In early spring, when the Covid-19 pandemic forced most bookstores to close and disrupted print book sales through Amazon, no one could have predicted that by summer unit sales of print books would be up 1.4% for the year to date over the same period in 2019, nor that sales would hit a weekly high for the year. But that is what happened in the week ended June 20, when unit sales from outlets that report to NPD BookScan topped 15 million—22.9% higher than the similar week last year—and total units sold for the year hit 295.7 million, up from 291.6 million in the first 24 weeks of 2019. The increase came from a combination of continued strong sales of books on racism and social justice, as well as from Father’s Day books. Sales also benefitted from the slow reopening of more bookstores and continued solid online orders.

Microsoft said on Friday it will permanently close all of its 83 store locations and will instead focus on its e-commerce business, where customers can visit for support, sales, training and more. The decision comes after Microsoft temporarily closed stores in March due to the spread of the coronavirus. Microsoft said the thousands of workers from these stores have already transitioned to new roles where they're providing sales, training, and support to customers from Microsoft corporate facilities or remotely. Total Retail's Take: Microsoft opened its first brick-and-mortar store in 2009, where people could go to try the company's software and hardware. This decision was made after Apple, its main competitor, was enjoying great success and popularity with its modern, clean retail outlets. Over the past decade, Microsoft expanded its retail presence in an effort to create a shopping experience similar to Apple’s.

The Washington Post plans to add 14 new positions to the graphics and design teams. “We live in an increasingly visual society, and communicating information with the powerful visual tools we now have is proving to be particularly effective – in explaining complex subjects, encouraging readers to explore subjects more deeply and attracting more readers and subscribers,” Marty Baron, executive editor of The Washington Post, told Publishers Daily. Six of the seven most visited stories in WaPo's history have been graphics, including the coronavirus simulator that became the most visited article in the publisher's history.

Alongside its year-end results the postal operator's interim executive chair, Keith Williams, outlined a new three-step plan to get the business back on track. "In recent years, our UK business has not adapted quickly enough to the changes in our marketplace of more parcels and fewer letters. Covid-19 has accelerated those trends, presenting additional challenges,” he said. Some 2,000 management jobs will go, more than 20% of the current total of 9,700 management positions. Royal Mail said the biggest reductions would be in “senior executive roles and non-operational functions”. The restructure will cost about £150m, and will result in annual savings of £130m. Capex will be reduced by £300m across the group over the next two years, with £250m of the cutbacks affecting the UK.

Average student spending on college textbooks and digital course materials has steadily declined in recent years, according to new data unveiled from Student Watch, which is funded by the National Association of College Stores Foundation, and Student Monitor, an independent research firm. In its new annual report, Student Watch reports a decline in student spending on course materials of 35 percent over the past six years, while Student Monitor’s semi-annual report similarly indicates a 39 percent decline over the same time period. “Students are actually spending less on college course materials than we have seen them spend before,” commented Brittany Conley, Research Analyst, On Campus Research for the National Association of College Stores (NACS). “We saw that students spent about $413 across the academic year on course materials. Ten years ago, that number was closer to $700.”

Amazon announced its choices for 2020’s Best Books of the Year So Far, selecting Abi Daré’s debut novel, The Girl with the Louding Voice, as the top pick. Throughout the year, the Amazon Books editorial team pores over thousands of pages to determine the Best Books of the Month, Best Books of the Year So Far, and Best Books of the Year, debating new releases across various categories—including literary fiction, mystery and thriller, biography, children’s books, and young adult—all to help customers find their next great book. For Best Books of the Year So Far, the Amazon Books editorial team read and selected titles released between January 2020 and June 2020. This year’s list includes the first adult novel of a longtime children’s book author, a sought-after tattoo artist’s memoir on assimilating to American culture after leaving Vietnam, and a gripping true story of a family trying to understand how schizophrenia has affected their lives and future.

GNC Holdings Inc. has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with plans to close at least 800 to 1,200 stores as it looks to cut its debt and restructure amid the COVID-19 crisis. The struggling, 85-year-old vitamin and supplement retailer said it has reached an agreement with the majority of its secured lenders and key shareholders to pursue a dual-path restructuring process that will allow the company to emerge as a standalone business or for it be sold as a going concern. The plan allows GNC to restructure its balance sheet and accelerate its store optimization strategy.

Macmillan Publishing's trade group will establish a new 13-member "trade management committee" to set goals and objectives for all publishers, divisions, and departments under its purview, the company announced in two letters to staff on Monday, one from CEO John Sargent and another from president Don Weisberg and COO Andrew Weber. The new management team will set company-wide goals and objectives, though the publishing houses will remain as independent companies, and the publishers will continue to report directly to Weisberg. As for his role, Sargent said he will "step back from day-to-day management to make room for new voices" in the U.S. trade publishing operation, although he will remain in charge of the overall Macmillan global businesses. Macmillan's college operations are not part of the new initiative. The move is the most significant to date at Macmillan to address issues of diversity and representation in the publishing business, and comes two weeks after an industry-wide collective action protesting racism initially organized by five Macmillan employees took place (an action on which the publisher declined to comment).

