January retail slump doesn’t bother Wall Street

The U.S. Department of Commerce's Thursday report was glum, but Wall Street seems to be shifting blame to the weather.

By Daphne Howland • Feb. 14, 2014

Banana Republic announces Marimekko for summer

The partnership with Finland’s iconic fabric design house sees the usually staid apparel company upping the ante in the designer-retailer collaboration game.

By Daphne Howland • Feb. 13, 2014

$79 may just remain Amazon’s Prime number

A significant number of Prime members would balk at a fee hike, a UBS financial services survey has found.

By Daphne Howland • Feb. 13, 2014

Guitar Center would like to teach the world to play

If it's ever going to sell more instruments, the struggling musical-instrument retailer thinks it needs to work on getting more people, especially young people, to play one.

By Daphne Howland • Feb. 13, 2014

Kroger buys digital-coupon maker YOU Tech

The purchase turns the supermarket chain into a major player in the fast-growing segment.

By Paul Conley • Feb. 12, 2014

Dumb Starbucks is kinda smart

A comedian's cheeky send-up of a Starbucks franchise was ultimately shut down by the health department, but attracted a fair amount of attention.

By Daphne Howland • Feb. 12, 2014

Price competition a minefield for retailers

Strictly meeting consumer price demands not only digs into the bottom line, but can also create havoc with customer expectations and even brand loyalty, observers say.

By Daphne Howland • Feb. 12, 2014

Target taps top Pinterest “pinners” for design partnerships

The retailer’s collaboration with bloggers on the popular social sharing site is reminiscent of its ground-breaking collaborations with top fashion designers.

By Daphne Howland • Feb. 12, 2014

Shaq to bring his magic to Macy’s

The department store has drafted retired basketball player Shaquille O’Neal for an exclusive big-and-tall men’s collection.

By Daphne Howland • Feb. 12, 2014

Lush Cosmetics wins big in case against Amazon searches

A UK court ruled that by suggesting other products when a customer searches for Lush products, Amazon violated Lush’s trademark.

By Daphne Howland • Feb. 11, 2014

Lululemon cracks down on customer resales

The upscale yoga retailer is known for its less-than-generous return policies, and now it's working hard to stop customers from reselling its clothing on sites like eBay.

By Daphne Howland • Feb. 10, 2014

Hobby Lobby to open 70 new stores

The crafts retailer, which is in the midst of a lawsuit over the Affordable Care Act, is taking pains to deny it’s closing stores.

By Daphne Howland • Feb. 6, 2014

Walgreens reports sales growth, says it won't abandon cigarettes

Sales at stores open at least a year rose 2.9% in January, beating expectations.

By Daphne Howland • Feb. 6, 2014

Are these 5 retailers headed for the endangered species list?

Without improvement, these retailers could go the way of Blockbuster and Borders.

By Daphne Howland • Feb. 5, 2014

CVS to halt cigarette sales

The drugstore chain is leaving behind an estimated $2 billion in business in the interest of its shoppers' health.

By Roger Riddell • Feb. 5, 2014

H&M: Cheap fashion can be ethical, too

The globe’s second largest fashion retailer insists that ethical working conditions are not just a luxury.

By Daphne Howland • Feb. 4, 2014

Congress dusts off data-security proposals

Senate Banking Committee members are preparing to hear from Target executives about the retail giant's massive breach.

By Daphne Howland • Feb. 4, 2014

Whole Foods buys 7 former Chicago Dominick's stores

The sales follow a similar after-the-deadline purchase by Caputo's.

By Paul Conley • Feb. 3, 2014

5 directions retail tech is headed in 2014

It’s not going to be enough to embrace the dazzling advances in technology now available — retailers have to get it right.

By Daphne Howland • Feb. 3, 2014

Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc. again rebuffs Men’s Wearhouse

The retailer, which may be in talks to acquire Eddie Bauer, last week rejected a $57.50/share bid as undervalued.

By Daphne Howland • Feb. 3, 2014

7 retail marketing campaigns that show weirder is sometimes better

For better or worse, retailers often take the cake when it comes to odd ads.

By Wendy Parish • Jan. 31, 2014

H&M profits miss projections

Its competition is stiff, but the Swedish retailer says it will head into the wind, continuing its expansion in the U.S. and China.

By Daphne Howland • Jan. 30, 2014

Target vendor the likely conduit for thieving malware

The investigation into the massive data breach at one of the world’s largest retailers has narrowed, revealing vulnerabilities in retailers' B2B connections.

By Daphne Howland • Jan. 30, 2014

Homegoods e-retailer Wayfair may go public

Growing some 50% and outpacing competitors like top-performing Williams-Sonoma, the e-retailer is seeing robust business.

By Daphne Howland • Jan. 29, 2014

Videogame retailers playing hardball with online competition

To keep gamers coming to their stores, GameStop and other retailers are fighting digital distribution of games, and fighting hard.

By Daphne Howland • Jan. 29, 2014