The first Kmart -- founded in 1962, originally part of the Kresge chain -- preceded the first Walmart by only four months, its death sentence signed at its birth. In the
1960s, Kmart grew to 600 stores, but it has since barely doubled that
number. Walmart, meanwhile, has grown to 11,000 stores in 27 countries
by perfecting its aggressive strategy of negotiating its suppliers down
to bare-bone margins to get those everyday low prices.
Shopping ranks as a favorite activity among nearly half of all teens
and young adults aged 13 to 24. According to a new survey of more than
1,000 teens and young adults ranging from ages 13 to 24 conducted by
Alexander Babbage in partnership with Forest City Enterprises Inc.,
shopping at malls ranked above a virtual shopping experience among the
entire group, with the 13-to-17-year-old age group showing the strongest
preference for a bricks-and-mortar shopping experience.
Equinox Fitness Clubs has agreed to pay $110 million for a portfolio of properties in Boston and other major U.S. cities from an affiliate of Millennium Partners.
Market Basket managers have reaffirmed their commitment to working
for nobody else but fired CEO Arthur T. Demoulas, saying they’ll quit if
he isn’t reinstated — a threat that could remove the working management
of most of the chain’s stores, already reeling from a loss of customers
and protests by thousands of workers.
Wegmans Food Markets says it plans to add 10 new stores in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions over the next year or two.
Ever since Container Store Group CEO Kip Tindell said retail is in a "funk," investors have been trying to get a fresh read on the consumer. 
Target Corp. has pulled back the curtain on its new small-format
store, TargetExpress, in the “Dinkeytown” section of downtown
Minneapolis. The 20,000-sq.-ft. store is just steps away from the
University of Minnesota.
Market Basket employees have been rallying for nine days in support of their former CEO Arthur T. Demoulas.
RadioShack Corp., the struggling
electronics retailer, was notified by the New York Stock
Exchange that it’s out of compliance with requirements because
its stock has traded below $1 for 30 straight days. 
Jack Kleinhenz, the Cleveland-based chief economist for theNational Retail Federation, has lowered his retail forecast for 2014 because of less-than-stellar sales in the first half. But he and the retail federation expect business to pick up by at least 3.9 percent for the rest of the year, as shoppers hit stores ready to spend, spend, spend.
Dollar Tree, Inc., the nation's leading operator of discount variety stores selling everything for $1 or less, and Family Dollar Stores, Inc., a leading national discount retailer offering name brands and quality, private brand merchandise, today announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Dollar Tree will acquire Family Dollar in a cash and stock transaction. The value of the consideration is $74.50 per share, a 22.8% premium over Family Dollar's closing price as of July 25, 2014.