Macy’s, Inc. announced details of a restructuring that will align its cost base with anticipated near-term sales as the business recovers from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the closure of stores from March 18 through May 4, 2020 and gradual re-opening. The company will reduce corporate and management headcount by approximately 3,900. Additionally, Macy’s, Inc. has reduced staffing across its stores portfolio, supply chain and customer support network, which it will adjust as sales recover. The company expects the actions announced to generate expense savings of approximately $365 million in fiscal 2020 and approximately $630 million on an annualized basis. These savings will be additive to the anticipated $1.5 billion in annual expense savings announced in February, which the company expects to fully realize by year-end 2022.

Amazon announced it has established a new Counterfeit Crimes Unit, dedicated to bringing counterfeiters that violate the law and Amazon’s policies by listing counterfeit products in its store to justice. Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit is a global, multi-disciplinary team composed of former federal prosecutors, experienced investigators, and data analysts, and will join Amazon’s extensive work to drive counterfeit to zero. Amazon’s first objective is to prevent a counterfeit from ever being listed in its store, and its comprehensive proactive anti-counterfeit programs have ensured that 99.9% of all Amazon products viewed by customers did not have a valid counterfeit complaint. In 2019, Amazon invested over $500 million and had more than 8,000 employees fighting fraud, including counterfeit. Amazon’s efforts have blocked over 6 billion suspected bad listings in 2019 and blocked over 2.5 million suspected bad actor accounts before they were able to make a single product available for sale.

Ink is proud to announce that we have just won a huge number of awards in two prestigious international media competitions. Firstly, our video series for American Airlines, "One Day, Two Ways," has just won two Silver Telly Awards for Travel/Tourism and Non-Broadcast Production at the 41st annual competition. The Telly Awards “honour video and television across all screens to winners that tell great stories.” Secondly, we we have won an astonishing 21 Communicator Awards! In fact, 11 of our projects received the competition’s highest honour, the Award of Excellence – on top of 10 awards of Distinction.

Cochrane is delighted to announce the signing of a new contract with John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., to publish the Cochrane Library for the next 10 years from January 2021. The agreement guarantees major investment into future development of the Library to sustain Cochrane as the world’s pre-eminent collection of high-quality evidence to inform global healthcare decision making. Cochrane’s Chief Executive Officer, Mark Wilson, warmly welcomed today’s announcement: “The Cochrane Library is central to Cochrane’s mission of producing and making available to the world high-quality, relevant, accessible systematic reviews and other evidence synthesis. Traffic to the Library has greatly increased over the past seven years as we have made it accessible in 12 languages and we have built a publishing platform that will enable us to deliver new journals, new databases and new features that will help us meet that mission as never before. We are confident we have a strong strategic partner with whom to work on the longer-term publishing challenges and opportunities.”

Paper plays a special role in our everyday lives, bearing witness to our achievements, our relationships, our intentions and our creativity. It’s also an important link to the past. Valuable papers, such as historical documents and original works of art, offer a tangible way to connect with our ancestors and the people who shaped the world. From time to time, valuable papers come up for auction, where they can attract bids in the millions of dollars from collectors who want to own a piece of history. Check out these valuable papers that made headlines at auction. click read more below for details

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and the National Pensioners Federation (NPF) filed yesterday a Petition to Cabinet of the Federal government to reverse the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s (CRTC) decision to allow Koodo Mobile (owned by TELUS Communications Inc.) to change their customers’ monthly bill from paper to electronic format. “Canadian consumers deserve a paper bill if they want or need one,” said John Lawford, Executive Director and General Counsel of PIAC. “The CRTC and wireless companies pretend that seniors and others will not be hurt but that’s not what we heard,” he added. PIAC and NPF’s Petition asks the government to reverse the CRTC’s decision in order to ensure that customers know what their bill is, to be able to control their payments, and to avoid late fees and extra charges and possible disconnection.

10 Missions Media, the leading business-to-business publisher in the automotive industry, has acquired the automotive aftermarket division of Bobit Business Media, a deal that adds Modern Tire Dealer and Auto Service Professional to 10 Missions Media’s publishing portfolio that already includes FenderBender, Ratchet+Wrench, National Oil and Lube News, and ADAPT. In the deal, which closed June 11, 10 Missions Media also takes on ownership of Dealer Strategic Planning (DSP) 20 Group, a training operation for tire dealers.

Gannett Co., Inc. announced that the Board of Directors has decided to streamline the operating structure of the Company by eliminating the position of CEO of the operating company, Gannett Media Corp. Given this decision, the Board and Paul Bascobert have mutually agreed for Mr. Bascobert to terminate his employment with the Company. Mr. Bascobert’s departure is not the result of any inappropriate action by Mr. Bascobert, any violation of company policy, any accounting irregularity or any material deterioration in the business of the Company. Michael Reed, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Gannett, has assumed Mr. Bascobert’s responsibilities. While the Board does not intend to conduct a search to fill the role of Chief Executive Officer of Gannett Media, the Board does remain focused on attracting and retaining individuals whose skills and diversity will contribute to the Company’s digital transformation.“

Grainger announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its distribution business in China, Grainger China LLC (Grainger China), to a purchaser owned by the Grainger China management team and Sinovation Ventures, a China-based venture capital firm. This divestiture will better enable Grainger to focus on its key businesses and geographies. To support this portfolio, the company will maintain its Global Sourcing operations based in China. Grainger's Global Sourcing provides the company with private label products in categories that include safety, cleaning, electrical, motors and tools.

