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What would happen if stores opened on Christmas Day?
Why wait until Dec. 26? Throwing the doors open on Christmas Day for returns and sales appears to be the message to retailers, particularly from Millennials. Do you expect to…
The RetailWire Christmas Commercial Challenge: Petco vs. Walgreens
This week’s competition goes to the dogs with two distinctly different spots from Petco and Walgreens. Which chain will join our previous week’s winners in the finals?
Music on mobile shopping apps drives sales for retailers
According to a CNBC article, mobile shopping is having its “Muzak moment.” The addition of streaming music to shopping apps has added a new aspect to mobile shopping and, perhaps…
Men’s Wearhouse finds full price doesn’t suit Jos. A. Bank
When Men’s Wearhouse acquired rival menswear retailer Jos. A. Bank in 2014, management vowed to wean shoppers off of the BOGO and other deals that the acquired retailer had become…
Will dollar stores keep gobbling grocery share?
Annual sales at dollar stores are approaching $55 billion, with compound annual growth rates averaging 6.5 percent since 2000 — well above the four percent recorded by conventional grocery. Do…
Why are some openings ‘grand’ and others less so?
At every Chick-fil-A Restaurant opening, the first 100 customers win one Chick-fil-A Meal per week for a year. The promotion regularly draws crowds of overnight campers and heavy coverage by…
Can a former Target marketer help Walmart attract higher income shoppers?
Stephen Quinn is retiring next month as Walmart’s chief marketing officer, and Walmart announced it has hired Michael Francis, a former executive at Target who is widely credited with helping…
Why is smartphone shopping taking off?
While still a cumbersome experience in many ways, browsing and buying on smartphones is gaining huge traction this holiday season, according to many reports. What’s driving the surge in smartphone…
What Chuck Williams did for retail
Chuck Williams, the founder of Williams-Sonoma, is best known as the merchant who brought gourmet cooking to retail, has passed way last Saturday of natural causes at the age of…
Walmart jumps into mobile payment fray with Walmart Pay
Walmart Pay is here. The retailer announced today that it has launched a means for shoppers to pay for purchases at its stores using their iOS or Android devices. What…
Target’s big holiday pop-up promotes toys and tests tech
Target has already shown that it’s aiming for big sales during the holiday season with its multi-platform, multi-property “Holiday Odyssey” advertising campaign. Further proof of its holiday season investment is…
The RetailWire Christmas Commercial Challenge Goes Global – Week 2
Week one of the global version of the Christmas Commercial Challenge went to the creative “Mog’s Christmas Calamity” from Sainsbury’s. This week we bring you three new commercials from major…
Menards cuts store managers’ pay if unions form
It’s long been said that workers don’t quit companies; they quit managers. But if workers at a store decide to form a union, should the store manager pay? The answer…
In-N-Out sues a food delivery startup
A third-party service is willing to pay full-price and deliver your goods to a customer for free. Sounds like good deal, right? Well, In-N-Out filed a lawsuit against food delivery…
Has the shine come off the go local movement?
A new Harris Poll finds that Americans are split 50/50 on whether it is important to them to purchase locally made items when they go shopping at the grocery store…
The RetailWire Christmas Commercial Challenge: Big Lots vs. Old Navy
It’s week five of our Challenge series. This week we offer “Christmas Does Not Happen Without Me” from Big Lots, the reigning champion of the RetailWire Christmas Commercial Challenge, versus…
Will displaying fantasy gifts lift Neiman Marcus’ Christmas sales?
For the first time, Neiman Marcus is putting some of the extravagant items in its famed annual Christmas Book on public display at an upscale Long Island mall where the…
Will Nordstrom lead retail into the age of mass customization?
Nordstrom continues to make technology investments as a means to set itself apart from the competition. In the most recent example, the chain has joined a consortium of investors that…
How can sites solve the online cart abandonment issue?
Retailers are increasingly following consumers around the web when they abandon online shopping carts. An article in The Wall Street Journal summed up four ways retailers are trying to reengage…
What can stores do to minimize the warm weather woes?
The warmer-than-normal weather across much of the country has taken a good chunk of the blame for weak sales at department stores and other retailers this fall. Are there any…
How can managers relieve associates’ holiday stress?
As leaders, it is essential that store managers and owners help their associates be better throughout the holidays. The busier it gets, the more important your coaching becomes. What advice…
