Bankrupt American Apparel gets nod to liquidate 9 stores

Locations in several states will close by New Year’s Eve, and the bankrupt retailer’s remaining U.S. stores will close by April 30, 2017.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 19, 2016

Pinterest hired more female tech workers in 2016, but fell short of goal

The social media site grew the percentage of women it employs in technology jobs from 21% to 26% in 2016, and increased the ratio of engineers to 22%, but missed its self-imposed goal to boost the latter figure to 30%.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 19, 2016

Lands' End taps retail vet Jerome Griffith as CEO

Griffith, who most recently served as CEO and president of luggage retailer Tumi Holdings, replaces Joseph Boitano and James Gooch, who have led the struggling apparel brand since the September departure of Federica Marchionni.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 19, 2016

Report: Times Square landlords want more lucrative 'experiential' retail

The fabled Manhattan destination has long hosted retailers with experience-based allure, but developers want more amid falling rents and brick-and-mortar sales.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 19, 2016

GNC rebranding aims to leave 'old, broken model behind'

Its U.S. stores will close Dec. 28 and re-open the next day with streamlined pricing, faster checkout, a tech-enabled loyalty program and a more efficient supply chain.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 19, 2016

12 news stories that shaped retail in 2016

From American Apparel's second bankruptcy to Amazon's blockbuster self-made holiday, here's a look back at the biggest events from the last 12 months.

By Corinne Ruff, Jason Ankeny • Dec. 19, 2016

Moody's: 2017 will be mostly stable for retailers, but traffic 'choppy'

While digital growth will outpace overall retail sales increases, e-commerce will continue to represent just 8% to 9% of total sales as brick-and-mortar merchants build out their capabilities and leverage their physical store assets.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 16, 2016

CVS closing 70 stores in early 2017

The drugstore retailer's overall cost-cutting plans aim for $3 billion in savings from 2017 to 2021.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 16, 2016

California court orders Apple pay $2M to retail workers

Apple Store employees accused the electronics giant of violating state law requiring meal and rest breaks, among other violations.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 15, 2016

Limited's interim CEO abandons ship after 2 months

The abrupt exit of company veteran John Buell, who was tapped to fill in upon CEO Diane Ellis’ October departure, is the latest in a series of blows.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 15, 2016

Pier 1 surges on e-commerce boost, new interim CEO

Thanks to merchandising and marketing shifts, the retailer boosted its guidance for the fourth quarter and year ahead, which spurred shares up more than 20% in late trading on Wednesday.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 15, 2016

Commerce Dept: November retail sales miss expectations

It was a tepid month for retail, with the launch of the holiday period chopped up by election jitters and early seasonal shopping promotions.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 15, 2016

Zara parent Inditex rises on new stores, digital expansion

But gross margins are shrinking at the fast fashion company, and that’s a concern.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 14, 2016

Toys 'R' Us revenue, sales tumble ahead of holidays

The sale of its iconic FAO Schwarz brand mitigated loss in the quarter and the company is regaining its footing. A lot rides on the holiday quarter, according to Moody’s.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 14, 2016

Kohl's to stay open 107 hours straight before Christmas

The end of the marathon opening, Super Saturday, falls on both Christmas Eve and the first night of Hannukah, but heavy discounts could hurt margins.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 14, 2016

Neiman Marcus loss widens as core customers turn away

The upscale department store chain is badly hobbled by debt that is "completely unsustainable for a company of its scale,” according to Neil Saunders, CEO of retail research agency and consulting firm Conlumino.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 14, 2016

November retail hiring plummets to 6-year low

U.S. retailers added 521,800 workers during the first two months of the 2016 holiday season, plunging 14% from year-ago totals, according to global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 13, 2016

How Amazon Go will revolutionize retail convenience

Eight retail experts share their perspectives on Amazon’s checkout-free grocery store and what it means for the future of brick and mortar.

By Jason Ankeny • Dec. 13, 2016

American Apparel earns approval for contested $30M bankruptcy loan

While the retailer's previous Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing was meant to set the stage for a comeback, this time there’s no talk of a turnaround.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 13, 2016

J. Crew reportedly in talks to restructure $2B debt

The struggling retailer is also reportedly in the midst of a plan to transfer its intellectual property to an unrestricted Cayman Islands subsidiary.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 12, 2016

Consumer confidence skyrockets in wake of Trump election

The University of Michigan’s Index of Consumer Sentiment climbed to 98.0 in early December, just one-tenth of a point shy of last year's peak measure, itself the highest level since the start of 2004.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 12, 2016

Report: Walgreens may unload stores to Fred's to clinch Rite Aid merger

Walgreens may need to divest as many as 1,000 drugstores to mollify antitrust regulators.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 12, 2016

QVC puts Sprinkle on top of IT organization

Todd Sprinkle led the earlier development of the shopping network's iPad app, and will now focus on further developing the company's multi platform strategy, which last year grew to encompass online flash sale site Zulily.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 11, 2016

Wal-Mart to invest $1.3B in Mexico operations

The retailer has focused heavily on growth in Mexico, which holds the most Wal-Mart stores outside of the U.S., investing $3.93 billion there over the past four years.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 9, 2016

Restoration Hardware plunges on loyalty program woes, catalog delay

Expenses related to the launch of its RH Modern lines and investments in stores will also temper results in the short term, prompting the upscale furniture retailer to lower guidance for the fourth quarter.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 9, 2016