News and analysis of major department store chains: Macy’s, John Lewis, Nordstrom, Galeries Lafayette.
Walmart began selling Walmart+ and Sam’s Club Plus together for $120 a year on October 20, nearly $100 less than buying both separately and $19 below Amazon Prime. The annual-only bundle adds warehouse club access, free delivery from both chains, streaming and fuel savings.
Leslie’s filed prearranged Chapter 11 petitions on September 30, 2026 and closed 76 underperforming stores, with lenders holding over 80% of its debt backing the plan. The restructuring targets elimination of roughly $685 million, about 90% of funded debt, and hands majority ownership to the lender group.
Starbucks is shutting about 250 North America coffeehouses before its fiscal year ends on September 27, roughly 1% of a base above 18,000 locations. The company expects approximately $300 million in restructuring charges even as North America comparable sales run 8.1% higher.
The Cato Corporation will close about 120 stores in fiscal 2026 after adding roughly 70 lease-end exits on September 18, citing pressure on customers’ discretionary income. Second-quarter sales fell 6% and gross margin dropped to 32.8%, while a $5.7 million IEEPA tariff refund had flattered the first quarter.
The John Lewis Partnership has opened 10,400 seasonal roles for Christmas 2026, a quarter fewer than last year, paying £13.00 to £14.80 an hour. Here is where the jobs are, how the pay compares with the legal minimum, and what the smaller call signals for the golden quarter.
Matalan puts a sharper, more premium-looking autumn/winter collection into stores and online on 12 September, backed by 40 store refits and a narrowing £54.7m loss. Here is what is in the range, who is running the reset and how it stacks up against Primark and Next.
John Lewis Partnership’s first-half loss before exceptionals more than doubled to £89m as department store sales fell 2% and costs climbed, while Waitrose grew 4%. The employee-owned group is spending £600m this year and says it is cautious on the second half.
Three Walmart-trained operators took demand-side seats at Nike, Kohl’s and Old Navy in a five-day window, all effective inside the holiday quarter. Signals point to a Walmart-style pricing and private-brand reset surfacing between January and April 2027, not in Q4 comps.
Accessible store design is mostly decided in the fixture plan, not at the entrance. Chains that get it right treat it as a standard, not a project.
Kohl’s eliminated its CMO seat on August 25 and handed marketing to its digital chief, the third such move at a major US chain in five weeks. Signals point to at least two more top-25 US retailers absorbing the standalone CMO title before fiscal 2026 reporting closes in March 2027.