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Virtual reality plays growing role in retail
Early-adopter retailers in central Indiana—including Walmart, Macy’s and California Closets—are embracing virtual reality for employee training or to enhance customer experiences.
Early-adopter retailers in central Indiana—including Walmart, Macy’s and California Closets—are embracing virtual reality for employee training or to enhance customer experiences.
The takeaway from the past few days is that Americans are spending at unprecedented levels, and the overwhelming majority of that growth—if not all of it—is online.
Black Friday is increasingly an online shopping event, and that’s not necessarily a good thing for legacy retailers, some of which found themselves falling behind during America’s annual spending spree.
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said the FDA wanted to issue a warning about a new E. coli outbreak before people gathered for Thanksgiving meals, where the potential for exposure could increase.
Jane Pauley Community Health Center plans to fill about a third of the space, which was vacated by defunct grocery chain Marsh Supermarkets in May 2017.
The watering hole will take over the former Open Society Public House restaurant space next door, with plans to debut the addition and a seasonal menu just before year’s end.
Westside Bait & Tackle, a family-owned fishing shop that opened in 1951, plans to close its doors for good on Dec. 31.
David’s Bridal, a 68-year-old retailer with more than 300 stores, including two Indianapolis-area shops, filed for bankruptcy Monday, with a plan to cut debt by more than $400 million.
This Christmas season might be the last hurrah for some well-known retailers who are sitting on loads of unsustainable debt.
A brewery and restaurant that hoped to be part of the revitalization of the south end of the Butler-Tarkington neighborhood has closed, citing “unexpected circumstances.”
The company, which on Thursday reported better-than-expected sales in the U.S., faced criticism on Twitter Friday morning as customers reported problems with its popular smartphone app.
Meanwhile, the hedge funds that now own the Toys “R” Us brand plan to relaunch the toy retailer as a standalone operation next year, according to people familiar with the matter.
Suppliers are still gun-shy after their experience with Toys ‘R’ Us, which went out of business months after filing for Chapter 11 reorganization in the fall of 2017, leaving them with millions of dollars in unpaid bills.
Parent company Genesco started trying to sell the Zionsville-based division 10 months ago, but no deal has been struck. Meanwhile Lids' long-running decline has continued.
Vape and Wellness is expected to open this month in a 1,400-square-foot store near Kroger on Logan Street in Noblesville.
According to the American Headwear Alliance, which represents producers such Zionsville-based Lids and Massachusetts-based ’47 Brand, the vast majority of caps sold in the U.S. are imported from overseas.
A company that operated more than 240 seasonal stores is scheduled to auction off about $4.5 million in fireworks as well as vehicles and equipment later this month.
Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group and other mall landlords actually might be looking forward to redeveloping Sears’ massive stores with more promising tenants as the once-mighty retailer enters bankruptcy.
Sears Holdings announced it was closing 142 more stores as part of Monday’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization plan.
Given Sears’ sheer size, the bankruptcy filing will have wide ripple effects on everything from already ailing landlords to its tens of thousands of workers.