Neiman Marcus Files Bankruptcy, First Major Retail Chain in COVID-19 Crisis

| Mike O'Brien

Neiman Marcus Group, owner of the 43-store chain of the same name as well as two Bergdorf Goodman locations and Last Call discount shops, has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as expected, in the process securing $675 million in loans from creditors. The filing also calls for a long-term plan to eliminate $4 billion of debt.

Advance Auto Parts Buying DieHard Brand from Sears for $200 Million

| Mike O'Brien

Another Sears brand is being peeled off as Advance Auto Parts will acquire the DieHard brand and its popular, iconic battery line from Sears’ parent company for $200 million, providing a much-needed cash infusion, according to CNBC. This follows acquisitions of Craftsmen and Sears Hometown brands.

Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores Sold to Liberty Tax

| Daniela Forte

Lease-to-own retailer Sears Hometown has been saved from potential failure through a $133 million acquisition by tax preparation firm Liberty Tax, which has been on a buying spree of distressed businesses this summer as it expands into the world of franchise retail and rent-to-own.

10 Tips for Balancing Self-Service, Hands-On Customer Care Support

| MCM staff

Consumers are getting better at navigating ecommerce on their own. But not every feature of customer care can or should be automated, leaving merchants to figure out where to lend hands-on support, and what to make self-service. An expert panel at Ecommerce Operations Summit 2019 provided 10 tips to help you navigate this issue.

Prime Day by the Numbers: 175 Million Items Ordered and Other Cool Stats

| Mike O'Brien

Prime Day saw 175 million items purchased by Prime members over the two days, according to Amazon, eclipsing its 2018 Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales combined, while analysts pegged total GMV at $6 billion to $6.2 billion. See what other interesting statistics we found to paint a picture of the concocted “Christmas in July.”

The Big Pivot: Why Is Everybody Chasing Amazon?

| Silvio Tavares

Is emulating Amazon enough to succeed? No, because very few companies have the resources. For most, winning the war means quietly striking partnerships and collaboration initiatives with competitors that were once unthinkable. At the center of these initiatives are new collaboration brokers, enabling product innovation at scale.

Sears Lives to See Another Day

| Daniela Forte

A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge approved the sale of Sears to former chairman and CEO Eddie Lampert late last week, according to Bloomberg, accepting his $5.2 billion bid for the assets and keeping the company alive.