Sears Plans Reorganization to Revitalize Biz

(NEWSER) - A fundamental shift is going on in the consumer product world as retailers decide that less is more, the Wall Street Journal reports. Big national retailers are expected to slash selection by at least 15%, analysts say. Gone will be 30% of Kroger’s cereals, 20 of the 24 tape measures Wal-Mart sells, and so on. It’s a big curveball for manufacturers accustomed to cranking out variations on their top products. More»

Chain sick of customers checking out products before buying them on Amazon

(NEWSER) - In a sign of rising tension between online stores and their bricks-and-mortar counterparts, Target says it is going to stop selling Amazon's Kindle products. The company, one of the biggest offline sellers of Amazon's e-readers and tablets, has become fed up with shoppers using its stores as a showroom for Amazon, checking out products there before buying them online, reports the New York Times . Amazon encourages the practice and ran a promotion last year offering shoppers 5% off any item scanned at a store. More»

With online retail surging in China, competition on the rise

(NEWSER) - Walmart is stepping up its presence in China, buying 51% of online retailer Yihaodian, reports the Financial Times . Walmart has more than 350 stores in China, but relatively little presence online. And with China's online retail market expected to grow five-fold to $105 billion over the next two years, competition for the Internet is fierce there. More»

...After checking an item with their Price Check app

(NEWSER) - In a scheme clearly devised to give brick-and-mortar retailers nightmares, Amazon is running a one-day promotion on Dec. 10 in which customers can score up to $15 in discounts for literally walking out of stores. Here's how it works: Download the Amazon Price Check app for your iPhone or Android device, walk into the retailer of your choice on Saturday with the geo-location feature on, scan three things you'd like to buy, and leave. More»

Execs admit retail giant lost its way

(NEWSER) - Walmart is suffering its worst-ever slump in US sales and is widely expected to post more disappointing figures when it reports earnings today. Analysts say the retail giant's woes are the result of its failure to follow founder Sam Walton's formula of providing ordinary Americans with "every day low prices." Instead, the chain—facing stiff competition from rivals like Target—chose to offer "rollback" discounts on some products while hiking the price of others. More»