Retailers up their game to fill void left by Toys ‘R’ Us closures
Retailers including Walmart, Target and Party City are trying to grab a piece of the nearly $3 billion left on the table by Toys “R” Us, or 12 percent of the U.S. toy market.
Merchandising
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Gap to close some signature stores, open more Old Navy, Athleta locations
The company said Wednesday that it wants to shift focus to its growing brands Old Navy and Athleta while jettisoning hundreds of stores under the Gap and Banana Republic flags.
HHGregg hires new chief merchandising officer
Aaron Trahan, 32, is the fifth person to hold this job since 2012 at the struggling Indianapolis-based retailer.
HHGregg plans to expand high-end Fine Lines concept
The struggling retailer says it intends to more than double the number of its stores featuring the ritzy showrooms—an extension of its recent strategy to focus more on appliances and furniture.
Finish Line taps Nordstrom exec to lead merchandising
The move comes as Finish Line’s new CEO strives to improve performance issues that caused the retailer to lose $32 million in sales in its fiscal third quarter.
Colts pick Lids in new merchandise management deal
Lids replaces Indianapolis-based MainGate Inc., which has been with the team since it moved into Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts store at Circle Centre mall has closed, but at least one new store is in the works.
HHGregg snags new exec from New York chain
The appliance and electronics retailer has hired its fourth chief merchandising officer in about three years, snagging a veteran executive who will move on from a much smaller chain.
Teen retailers get the cold shoulder for holidays
Teen retailers are facing ho-hum results at a time when overall U.S. retail sales are up 5.1 percent over the past 12 months, the Commerce Department said Thursday.
HHGregg ready to dust off, ramp up Fine Lines concept
HHGregg's high-end-appliance Fine Lines stores are shifting into the spotlight as the struggling retailer looks for ways to offset declining consumer electronics sales.
Eight Mattress World locations to rebrand as PureSleep
The Michigan-based owner of the Indiana mattress stores plans to take them upscale with a signature sleep-diagnostic system.
HHGregg strategy shift vaults stock to 52-week high
The Indianapolis-based appliance and electronics retailer’s stock hit a sort of milestone Tuesday, closing above $18 for the first time since early 2011.
MainGate scores huge Super Bowl merchandising deal
Indianapolis-based MainGate beat out more than a dozen bidders to sell merchandise at 40 NFL-sanctioned hotels during the 10-day Super Bowl festivities next season.
MainGate calls audible during blackout, tops sales forecasts
Pregame emergency plans help MainGate Inc. go into scramble mode and keep Super Bowl merchandise shops at the Superdome open even while the lights were out.
Lids and MainGate gear up for Super Bowl
The companies, newly appointed to handle merchandise sale for the mega-event, are bringing in talent from across the country to staff the game in New Orleans.
Retailer Lids strives for Super Bowl dominance
Lids Sports Group is emerging as an early Super Bowl winner among local businesses after betting big that souvenir sales would shine.
Groupon miscue menaces downtown restaurant
Creation Cafe said Chicago online coupon company Groupon offered discounts it didn't agree to give. Groupon says it had a signed contract.
Borders turns the final page, will close all stores
The chain of bookstores will shutter its remaining 399 locations by September, including the few left in central Indiana. Company brass blame the changing book industry, eReader revolution, and turbulent economy.
Retail giants hope to cash in on local flavor
National retailers from Macy’s to Walmart, Best Buy to Lowe’s—brands built on national scale and buying in bulk to lower costs and muscle out competitors—are offering a new proposition to customers: Help us become more local.
Colts may look to sell souvenirs through vending machines
Locally based MainGate is testing the new NFL merchandise sales technique in Minnesota. Indianapolis could be next.
MainGate seals deal with Tennessee Titans
ndianapolis-based MainGate Inc. signed a four-year deal with the Tennessee Titans to handle online and retail merchandising
services for the National Football League franchise.