HarperCollins Christian Publishing is moving the Zondervan Books and Zondervan Thrive imprints from Grand Rapids, Mich., to HCCP’s corporate office in Nashville. The move, HCCP said, will allow it to share best practices across the company’s trade book publishing program for both the Thomas Nelson and Zondervan publishing groups. “Creating a more cohesive structure for our trade book publishing imprints allows for us to manage our nonfiction brands under Don Jacobson’s leadership,” said Mark Schoenwald, president and CEO of HarperCollins Christian Publishing and HarperCollins Focus, in a statement. “We believe that having the Zondervan Books and Zondervan Thrive leadership in Nashville will help the teams better manage author relationships and allow them to collaborate on larger corporate initiatives.”

The U.S. may be reopening, but Shutterfly, the personalized products company, wants the gratitude for essential workers to keep on flowing. It’s featuring children’s thank-you drawings in out-of-home installations in a new campaign, kicking off in New York City’s Times Square and Grand Central Station. Throughout the pandemic, Shutterfly has been encouraging users to make messages of gratitude with its “Create Thanks” campaign. People all over the U.S. have been touched by kids’ homemade “Thank you, essential workers” messages. Besides taping the drawings up in living room windows, making sidewalk chalk drawings or tacking them up on front porches, many uploaded their handiwork to the company's content hub, says Jim Hilt, president of Shutterfly’s consumer products divisions.

The drawn-out saga of the potential sale of the Bertram Group, one of two major U.K. wholesalers, came to a conclusion today with the news that the business has gone into administration. A statement on behalf of administrators Turpin Barker Armstrong (TBA) was received by the U.K. publishing newsletter BookBrunch confirming the company had gone bankrupt. “We can confirm that Bertram Trading Limited, the global book wholesaler, has entered administration along with Education Umbrella Limited, a supplier of textbooks and digital education resources and Dawson Books Limited, an academic and professional library supplier," the statement reads.

Meredith Corporation announced its intention to raise $710 million aggregate principal amount of proposed new secured debt, subject to market and other conditions. A combination of cash on hand and proceeds of the new debt will be used to redeem all of its outstanding Series A preferred stock ("Series A Preferred Stock") and pay fees and expenses incurred in connection with the financing and redemption transactions. The company also announced it has secured an amendment with its revolving line of credit lenders allowing for greater access to the credit facility. "We believe these steps will create significant benefits for all of our stakeholders as we pursue our previously communicated strategy to ensure ample liquidity and enhance our financial flexibility," said Meredith President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Harty.

German-based Bauer Media Group has sold the print and digital assets of the magazines it operates in Australia and New Zealand, to Australian private equity firm Mercury Capital. The firm’s newly expanded portfolio includes 43 brands across women’s entertainment and lifestyle, fashion, beauty and health; homes; food; motoring and trader lifestyle categories. Titles include the Australian and New Zealand Women’s Weekly, Harper’s Bazaar Australia, Elle Australia and New Zealand Listener, among others. The deal also includes Pacific Magazines, which publishes Better Homes & Gardens, New Idea and Marie Claire.

REI Co-op applauds the June 17 passing of the Great American Outdoors (GAO) Act by a resounding 73-25 bipartisan vote in the U.S. Senate. The Great American Outdoors Act ends a history of underfunding the Land and Water Conservation Fund and not addressing the maintenance backlog on federal public lands - efforts that have been attempted in the past and have been unable to move through the legislative process. It provides $9.5 billion to address that backlog, and $900 million annually for the LWCF.   This legislation will help dramatically reduce the growing maintenance backlog on federal public lands and will – for the first time -- provide full and consistent funding for the LWCF’s conservation and recreation goals.

♦ Company is experiencing strong ecommerce demand in its Gourmet Foods and Gift Baskets brands and its 1-800-Flowers Consumer Floral business, including a strong Mother’s Day holiday period as well as increased demand for every-day gifting occasions. ♦ Total consolidated revenues for Fiscal 2020 are now expected to grow in a range of 16-to-18 percent, compared with the prior year, up from a previous range of 8-to-9 percent.

A team of disposition firms consisting of Gordon Brothers, Hilco Merchant Resources, Great American Group, and Tiger Group announced that they have commenced store closing sales at 137* J. C. Penney Company, Inc. stores across the United States. The closures are the Company’s first step in implementing a planned store optimization strategy. As the Company remains focused on its Plan for Renewal transformation strategy and driving sustainable, profitable growth, it intends to reduce its store footprint and focus resources on its strongest stores and powerful eCommerce flagship store, jcp.com. Throughout all closing stores, customers can take advantage of storewide discounts of 25-40% off original prices. All merchandise is on sale, including deeper discounts of 40% on all fine jewelry and window treatments. New seasonal essentials, such as swimwear and sunglasses, are also discounted at 25-30% off. All sales will be final starting June 25.

