Sears limps into holiday shopping season that could be its last
Many of the stores that remain in the ever-shrinking Sears chain have the same old problems. They’re grungy and understaffed, poorly stocked and losing vendors.
Retailers
-
Gerald Paul, co-founder of Paul Harris Stores, dies at 95
In addition to co-founding and leading national women’s clothing retailer Paul Harris Stores, Gerald Paul was an active philanthropist in local arts, education and Jewish causes.
Read More -
Minnesota-based tool retailer set to enter Indianapolis market
Northern Tool + Equipment, a growing tool and equipment retailer with more than 100 stores in 21 states, is entering Indiana with two Indianapolis stores that are set to open Oct. 31.
Read More -
Toys ‘R’ Us, back from dead, plans to open U.S. stores in 2019
About a year after closing U.S. operations, the remnant of the defunct toy chain is set to return this holiday season by opening some U.S. stores and an e-commerce site, according to people familiar with the matter.
Read More -
Walmart to pay $282 million over foreign corruption charges
The nation's biggest store chain said the two settlements close the books on federal investigations that stretch back to 2012 and have collectively cost the company more than $900 million.
Read More
Articles
Merry Clickmas: Black Friday online sales hit record $7.4B
In-store sales slipped, but sales by people who bought things online and then headed to the store to pick them up surged 43.2% on Black Friday, according to Adobe Analytics.
Louis Vuitton maker to buy Tiffany & Co. for $16.2 billion
The offer comes as luxury goods companies have been wrestling with changing habits of shoppers who are increasingly buying online.
Target jumps into holiday season with third-quarter earnings bang
Third quarter online sales rose 31% for Target in the third quarter. And customer traffic to its stores and website rose 3.1%.
Robust holiday shopping season expected, with some retailers facing challenges
With two weeks until the official start of the holiday shopping season, the nation’s retailers are gearing up for what should be another brutally competitive shopping period.
Retailers seek to stretch shortened holiday shopping season
Faced with the shortest holiday shopping season since 2013, retailers are trying to figure out ways to get into the minds of shoppers sooner.
Walgreens to close in-store clinics, add Jenny Craig sites
The company said Monday that it will close 150 Walgreens-run clinics by the end of the year, but it will keep open more than 200 that are run in partnership with health care providers.
CountryMark CEO Smith retiring after 17 years at helm
CountryMark ranked as the state’s ninth largest company in 2018, with $1.2 billion in revenue. The firm has more than 500 employees, including about 420 in Indiana.
Louis Vuitton maker looks to buy U.S. jeweler Tiffany for $14.5B
Tiffany & Co., which has one store in Indianapolis, owns luxury labels ranging from Givenchy haute couture to Sephora cosmetics stores, Hublot watches, Bulgari jewelry and Dom Perignon Champagne.
Startup sees big potential in Amazon-like site for orthodontists
Indianapolis orthodontist Jeff Biggs has been putting smiles on people’s faces for two decades. Now he’s hoping to put smiles on the faces of orthodontists themselves with a new one-stop online marketplace to launch early next month.
Dick’s Sporting Goods CEO says new gun policies cost company quarter-billion dollars
Even while the National Rifle Association, Republican lawmakers and critical customers have blasted CEO Ed Stack, he said the company’s entire firearms category is under “strategic review.”
National Retail Federation forecasts solid holiday sales growth
The new holiday forecast is above the average holiday sales growth of 3.7% over the previous five years.
Shoppers getting more options for returning online purchases
Retailers aim to reduce costs while making it easier for shoppers to return online items. The average return rate for online transactions is 25% compared with 8% for store purchases, according to Forrester Research
Forever 21 fashion chain files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group counts Forever 21 as its sixth-largest mall tenant, excluding department stores, with 99 outlets covering 1.5 million square feet, as of March 3.
Walmart to stop selling electronic cigarettes
The nation’s largest retailer said Friday that it will complete its exit from e-cigarettes after selling through current inventory.
Walmart to stop selling ammo for handguns, short-barrel rifles
The retailer has long found itself in an awkward spot with its customers and gun enthusiasts. Many of its stores are in rural areas where hunters depend on Walmart to get their equipment.
Target has big quarter amid intense retail environment
Target topped expectations in just about any measurable way during the second quarter. The retailer’s stock rose 18 percent Wednesday morning.
Department stores making room for used fashion as resale becomes mainstream
The moves mark the most dramatic evidence of how resale is becoming so mainstream that traditional sellers can no longer ignore it.
Plus-sized retailer with two local stores going out of business
Women’s retailer Avenue Stores LLC is closing all 222 of its locations in 33 states, the company announced this week.
Women’s retailer Charlotte Russe to reopen in Castleton Square
The company shut down all five of its Indianapolis-area stores earlier this year after filing for bankruptcy, but the brand has a new owner that is reopening stores in some locations.