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Amazon Closing 6 Whole Foods Locations

| Mike O'Brien

Amazon said it is closing six Whole Foods locations, a rare pullback after the parent company reported a disappointing Q1 loss of $3.8 billion that helped send markets tumbling on April 29. The stores being closed are located in Montgomery and Mobile, AL, Tarzana, CA, Brookline, MA and two in Chicago.

Macy’s Benefiting from Centralized Plan as Ecommerce Grows 53% in Q2

| Mike O'Brien

In a familiar theme for omnichannel retailers who have gotten ahead of the curve in digital transformation, Macy’s reported store sales down 61% in the second quarter, while ecommerce increased 53%. Still brick-and-mortar news was not all bad, as stores reopened stronger than expected and luxury goods outpaced projections.

Amazon Reportedly Weighing J.C. Penney Acquisition Out of Chapter 11

| Mike O'Brien

Shortly after J.C. Penney filed Chapter 11, Amazon reportedly was in talks about possibly picking up the troubled store chain on the cheap. The plan calls closing 242 of 846 stores by 2021, setting up a real estate investment trust (REIT) to handle the balance of its physical assets and receiving $900 million in debtor-in-possession financing.

Roundup: Retail, Malls Reopen Slowly, Midsize Players Get Fed Relief

| Mike O'Brien

Retail was a mixed bag this week, as over a dozen states have begun to slowly reopen, working to come out the other side of the COVID-19 shutdown. Some retailers and malls are doing the same, hoping that enough returning shoppers and their pent-up demand for goods will help with massive cash flow and viability challenges.

Ecommerce Shutdowns, Layoffs Among Impacts of Coronavirus Outbreak

| Mike O'Brien

The coronavirus outbreak is continuing to wreak havoc on retail, with the impact going beyond store shutdowns to online business being shuttered. Companies that closed their ecommerce operations in recent days include fashion brands Reformation, Marysia and The Frankie Shop, and retailers TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods.

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Retail, Mall Groups Ask Trump, Congress for Coronavirus Relief

| Mike O'Brien

The National Retail Federation and the International Council of Shopping Centers are asking the Trump administration and the federal government for relief for members who are being hard hit by the coronavirus crisis, much as are other industries such as airlines and hospitality, as mall, store and restaurant closures grow.

Macy’s Closing 125 Stores, Shuttering Offices in Realignment

| Douglas P. Clement

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.