Clothing Stores

Kohl’s Corp. KSS 2.30% beat back activists and is in talks to be sold for around $8 billion. But its suitor could bring a new set of challenges for the department-store chain. There are no guarantees the two sides will reach a deal. Franchise Group, which mainly owns franchise businesses, is smaller than Kohl’s with a market capitalization of about $1.5 billion. The deal structure that Franchise Group is proposing—selling real estate and adding on debt—has…

Kohl’s Corp. is in advanced talks to be sold in a deal that could value the department-store chain at roughly $8 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. The Wisconsin company recently entered exclusive talks with retail holding company Franchise Group Inc., the people said. The exclusivity period is expected to last for several weeks, so a deal isn’t imminent, and there still may not be one.…

Joggers are piled up at Gap, Macy’s has too much activewear and Kohl’s is full of fleece.Shoppers have shifted their spending from the casual clothes and home items that had been in demand during the height of the pandemic, catching some retailers off guard and leaving them with excess goods that need to be marked down. The scenario playing out this year at Gap Inc., GPS -0.55% Macy’s Inc. M 0.04% and other chains is a reversal…

Kohl’s Corp. KSS 2.44% received takeover bids from private-equity firm Sycamore Partners and retail holding company Franchise Group Inc., FRG -0.69% according to people familiar with the matter. Sycamore’s bid values the Wisconsin department-store chain in the mid-$50s a share, while Franchise Group offered around $60, some of the people said, equating to…

It has been 10 months since Victoria’s Secret VSCO 5.71% spun off from L Brands and revamped its brand to be more women-centric. While the message is starting to resonate with consumers and Wall Street analysts, it is taking longer to reach investors. Victoria’s Secret said on Tuesday that its total revenue declined 4.5% in the quarter ended April 30, at the high end of its own guidance and better than the…

Old Navy is scaling back an attempt to make women’s clothes more inclusive for all body types, after demand for the larger sizes fell short and the chain didn’t have enough middle sizes. Gap Inc. CEO Sonia Syngal said Old Navy stores will no longer carry all the sizes. Old Navy will continue to offer on its website the full size range, which runs from 0 to 30 and XS to 4X. Ms. Syngal said Old Navy canceled a portion of its extended size shipments and is restocking core…

Even as higher prices make them blanch, Americans will probably keep on spending. Unfortunately for many retailers, however, less of it could be on the wares that grace their aisles. Several rough earnings reports from major retailers have made investors question the health of the U.S. consumer and raised worries that the next recession could be right around the corner. Walmart, for example, said last week that some customers have traded down to half-gallon milk from full gallons. It…

Old Navy set out to make clothes shopping more inclusive for women of all body types. It ended up with too many extra-small and extra-large items and too few of the rest, a mismatch that frustrated customers and contributed to falling sales and a management shake-up.The stumbles at Old Navy are a problem for its parent, Gap Inc. GPS -4.29% The chain accounts for the majority of the company’s sales and profits and helps prop up the weaker Gap and Banana Republic brands.…

Kohl’s Corp. KSS 4.43% slashed its sales and profit targets amid a sharper-than-expected pullback in consumer spending, but executives said suitors remain interested in buying the department-store chain ahead of a bid deadline. While the first quarter started strong, company officials said, demand weakened as inflation spurred consumers to tighten their belts without the lift from last year’s government stimulus to help spending.…

Consumers, rejoice. This could be the year of clearances and deals. Retailers reporting earnings this week have seen a surge of inventory as they found themselves carrying too much stuff that consumers no longer want so much of, including basic apparel, home appliances and furniture. Ahead of last holiday season, retailers ordered with plenty of cushion in mind to prevent empty shelves. Now a so-called bullwhip effect could be in store.…