Bon Ton, Macy’s Find a Middle Way to Profit – For Now The middle has been a sweet retail spot of late. Mid-priced department-store chains like Bon-Ton Stores (BONT) and Macy’s (M), have turned in good financial results. But they should not get too comfortable. The 278-store Bon-Ton recently released its fourth-quarter results and posted […]

Fitness centers like 24 Hour Fitness are filling vacant spaces in shopping centers No longer the 90-pound weakling of the commercial real-estate market, fitness centers are muscling into prime shopping space ceded by traditional retailers. “We have a joke in our industry that the way you know a shopping center is in trouble is if […]

Shadow Closures Many chains aren’t following through on store-closing announcements Those pesky e-mails with “warning!” in the subject line might be dubious, but they do offer clues about the prevailing zeitgeist. Two years ago many of these 21st-century chain letters warned of an impending tsunami of store closures and urged worrywarts to steer clear of […]

10 Things Your Jeweler Won’t Tell You 1. “Our prices are on the rise.” After increasing 23% in 2009, the price per ounce of gold this year has dipped slightly and is hovering around $1,100. With investors continuing to seek safety in this precious metal, it’s a bad time for consumers to buy gold, says […]

Tilly’s Secret Some retailers are doing just fine these days, thanks — recession or no. Tilly’s, a lifestyle apparel chain of 111 stores is among these, even if its owner is a bit coy about the reasons. “I’m smiling because if I told you why, everybody would do it,” said Hezy Shaked, founder and CEO […]

10 Things Retailers Won’t Tell You 1. “Forget commissions. Our staff gets kickbacks.” Next time a salesperson gets overly pushy when promoting a product to you, think twice about their motives. Sometimes clerks have hidden agendas you might not know about. Consider the “promotion incentive fee,” which is a selling incentive that leads sales staff […]