Print sales of unit books rose 1.6% last week over the week ended June 6, 2020, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. While the juvenile categories have usually led the week-to-week gains since the pandemic hit, last week it was the adult categories that led the increase, in particular adult nonfiction. Unit sales rose 4.4% last week in the adult nonfiction segment. According to BookScan, print sales in the history/law/political science segment, where most titles about race and social justice are classified, jumped 28.7% in the week.

Bookstore sales took an unprecedented plunge in April, tumbling 65.3% compared to April 2019, according to preliminary estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau. April sales fell a total of $412 million from 2019, dropping to an anemic $219 million. In March, bookstore sales fell 33.4% compared to a year ago. March sales were $392 million, meaning April sales declined 44.3% from March to April. Total retail sales dropped 19.4% in April compared to 2019 after falling 6.6% in March from 2019.

Financial and Business Highlights: *Gross revenue was $261.4 million in the first quarter of 2020, a decrease of 2% compared to $267.2 million in the first quarter of 2019. Excluding currency impact, gross revenue decreased 1% in the first quarter of 2020. *Gross profit was $63.4 million, or 24.3% of gross revenue in the first quarter of 2020, compared to $62.0 million, or 23.2% of gross revenue, in the same period of last year. *Net loss for the first quarter of 2020 was $(2.8) million, or $(0.15) per diluted share, compared to net loss of $(2.0) million, or $(0.04) per diluted share in the first quarter of 2019.

After a gruesome showing in April with U.S. total retail sales plummeting to recession-level numbers, May spending made an unexpected recovery as states allowed more retail stores to reopen. The easing of coronavirus-related business closures and stay-at-home orders gave overall retail a much-needed boost, yet the recent surge in online and other nonstore sales as people were forced to place orders from the safety of their own homes showed no signs of slowing last month, new U.S. Department of Commerce data shows. Consumer spending through nonstore channels increased 24.6% year over year in May—the highest growth rate ever recorded for the month, according to a Digital Commerce 360 analysis of the Commerce Department’s advance monthly figures released Tuesday. Numbers exclude estimated fuel sales. The jump also represents the second-largest year-over-year uptick of any month in the history of the agency’s available data, falling behind only December 2019, when nonstore sales swelled by 25.7%.

Ulta Beauty, the nation’s largest beauty retailer, today announced its partnership with clean beauty pioneer, Credo Beauty. The unique collaboration will offer Ulta Beauty guests an exclusive, clean beauty collection with more choices and unrivaled transparency related to sourcing, fragrance and ingredients. The clean beauty collection will premiere with eight exciting clean beauty brands, including EleVen by Venus Williams x Credo SPF, Innersense Organic Beauty and One Love Organics, among others, across 100 Ulta Beauty stores and on Ulta.com this fall. The collaboration reinforces the companies’ shared leadership in educating, guiding and simplifying clean beauty choices. As the partnership grows, Credo Beauty and Ulta Beauty will leverage their collective expertise to continue pushing this important space forward.

Since the coronavirus pandemic began, people have been loading their pantries with household staples like toilet paper, paper towels, wipes, diapers and hand sanitizer. This panic buying — sometimes even hoarding — has depleted store shelves and disrupted supply chains. It’s also exacerbated a growing problem in the United States: diaper need. Low-income families and parents who have lost jobs due to the pandemic are struggling to afford diapers for their babies. Diminished diaper supplies and concerns about going to the store have put added pressure on families. Even senior adults with incontinence and adults with disabilities are experiencing greater diaper need during these challenging times. Under normal circumstances, one in three families experience diaper need. Diaper banks try to fill the gap by distributing free diapers to those who need them. Now, with widespread unemployment and a disrupted diaper supply chain, such organizations are struggling to meet increased demand with fewer resources.

When San Diego magazine abruptly ceased operations and laid off nearly all of its employees in late March, mere days after a statewide shelter-in-place order took effect in California, CEO and publisher Jim Fitzpatrick stressed that it was only a temporary pause and that he hoped the magazine would return when the local economy began to reopen. Three months later, the 72-year-old publication says it’s back in business. “This month, we are happy to announce that we have reopened our doors. We’re excited to once again tell the stories of the people and businesses making San Diego the incredible city it is,” wrote editor-in-chief Erin Meanley Glenny in a note posted on the the magazine’s website on Wednesday, adding that a “very small staff” is currently at work on an August/September print edition, in addition to resuming regular editorial content online.

GroupM is now forecasting a 13% drop in U.S. ad expenditures for 2020 (excluding political) to about $208 billion, followed by a rebound of 4% in 2021 to $216.6 billion. According to the company’s revised ‘This Year Next Year’ forecast, the drop won’t be as sharp as the 16% drop that occurred during the 2009 financial crisis. And given that the state of the economy, driven to its worst decline since the Great Depression by the ongoing pandemic, the decline in ad spending could be a lot worse.

Unit sales of print books rose 6.8% in the week ended June 6, 2020, over the similar week last year, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. The increase brought unit sales into positive territory for the year, up 0.2% over the comparable period in 2019. The juvenile nonfiction segment saw the biggest gain over the week ended June 8, 2019, with units up 25.9%. Carson-Dellosa’s Summer Bridge Activities titles had a good week, with eight books selling a total of approximately 80,000 copies. The small YA nonfiction category saw unit sales skyrocket 52.3% over 2019. Stamped by Jason Reynolds was #1 on the category list, selling more than 10,500 copies. Sales in the juvenile fiction category increased 16.2%, boosted by the release of Kristen Bell’s The World Needs More Purple People, which sold nearly 24,000 copies. Emily Griffin’s The Lies That Bind sold nearly 22,000 copies in its first week, landing it in the third spot on the adult fiction bestseller list.

