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☆ A mixed picture for retailers as bargain-hunting shoppers pick their spots
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Deborah Mary Sophia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A sale sign greets shoppers at a retail store in Carlsbad, California, U.S., May 25, 2023. Sephora "performed exceptionally well" with strength in North America in the first half of the year, the beauty retailer's owner LVMH (LVMH.PA) said last month. Retailers have also flagged the impact from Americans prioritizing experiences like movies, vacations and concerts over discretionary purchases. Tempered forecasts from sportswear retailers Foot Locker (FL.N) and Dick's Sporting Goods (DKS.N) also added to the mixed picture, with Dick's also citing an increase in organized retail crime and theft at stores. Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj KalluvilaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mike Blake, Edward Jones, Brian Yarbrough, LVMH, Yarbrough, Dick's, Corie Barry, Liza Amlani, We've, Christina Hennington, Deborah Sophia, Sriraj Organizations: REUTERS, Ross Stores, Walmart, Dick's Sporting, Electronics, U.S . Labor Department, Thomson Locations: Carlsbad , California, U.S, North America, Bengaluru

The deal, which would give Shein a roughly one-third interest in SPARC Group, expands Forever 21's reach by bringing the label to Shein's online platform, which serves about 150 million users. The partnership also presents an opportunity for Singapore-based and China-founded Shein to step into Forever 21's retail locations across the United States. Under the agreement, SPARC Group would also become a minority shareholder in Shein. Shein's Forever 21 deal will help it reach beyond its core ultra-fast fashion, primarily Generation Z, customer base, Amlani said. The Forever 21 deal will also enable the fast-fashion retailer to test in-person experiences including "shop-in-shops" and allow customers to return merchandise in physical stores.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Shein, Simon Property, Liza Amlani, Amlani, Savyata Mishra, Deborah Sophia, Shilpi Majumdar, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS, SPARC Group, Forever, Brands, Simon, SPARC, Thomson Locations: Singapore, China, United States, Shein, Brazil, U.S, Bengaluru, Arriana, New York

NEW YORK, NY, Oct 19 (Reuters) - The Ghost of Christmas Past haunts U.S. store shelves, sales floors and stockrooms this year. Retailers were sitting on $548.8 billion of inventory in July, a 21.6% increase from last year, according to U.S. Census data. Even with retailers slashing prices by up to 40%, shoppers so far this year are hesitant to make major holiday purchases. Increased markdowns and slowed consumer demand may hurt companies' gross margins, said Cowen retail analyst John Kernan in an October note. Analysts are expecting gross margins to shrink for each of the companies next quarter, according to data from Refinitiv.

☆ A merger with Albertsons could bring Kroger's tech initiatives, like automated warehouses and smart carts, to over 5,000 locations
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Alex Bitter | Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Kroger is building its own tech infrastructure, including automated warehouses for delivery orders. Here are Kroger's biggest e-commerce and technology initiatives:A ClusterTruck ghost kitchen inside a Kroger in the Midwest. The delivery-focused ghost kitchen touts a Cheesecake Factory-inspired menu of 80 to 100 food items. Over the last few years, ClusterTruck opened locations inside Kroger stores in Indiana and Ohio. Another partnership, this one with the autonomous-car startup Nuro, has stationed self-driving vehicles to deliver grocery orders in certain cities since 2018.

☆ Kroger is doubling down on its subscription delivery business as it weans itself off of Instacart. Here's a rundown of its other initiatives, from ghost kitchens to smart carts
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Alex Bitter | Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Here are Kroger's biggest e-commerce and technology initiatives:A ClusterTruck ghost kitchen inside a Kroger in the Midwest. ClusterTruckGhost kitchensIn December 2019, Kroger began improving its prepared meals offering by partnering with ghost kitchen startup ClusterTruck. The delivery-focused ghost kitchen touts a Cheesecake Factory-inspired menu of 80 to 100 food items. Over the last few years, ClusterTruck opened locations inside Kroger stores in Indiana and Ohio. But the firm, which tracks where consumers shop, said Kroger stores with the ghost kitchens are seeing an uptick in visits compared to neighboring Kroger branches.

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