Operations
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Guitar Center reports preliminary 6.6% holiday season sales growth
However, near-term debt and dampened consumer spending on discretionary merchandise could throw the company’s growth initiatives off beat, Moody’s said.
By Nate Delesline III • Jan. 24, 2025 -
Another Amazon Go will close next month
The retailer will shutter its c-store in Woodland Hills, California, on Feb. 26. Its total store count has decreased by about 50% since early 2023.
By Brett Dworski • Jan. 24, 2025 -
Trendline
The latest in experiential retail
From new store concepts to accessibility efforts, retailers are constantly shifting their approach to better cater to shopper needs.
By Retail Dive staff -
Books Inc. files for Chapter 11
The California-based retailer said the pandemic kicked off years of falling revenue and rising costs. It will close at least one store but stay in business.
By Nate Delesline III • Jan. 23, 2025 -
Vince Holding Corp. sells majority stake to P180, former CEO returns
Brendan Hoffman, formerly of Wolverine World Wide, is returning to the top spot at Vince after holding the role from 2015 to 2020.
By Laurel Deppen • Jan. 23, 2025 -
US store closures to again outpace openings this year
Coresight Research expects some 15,000 locations to shutter in 2025, with plans already up well over 300% year over year.
By Daphne Howland • Jan. 23, 2025 -
Bloomingdale’s to close San Francisco Centre anchor
The move will leave the struggling mall with another space to fill, and the luxury department store’s only full-line locations outside the city.
By Daphne Howland • Jan. 23, 2025 -
Home Depot expands on-demand delivery services with DoorDash, Uber Eats partnerships
The move adds to the home improvement retailer’s delivery capabilities, which also include a tie-up with Instacart.
By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Jan. 23, 2025 -
REI taps Nike, Athleta vet Mary Beth Laughton as CEO
Eric Artz, who has led the outdoors retailer for six years, plans to retire at the end of March.
By Cara Salpini • Jan. 22, 2025 -
VF Corp. confirms further layoffs
The company said the move, which follows a previously announced 242-person workforce reduction, is connected to its turnaround strategy.
By Lara Ewen • Jan. 22, 2025 -
Skechers opens first performance flagship
The store, located in Canada, features basketball and pickleball half-courts, as well as footwear for sports like golf and soccer.
By Howard Ruben • Jan. 22, 2025 -
Birkenstock brings on a new CFO as it pushes DTC strategy
Ivica Krolo will replace Erik Massmann, who helped guide the footwear brand through its initial public offering a little over a year ago.
By Daphne Howland • Jan. 22, 2025 -
Adidas sales surge 24% in preliminary Q4 results
For the full year revenue was also up double-digits, though CEO Bjørn Gulden said the brand is “not yet where we want to be long term.”
By Cara Salpini • Jan. 22, 2025 -
Costco workers vote to strike in less than 2 weeks
With a master agreement with the Teamsters set to expire in 10 days, affecting 18,000 of the retailer’s workers, hundreds last week held practice pickets.
By Daphne Howland • Jan. 21, 2025 -
Target adds Peloton apparel to online marketplace
The fitness company continues to expand its third-party partnerships as it seeks to strengthen its turnaround momentum under a new CEO.
By Nate Delesline III • Jan. 21, 2025 -
Best Buy to launch third-party marketplace this summer
The retailer previously had a marketplace, but ultimately closed down its operations after five years.
By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Jan. 21, 2025 -
Walmart opens new Arkansas corporate headquarters
About 15,000 associates will occupy the new campus that includes collaborative work and gathering spaces, public retail, eateries and a hotel.
By Nate Delesline III • Jan. 17, 2025 -
Column
The Weekly Closeout: Foot Locker taps Sonia Syngal for board and New Balance sales hit a record
Also joining the footwear retailer’s board is Ace Hardware CEO John Venhuizen. Meanwhile, New Balance landed $7.8 billion in global sales last year.
By Retail Dive Staff • Jan. 17, 2025 -
Spanx adds new activewear collection
The line, called Spanxsmooth OnForm, features light compression and is designed for low-intensity exercise and casual dressing.
By Lara Ewen • Jan. 17, 2025 -
Retailers have made progress on phasing out harmful chemicals, nonprofits say
Reports from Toxic-Free Future and Clean Production Action analyzed how companies are addressing PFAS, PVC and other chemicals of concern in plastics, packaging and more.
By Maria Rachal • Jan. 17, 2025 -
Amazon to lay off 200 people in its North America retail operations
The e-commerce giant said it is cutting a small number of roles after a routine evaluation of its team structures and ability to “move fast.”
By Daphne Howland • Jan. 17, 2025 -
Hydro Flask maker builds inventory, bracing for tariff impact
Helen of Troy is continuing to pursue diversified sourcing despite uncertainty around U.S. trade policies.
By Kelly Stroh • Jan. 16, 2025 -
At NRF, 40,000 humans contemplate AI
Artificial intelligence is useful to many areas of retail, from sourcing to customer service, making it a hot topic during this year’s Big Show.
By Daphne Howland • Jan. 16, 2025 -
Memorable quotes from NRF’s 2025 Big Show
Retail executives discussed the future of AI, the store experience and personalization at this year’s conference.
By Daphne Howland and Kaarin Moore • Jan. 16, 2025 -
How can stores compete with speedy delivery? By slowing down.
Stores should stop trying to compete on e-commerce’s turf and focus on the sensory details and customer service unique to brick and mortar, according to WD Partners’ Lee Peterson.
By Daphne Howland • Jan. 15, 2025 -
Target cut its go-to-market timeframe from 7 months to 8 weeks. Here’s why.
The retailer has created an operating model that quickly enables it to bring new trends to consumers.
By Kaarin Moore • Jan. 15, 2025