For years, building an eCommerce Marketplace customers trust has been a priority for our business. That’s why we are joining forces with Shopify, an all-in-one commerce platform used by more than 1 million businesses, to open the Walmart Marketplace to their sellers. As our CEO Doug McMillon recently said, competition is good in the retail business, and we want more retailers not fewer. The U.S. eCommerce business grew 74% in total last quarter, and growth in marketplace outpaced the overall business even as first-party sales were strong. As we launch this integration with Shopify, we are focused on U.S.-based small and medium businesses whose assortment complements ours and have a track record of exceeding customers’ expectations. We’re excited to be able offer customers an expanded assortment while also giving small businesses access to the surging traffic on Walmart.com. Shopify powers a dynamic portfolio of third-party sellers who are interested in growing their business through new, trusted channels.

Second Quarter Fiscal Year 2020 Financial Highlights *Adobe achieved record quarterly revenue of $3.13 billion in its second quarter of fiscal year 2020, which represents 14 percent year-over-year growth. Diluted earnings per share was $2.27 on a GAAP basis, and $2.45 on a non-GAAP basis. *GAAP operating income in the second quarter was $1.02 billion, and non-GAAP operating income was $1.34 billion. GAAP net income was $1.10 billion, and non-GAAP net income was $1.19 billion. *Cash flows from operations was $1.18 billion.

Cross-border shipping rates will go up for many U.S. shippers on July 1. This change comes after countries began to self-declare postal rates based on the deal reached by the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in September, Supply Chain Dive reported. Many postage sellers, consolidators and other cross-border service providers such as FedEx, UPS and Stamps.com, received new contracts from USPS last month, but many haven't yet alerted shippers of the change. Without direct communication from service providers, shippers may be confused when their rates go up, unsure what the increase is for. Supply Chain Dive reported that any business that is a bulk cross-border shipper will see a rate increase.

The Association of American Publishers (AAP) today released its StatShot report for April 2020 reflecting reported revenue for all tracked categories, including Trade (consumer publications), K-12 Instructional Materials, Higher Education Course Materials, Professional Publishing, and University Presses. Total sales across all categories for April 2020 declined 3.5% as compared to April 2019, reaching $783.9 million. Year-to-date sales were flat with an increase of 0.7%, totaling $3.4 billion for the first four months of 2020. Trade sales were down 6.6% as compared to April of 2019, coming in at $548.8 million. Year-to-date Trade sales were flat at +0.5%, totaling $2.2 billion for the first four months of the year.

Fourth Quarter 2020 Summary: *GAAP Results: Revenue of $475 million (-3%) and EPS of -$2.83, primarily due to impact of unusual items totalling -$3.49 per share, including non-cash goodwill and trade name impairments *Strong momentum in Open Access research publishing and digital courseware *Addition of four new university partners in Education Services (Drake University, University of Iowa, Methodist University, and Point University). Fiscal Year 2020 Symmary: *GAAP results: Revenue of $1,831 million, and EPS of -$1.32 primarily due to fourth quarter non-cash goodwill and trade name impairments *Free Cash Flow of $173 million, up $24 million (+16%) from prior year *Digital products and tech-enabled services rose to nearly 80% of total revenue.

Kroger and British online grocery retailer and technology vendor Ocado Group Plc plan to build the centers in the West, Pacific Northwest and Great Lakes regions of the United States. The new center in the West will measure 300,000 square feet, the Pacific Northwest center will be 200,000 square feet and the facility in the Great Lakes region facility will be 150,000 square feet. Kroger did not disclose the exact locations but says it plans to reveal them soon. The newly planned facilities join six similar facilities now planned or under construction. Those previously announced sites are Monroe, Ohio; Groveland, Florida; Fredericksburg, Maryland; Atlanta, Georgia; Dallas, Texas; and Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. Kroger has said its goal is to build 20 “Ocado-powered” ecommerce fulfillment centers in the United States. Each fulfillment center will use Ocado’s robotic warehouse technology. Kroger says the center in Monroe, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati, will be the first to open in early 2021. The retailer also plans to make it operational in early 2021.

