's apparel retailer has reached an agreement with its lenders that provides much needed operating capital and debt relief, a sign Gymboree's lenders see longterm potential in the company.

By Ben Unglesbee • June 12, 2017