Local Macy’s, Sears stores escape new round of closures
Macy’s on Wednesday announced plans to close 68 of its department stores and eliminate 10,000 jobs. Sears Holdings, meanwhile, is closing 108 Kmart stores and 42 Sears department stores.
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Limited stores, including two in Indy, closing nationwide
The longtime clothing retailer shut the doors to its Circle Centre mall location Dec. 24, while the one at Castleton Square Mall is set to close Saturday.
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.
Sears Holdings lines up $200M in financing to stay afloat
The move signals that hedge fund manager Eddie Lampert remains committed to bankrolling Sears, even as the once-mighty department-store chain suffers from dwindling sales and billions in red ink.
High CFO turnover for retailers a sign of the times
The rapid turnover is a symptom of the quickly changing retail industry, as shifting consumer behavior demands new strategies from companies trying to keep up.
UPS says it expects to make 1.3M returns to retailers in one day
UPS expects to deliver 1.3 million packages back to retailers on Jan. 5, which is celebrated by the delivery service as “National Returns Day.”
Holiday sales on pace for biggest gain since 2005
Shoppers abandoned their early reluctance and pushed U.S. holiday sales to the biggest increase in more than a decade, a research firm said Tuesday. Online sales grew an estimated 15 percent as Amazon Inc. had its best season yet.
2016 TOP STORIES: Locally based retailers send CEOs packing
Three major Indianapolis-based retailers struggling with declining sales replaced their CEOs this year as they tried to improve company financials.
Struggling Finish Line strives to reduce reliance on apparel
Slumping sales of apparel led the Indianapolis-based athletic clothier to report a steep loss in its latest quarter.
Three area Sears stores set to close in January
The stores are all operated by Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores Inc., a struggling public company that was spun off by Sears Holdings Corp. in 2012.
Scotty’s Brewhouse founder completes sale of 17-restaurant chain
A Scottsdale, Arizona-based company announced Friday that it has closed on its acquisition of Indianapolis-based restaurant chain Scotty’s Brewhouse. IBJ first reported the deal in October.
Starbucks’ plan to win lunch crowd may be tough task for new CEO
Starbucks Corp. wants to persuade its coffee-loving customers to come back for lunch, after stumbling several times in previous attempts to expand its food offerings.
Report: Thanksgiving, Black Friday sales up 9 percent
According to First Data, almost 25 percent of the holiday dollars spent over the two-day period came from e-commerce, up from 18 percent last year and nearly 16 percent in 2014.
With deals offered early, Cyber Monday may lose online sales title
The Monday after Thanksgiving is traditionally the busiest online shopping day, but stores are releasing internet deals earlier, stretching them through the week, as well as making them available in stores.
Thanksgiving weekend shoppers spend less in stores, more online
Weekend shoppers picked up hot toys, TVs and new Apple products, buying both online and in stores, but spent less per person because of rampant discounting that they’ve come to demand.
Department stores change tactics as more sales go online
The beleaguered department-store industry, facing declining mall traffic and mounting online competition, will need more than Santa Claus to get customers in the door this year.
Harley-Davidson moving from Carmel to Fishers, nearly doubling store size
Harley-Davidson plans to construct and open a 43,000-square-foot store in Fishers near State Road 37 and 126th Street in the Reynolds Industrial Park and close its existing north-side location.
Finish Line expecting $44M charge related to JackRabbit decision
The Finish Line Inc. on Tuesday confirmed a two-week-old report that it was looking to rid itself of its underperforming JackRabbit chain of specialty running-shoe stores.
Dirty linen: Bed sheets scandal roils major U.S. retailers
A team of investigators spent the summer trying to answer what should have been a simple question: What were hundreds of thousands of sheets sold by big retailers like Target and Walmart actually made of?
J.C. Penney cuts sales forecast as turnaround bid stumbles
Shares of J.C. Penney slumped Friday after the department store chain with five local stores reported sluggish third-quarter sales, particularly in apparel, and cut its forecast for the remainder of the year.