Enforcement of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) begins on July 1st. Are you fully prepared? If not, your company risks being subject to non-compliance fines from California’s regulators. You can avoid this, of course, by being fully prepared. Join ACMA’s expert and diverse panel, including an attorney, a service provider, and a merchant, as they will provide all you need to know within the course of the can’t-miss, free webinar, "California Consumer Privacy Act: Are You Fully Prepared?" Who Should Not Miss This Presentation: Online/direct/catalog merchants who do business not only in California but the growing number of states aiming to follow California’s privacy blueprint, as well as their suppliers, consultants and other advisors. This event is open to both ACMA members and non-members. What You Will Learn: • How to identify any non-compliance risks • How a catalog/online merchant has prepared for the July 1st compliance date • Steps a service provider is taking to support its clients' compliance • Which other states to be on the lookout for. click read more below to register

Bloomberg Media launched Bloomberg Green, a new quarterly print magazine focused on climate change solutions. The latest offshoot of the “Bloomberg Green” brand, which first debuted in January, the print edition complements an existing web vertical and daily newsletter of the same name. Spread over more than 90 pages (of 100% recycled paper), the debut issue includes a cover story about how stimulus spending to help the economy emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic can be used to combat climate change, an opening column by Mike Bloomberg and a feature well that dives into Australia’s water crisis, plastic waste and an assessment of Disney’s impact on a Peruvian rainforest, in addition to data- and infographic-heavy regular departments that will look at both current climate-related news as well as emerging issues and solutions.

While none of the major New York City publishers who took part in PW’s survey about their efforts to return employees to their Manhattan headquarters had fixed plans, no companies said they expected to begin bringing staff back in a meaningful way before Sept. 1. For the most part, they see the week of Labor Day as a target, but acknowledged that date may not be realistic. Several said they see a limited reopening coming after Labor Day (which is September 7 this year). PW sent a brief questionnaire to all of the Big Five trade houses plus Abrams, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books & Media, Kensington, Norton, Scholastic, and Workman. While all said there are too many uncertainties about the future course of the virus to make final plans, there was consensus around some issues. There was widespread agreement that the top consideration before publishers will fully reopen will be the condition of New York City’s mass transit and how comfortable workers will be using subways, buses, and trains. Several publishers said they plan to stagger work hours, something that has been recommended by New York City officials to ease overcrowding during usual rush hours.

For the first quarter, the Company reported a net loss of $178.3 million, or $1.55 loss per diluted share, compared to net income of $2.0 million, or $0.02 earnings per diluted share, for last year's first quarter. For the first quarter, net sales were $280.3 million compared to $517.7 million in last year's first quarter. This decrease of 45.9% reflects the impact of our closed stores during the second half of the first quarter and 78 net store closures since last year's first quarter, partially offset by strong digital commerce performance. During the initial four weeks of fiscal 2020, the Company's comparable sales increased 2.7% compared to the same period last year, building on the positive sales momentum reported in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019.

1-800-Flowers.com®, one of the world's leading floral providers, announced it has collaborated with global design talent, Jason Wu, to release an exclusive assortment of modern and elegant bouquets. The Jason Wu for Wild Beauty™ collection, which is now available nationwide, features on-trend arrangements that embody the designer's signature aesthetic of femininity and sophistication. Behind-the-scenes content, specially designed 'thank you' notes and the ability to preview select bouquets in 3D will allow customers to have an immersive digital experience as they are introduced to the new collection. This marks Jason Wu's first collaboration with a floral and gifting brand. "Jason Wu is one of the world's most renowned fashion designers and we are thrilled to collaborate with him on this truly original collection, which reflects his unique point of view in floral design and bouquet presentation," said Valerie Ghitelman, Vice President, Product Development and Design, 1-800-Flowers.com. "We are excited to not only share these beautifully crafted arrangements with our customers, but to engage them with distinctive content that provides insights into Jason's design influences and more." "Playing a role in the intimate decision of what one chooses to wear each day is such an important part of what I do," said Jason Wu. "To extend this concept to the graceful details people bring into their homes is an honor. This collection with 1-800-Flowers.com is especially meaningful to me because of my lifelong love of flowers. Floral elements continuously inspire me and have been a consistent theme throughout my entire career. I'm thrilled to celebrate the beauty of flowers in this new and special way."

*Diluted loss per share of $(2.10) and Adjusted Diluted loss per share of $(2.03) *Reopened stores performing better than anticipated *E-commerce trend improved in May; curbside pickup performing well *Anticipate exiting Q2 in a clean inventory position - “The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted our first quarter sales and earnings results, but I am proud of the way our team navigated this difficult period and maintained the business while our stores were closed,” said Jeff Gennette, chairman and chief executive officer. “Our strong digital business sales trend continued throughout May, and it is encouraging to see that as we reopen a store, the digital business in that geography continues to be strong. By June 1, we had approximately 450 stores reopened, with the majority opened in their full format. Our reopened stores are performing better than anticipated. Importantly, we are receiving positive feedback on the curbside pickup experience and our efforts to create a safe and welcoming shopping environment."

ACMA has made the difficult decision to cancel our in-person Forum for 2020 altogether. Instead, we will hold a virtual event culminating in a virtual fly-in with lawmakers in September. The Zoom-based event will run for two 45-minute sessions, first starting at 1:00 pm (EDT), then following a short break, the second one at 2:00 pm each Wednesday of the month – September 9th, 16th, and 23rd - for a total of six separate sessions. Then the fly-in will take place all day on September 30th on a rotating schedule to be announced. What To Expect...You can expect us to focus on the many moving policy issues that have direct bearing on catalog/online/DM interests: among them, postal affairs, sales tax developments, privacy law, trade and tariffs, and extra-jurisdictional (foreign) regulation. A full agenda and registration details will be made available shortly. In the meantime, we wanted to ask you to reserve these times on your schedule. Both member and non-member companies are invited to attend. Our generous sponsors have made this event possible in order to ensure that all of our attendees can be brought up to speed on the important work of the ACMA, so there will be no registration fee, although tax deductible (to 80%) donations are gratefully accepted.

