Footwear and lifestyle accessories brand Cole Haan’s plans to raise a reported $100 million in an IPO are on hold due to market volatility related to coronavirus concerns, several media outlets reported. Reuters said Cole Haan declined comment on the news, adding Warner Music Group Corp. also delayed its IPO plans for the same reason.
Direct-to-consumer (DTC) retailer Brandless, which sold beauty products, non-GMO snacks and everyday items under its own non-brand austere label in a radical departure from the norm, is halting operations. Brandless is laying off 70 employees and retaining 10 to fulfill remaining orders, which stopped being accepted Feb. 10.
A Jan. 30 data breach linked to cosmetics giant Estée Lauder exposed more than 440 million records, but none apparently contained customers’ payment information or privileged information about employees. This follows recent data breach events at Visa and children’s clothing retailer Hanna Andersson.
The Federal Trade Commission is suing to block the $1.37B acquisition of affordable razor brand Harry’s Inc. by Schick owner Edgewell Personal Care. The FTC complaint alleges the acquisition would eliminate one of the most important competitive forces in the shaving industry. Edgewell and Harry’s say consumers would not be harmed.
Macy’s Inc. announced plans to close 125 stores within three years in an effort to find profitability amid an ongoing shopper flight from malls and department stores, while consolidating its headquarters in New York and cutting 2,000 corporate jobs. This will leave 400 Macy’s stores in place; about 30 will close in 2020.
Forever 21 has struck an $81 million deal to sell its assets to a group of mall owners and management operations, including Simon Property Group, Brookfield Properties and brand development/marketing venture Authentic Brands Group. It includes all of Forever 21’s assets and must be approved by a bankruptcy court judge.
The value of global retail industry mergers and acquisitions (M&A) soared in Q4 2019 to a total of $25.66 billion, according to UK-based data and analytics company GlobalData. That total value represents a 38.4% increase over Q3 and was up 160.7% compared with the average of $9.93 billion over the last four quarters.
Amazon’s latest expansion into the consumer biosphere will enable brick-and-mortar shoppers to pay for purchases with a mere wave – or scan – of their hand. The Wall Street Journal said Amazon is creating a system of hand-scanning terminals for retailers, with a focus on venues like coffee shops with lots of return customers.
Coresight Research reported a total of 9,275 U.S. store closures by major retailers in 2019, 35% higher than the 6,897 closures recorded in 2018 as the bleeding continues. Closings outpaced store openings more than 2 to 1, Coresight found, with 4,454 new doors in 2019, compared to 4,311 in 2018.
Pier 1 Imports said it plans to close up to 450 stores, nearly half of its 942 locations, reduce headcount and shutter some distribution centers along with other expense reductions as the company is reportedly weighing bankruptcy. The company reported a 11.4% drop in same-store sales and a 13.3% drop in net sales in Q3.