Maine retailers are staffing up, stocking up and decking out their showrooms with holiday cheer to prepare for the heavily hyped Black Friday, but the actual busiest shopping day of the season likely won’t come until a month later. Of course, that will depend on various factors including the always unpredictable Maine winter weather and […]
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Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Be an outsider: L.L. Bean rebrands, focuses on having fun outdoors
FREEPORT (AP) — L.L. Bean has done some soul-searching. The century-old brand known for Yankee durability is putting a renewed focus on the fun of being outside as it tries to invigorate sales in a fast-changing marketplace. “Be an Outsider,” the chain is urging, in a quirky new ad campaign that the company told The […]
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Auburn Kmart not on closure list
AUBURN — The Kmart here is not one of the 28 Kmarts that owner Sears plans to close nationally. Sears officials announced the list of 28 stores slated for closure Thursday afternoon. None are in Maine. Over the last few years, hundreds of Sears and Kmart locations have been shuttered as the retailer seeks financial […]
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Shoppers fixated with discounts pose big worry for stores
NEW YORK (AP) — Shoppers who got addicted to sales during the last recession have more tools than ever to cross-check prices and find bargains, creating a race to the bottom — particularly on clothes. While retailers are trying to offer more exclusive products and improve the experience shoppers have in stores, online leader Amazon […]
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As retail outlook dims, mall tenants push for shorter leases
As if malls didn’t have enough problems, count one more: retailers looking to slash the duration of their leases. After more than a dozen bankruptcies this year contributed to thousands of store closures, visibility for the industry is so poor that retailers are pushing for lease renewals as short as a year or two — […]
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Analysis: Why big retailers are in such big trouble
Twenty years ago, when the commercial Internet was just a handful of static web pages and links, I started a list of predictions that have since proved very, very wrong: “No one will ever buy a car on the internet.” “Our customers aren’t interested in trading stocks online – that’s what they pay us to […]
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Stores closing at a record pace as Amazon chews up retailers
The battered American retail industry took a few more lumps this week, with stores at both ends of the price spectrum preparing to close their doors. At the bottom, the seemingly ubiquitous Payless shoe chain filed for bankruptcy and announced plans to shutter hundreds of locations. Ralph Lauren, meanwhile, said it will close its flagship […]
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Company says it can help towns with retail strategy
JAY — A Texas-based customer analytics company told about 25 people from Farmington, Jay, Livermore Falls and Wilton on Wednesday night what it could do to help them attract retailers to the area. The presentation was the result of the four towns’ managers and some selectmen, along with Alison Hagerstrom, executive director of Greater Franklin […]
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Paint retailer Sherwin-Williams to open Auburn store
AUBURN — National paint retailer Sherwin-Williams plans to target homeowners and do-it-yourselfers with a new Center Street location. Company District Manager Scott Herlin said the store should be opening in September at 445 Center St., which previously housed a Pizza Hut. It’s part of the company’s 150th anniversary, he said. The company already has a store […]