Hearst - Steven Swartz has issued two statements pledging his company’s commitment to supporting “a fairer and more just society,” which he stated was “a core principle” of the company. In his second memo, he also announced the company’s fundraising initiative to support the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Equal Justice Initiative. In addition to already donating $500,000, the company is pledging to match up to another $500,000 from employee donations. Reader’s Digest Foundation - The Reader’s Digest Foundation is committing $2 million to United Through Reading, a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting military families with the experience of shared storytimes. Seeker - Group Nine Media’s science publication is releasing a free educational offering for home education, “Seeker Learning.” In addition to offering access to its library of content, Seeker will open up a dialogue between the brand, teachers and parents looking for specific content.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. announced a new online book portal for schools across the country to get the books and products they need from Barnes & Noble’s extensive catalog. This free portal is an easy, fast, and efficient way for educational institutions K-12 to purchase and track ordering from Barnes & Noble as well as get access to curated book recommendations and personalized support. Educational institutions should look for an invitation to join Classroom by Barnes & Noble from their local Business Development Manager or put in a request by emailing BulkOrders@bn.com. “In a time when online ordering options for educators are essential, we’re so excited to launch Classroom by Barnes & Noble for educational institutions K-12 across the country to access our extensive and trusted catalogue of books,” said Tracy Vidakovich, Vice President, Business Development for Barnes & Noble. “We have been working closely with educational institutions for decades through our Institutional account/discount program and believe this new portal for buying and managing book and instructional material purchases comes at just the right time.”

Net sales by brand for the first quarter 2020 compared to the first quarter 2019 were as follows: *Old Navy Global: Net sales were down 42%; store sales were down 60% with online sales up 20%. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Old Navy has seen a meaningful acceleration in its digital business. The Company noted it expects the off-mall, strip real estate that makes up approximately 75% of the fleet to be an advantage as customers return to stores and expects traffic in these locations to ramp up more quickly than other formats. *Gap Global: Net sales were down 50%; store sales were down 64% with online sales down 5%. Prior to the onset of the pandemic, Gap brand performance continued to be pressured by inconsistent execution of product and marketing messages. However, the Company noted the brand did experience steady improvements in its online performance throughout the quarter, attributable to the Company’s strategy to migrate customers online as the brand’s fleet rationalization efforts continue. *Banana Republic Global: Net sales were down 47%; store sales were down 61% with online sales down 2%. While the move to casual fashion during the stay-at-home requirements has benefited other brands in Gap Inc.’s portfolio, this shift left Banana Republic disadvantaged in its product mix. As a result, Banana Republic is taking aggressive action to adjust to consumer preferences and improve inventory mix. *Athleta: Net sales were down 8%; store sales were down 50% with online sales up 49%. Customer response to Athleta was strong given the values-driven active and lifestyle space the brand participates in as well as the brand’s deep customer engagement through its powerful omni-channel model. Operating loss was $1.2 billion. This reflects the decline in gross margin, as well as a non-cash impairment charge of $484 million related to the Company’s stores to reduce the carrying amount of the store assets and the corresponding operating lease assets to their fair values, which have dramatically declined as a result of the pandemic. The Company noted that as part of its ongoing specialty fleet optimization efforts, the Company has undertaken a strategic review of its real estate portfolio to further advance its long-term strategic priorities that include a smaller, healthier fleet, particularly as it relates to its Gap brand and Banana Republic specialty fleets.

Gap Inc. announced the decision to wind down its Hill City brand, prioritizing resources against its larger brands. Launched in Fall 2018, Hill City was a way to go after the growing men’s active apparel market and operate DTC in a nimble manner. The small but mighty team worked passionately to build a loyal customer base by connecting with wear testers that helped make the best product possible, sharing stories of everyday heroes and athletes, reaching customers with pop-up shops and a mobile truck, and giving back to its community.

J. C. Penney Company, Inc. announced that it has received authorization from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, in Corpus Christi, Texas (the “Court”) to access its debtor-in-possession (“DIP”) financing, which includes $450 million of new money from its existing First Lien lenders. The Company had previously received approval to access and use its approximately $500 million in cash collateral. Under the terms of the DIP agreement, JCPenney has access to up to $225 million immediately, and will have access to an additional $225 million as needed after July 15, 2020, subject to certain conditions. In addition, the Company’s Ad Hoc Crossholder Group of lenders has agreed to participate in the rollup portion of the DIP in the amount of $53 million. Jill Soltau, chief executive officer of JCPenney, said, “We are pleased to have received Court approval to access $450 million in new money, $225 million of which will be drawn immediately. This is a positive step forward that will help us execute our Plan for Renewal and store optimization strategy, continue working seamlessly with our vendor partners, fund our ongoing business operations, and continue our focus on further developing the Company’s go-forward business plan to successfully restructure JCPenney. In recent weeks, we have safely welcomed back valued customers to nearly 500 JCPenney stores, and we look forward to opening additional stores while following guidance from local and state orders. This progress would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of our associates, and we remain confident we will emerge from both Chapter 11 and this pandemic as a stronger retailer.”

