As a result of changing consumer behaviors and spending patterns, many retailers are focused on right-sizing their store footprints, especially in shopping malls. In fact, results from Retail TouchPoints’ latest Store Design & Experience Survey revealed that 58% of respondents plan to remodel and/or renovate a minimum of 11% of their store footprint through 2024….
Ikea U.S. is expanding its existing slate of design tools and services with the debut of an Interior Design Service, offering consumers and businesses the chance to connect virtually with an interior design expert to help develop any space. Ikea has long offered expert support for the kitchen design process, but this new offering covers…
Walmart has filed a lawsuit seeking to end its credit card contract with Capital One Financial, alleging that the payment company failed to live up to certain terms of the agreement. Walmart has accused Capital One of falling short on customer care practices, including delivering replacement cards to customers within five days and promptly posting…
Sleep Country Canada Holdings will purchase the Canadian assets of Casper Sleep for $20.6 million (USD). Toronto-based Sleep Country operates 290 corporate-owned stores and 20 warehouses across Canada as well as ecommerce operations. “We are very excited to acquire 100% of Casper’s Canadian retail business, who invested over $1 billion globally to build a leading…
Editor’s note: This is the fifth and final article in our series on AI in retail (though we’ll continue to cover the tech and its impact on an ongoing basis). Check out our previous coverage of the consumer attitudes toward AI, store design applications, customer-facing applications and AI’s operational impact. Soon, we journalists are going to need…
To support relief and recovery efforts following dozens of deadly tornadoes in recent weeks, Lowe’s will donate $500,000 to assist disaster relief partners, including the American Red Cross and Lowe’s nonprofit Pro customers. The money will help these organizations provide emergency shelter, critical relief supplies, food and comfort to those affected. Last week, Lowe’s associates…
Dollar General is facing more than $1 million in potential penalties for workspace safety violations at four stores in Florida and Georgia that were uncovered by investigators from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The company has been fined $15 million since 2017 for safety hazards, according to a strongly worded…
Alibaba is reportedly looking for partner companies to test its Tongyi Qianwen AI chatbot, according to Reuters. A formal launch is expected on April 11, when Daniel Zhang, CEO of Alibaba Group, is scheduled to speak at an Alibaba Cloud event. Alibaba has not responded to media requests for comment, though a person familiar with…
Shoe City has filed for Chapter 11 protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Maryland and plans to close all 39 stores in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. According to the bankruptcy filing, the retailer owes approximately $16 million, mostly trade vendor debt. Among Shoe City’s top creditors are New Balance, which the…