J. C. Penney Company, Inc. announced that it has taken the first step in implementing its store optimization strategy. Following a comprehensive evaluation of its retail footprint and a careful analysis of store performance and future strategic fit for the Company, JCPenney identified the first phase of 154 store closures. Following entry of an order at the June 11, 2020, hearing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, in Corpus Christi, Texas, store closing sales will begin at 154 locations. The Company expects additional phases of store closing sales will begin in the coming weeks. As the Company remains focused on its Plan for Renewal and driving sustainable, profitable growth, it intends to reduce its store footprint and focus resources on its strongest stores and powerful eCommerce flagship store, jcp.com. Store closing sales for the first round of store closures are expected to take 10-16 weeks to complete. The list of 154 stores that will begin closing sales can be found on the JCPenney Blog.

Unit sales of print books fell 5.5% in the week ended May 30, 2020, compared to the week ended May 23, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. The decline was mainly due to a 25.5% drop in unit sales in the young adult category, in which The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins sold about 270,000 copies when it was initially released. Even with the decline compared to the prior week, unit sales were up 8.1% compared to the similar week in 2019.

First Quarter Results Overview: *Total net sales were $77.3 million, a decrease of $53.0 million or 40.7%, compared to $130.3 million last year. As previously announced, the Company temporarily closed all of its 239 stores on March 18, 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. All stores remained closed to the public for the final 45 days of the 91-day fiscal quarter, including during the peak weeks of the quarter surrounding normal school spring breaks and Easter. Net sales from physical stores for the first quarter of fiscal 2020 were $47.0 million, a decrease of 57.5% compared to $110.6 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2019. The Company's e-commerce business continued to operate throughout the first quarter, and increased significantly following the closure of the Company’s stores. Net sales from e-commerce for the first quarter of fiscal 2020 were $30.3 million, an increase of 54.2% compared to approximately $19.7 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2019. The Company ended the quarter with 239 total stores, including one RSQ-branded pop-up store, all of which were closed as of the end of the first quarter of fiscal 2020, compared to 229 total stores, including three RSQ-branded pop-up stores, last year. *Gross profit was $1.6 million, or 2.1% of net sales, compared to $35.7 million, or 27.4% of net sales last year. Product margins decreased 770 basis points as a percentage of net sales primarily due to an estimated inventory valuation reserve of $4.7 million and increased markdowns. Occupancy costs deleveraged 1,250 basis points as a percentage of net sales despite being $0.5 million lower than last year, primarily due to the significant net sales decline resulting from the store closures noted above. Distribution costs deleveraged 440 basis points as a percentage of net sales primarily due to an increase in e-commerce shipping charges of $0.9 million resulting from a greater volume of e-commerce orders. Buying costs deleveraged 70 basis points as a percentage of net sales despite being $0.1 million below last year. *Operating loss was $28.4 million, or 36.7% of net sales, compared to operating income of $0.1 million, or 0.1% of net sales, last year. The decrease in operating results was directly attributable to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, including as noted above. *Net loss was $17.4 million, or $0.59 per share, compared to net income of $0.7 million, or $0.02 per diluted share, last year.

Amazon continues to adapt to meet the changing needs of customers by investing in ways to provide fast, free delivery. Today, the company announced the lease of 12 Boeing 767-300 converted cargo aircraft from Air Transport Services Group (ATSG). These aircraft will join Amazon’s existing fleet of 70 aircraft to bring its total network to over 80 aircraft. One of the new aircraft joined Amazon’s air cargo operations in May 2020, with the remaining 11 to be delivered in 2021. Amazon Air’s fleet expansion comes at a time when people in communities across the country continue to adjust to this unprecedented time, with many relying on having the items they need delivered directly to their doorstep. Amazon Air has played a central role during the COVID-19 pandemic by transporting essential PPE supplies for Amazon associates, frontline health workers and relief organizations across the U.S., all while maintaining capacity for regular cargo operations to ensure customers continue to receive the items they need. Now, with expanded cargo capacity to come, Amazon will continue to meet evolving demand and a growing customer base.

Costco Wholesale Corporation reported net sales of $12.55 billion for the retail month of May, the four weeks ended May 31, 2020, an increase of 7.5 percent from $11.67 billion last year. For the thirty-nine weeks ended May 31, 2020, the Company reported net sales of $120.19 billion, an increase of 7.7 percent from $111.56 billion during the similar period last year.

*First quarter net sales decrease 57% *Reopened 90 percent of stores to date with reduced hours *Actions taken in response to COVID-19 to preserve liquidity. The decrease in net sales for the first quarter of 2020 compared to the prior year reflects the temporary closure of all stores on March 19 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Omni sales for the first quarter increased 17 percent over last year. In April, omni sales were 47 percent higher than last year driven by fulfillment from closed stores where allowed. Beginning April 23, the Company began the staggered reopening of stores with reduced hours. To date, the Company has reopened 255 of its 281 stores in accordance with local government guidelines. Traffic in stores has steadily increased each week since reopening and omni sales have continued to be strong, even as more stores opened. Sales continued to recover in May, but remained well below last year.