Jennifer Marks

New York

Editor-in-Chief at Home Textiles Today

Editor-in-Chief for Home Textiles Today

Articles

Dollar General levels up home section with celeb brands

3 days ago | hometextilestoday.com | Jennifer Marks

Fast FactsDollar General is revamping its home aisle with designer and celebrity brandsProduct categories include bedding, bath, kitchen, dining and décorFeatured brands include Kathy Ireland, Betsey Johnson, Nautica and Nicole MillerThe rollout comes as more middle- and higher-income consumers are shopping the chainGoodlettsville, Tenn. – Some big-name brands in home are landing at Dollar General as the 20,000-store hard discounter elevates its home assortment.
Better Cotton taps exec from global non-profit as new CEO

3 days ago | hometextilestoday.com | Jennifer Marks

Geneva – Better Cotton, the world’s largest cotton sustainability initiative, has hired anew CEO to lead the organization. Nick Weatherill is the former executive director of the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI), a nonprofit funded by major chocolate makers that focuses on addressing child labor and forced labor in cocoa production. He succeeds Alan McClay, who announced last December that he would step down after 10 years at Better Cotton.
Dollar Tree sales climb 11%, lifted by traffic and ticket gains

4 days ago | hometextilestoday.com | Jennifer Marks

Chesapeake, Va. – Now shed of the Family Dollar business, Dollar Tree Inc. turned in a solid first quarter performance. Net sales rose 11.3% to $4.6 billion in the quarter ended May 3. Comp increased 5.4%, driven by a 2.5% rise and traffic and a 2.8% boost in ticket.
Ollie’s bangs out 13% sales gain in Q1

4 days ago | hometextilestoday.com | Jennifer Marks

Harrisburg, Pa. – Store expansion and positive comps propelled Ollie’s Bargain Outlets to better-than-expected sales and earnings in the first quarter. The close-out chain’s net sale climbed 13.4% to $576.8 million. Comps rose 2.6%, driven by higher transactions. Membership in the company’s loyalty program– known as Ollies Army – increased 9.2% to 15.5 million.
Dollar General boosts forecast as trade-down shoppers come calling

4 days ago | hfndigital.com | Jennifer Marks

Q1 results top expectations Fast Facts Q1 average transactions rose 2.7%, helping lift net sales 5.3% Comps increased in every discretionary segment: seasonal, home and apparel Middle- and higher-income consumers are shopping Dollar General more frequently in the face of economic uncertainty The retailer plans to add 575 new stores this yearGoodlettsville, Tenn.
Variety Wholesalers might go bigger with revamped Big Lots chain

4 days ago | hfndigital.com | Jennifer Marks

Henderson, N.C. - As it grand opens the final group of Big Lots locations it acquired earlier this year, Variety Wholesalers is considering taking on more sites. The company will conduct the fourth and final wave of its store reopenings on June 5 at 78 locations. The stores are located in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
Dollar General boosts forecast as trade-down shoppers come calling

5 days ago | hometextilestoday.com | Jennifer Marks

Fast FactsQ1 average transactions rose 2.7%, helping lift net sales 5.3%Comps increased in every discretionary segment: seasonal, home and apparelMiddle- and higher-income consumers are shopping Dollar General more frequently in the face of economic uncertaintyThe retailer plans to add 575 new stores this yearGoodlettsville, Tenn. – Markdowns are “in check” and the promotional cadence should be “tame” as Dollar General anticipates continued growth in the months ahead.
Gordon Brothers juices liquidity for Canadian home goods retailer

5 days ago | hometextilestoday.com | Jennifer Marks

Boston – Global assets firm Gordon Brothers is providing fresh financing to Linen Chest, a 37-store omnichannel retailer founded in 1961. The Canadian home goods retailer has received a C$35 million (approximately US$25.5 million) revolving credit facility from Gordon Brothers to undergird its liquidity and growth. In addition, the firm will provide a vendor support program to support the company’s continued operations and go-forward strategy.
Expiring break on 2018 Chinese tariffs gets a brief extension

6 days ago | hometextilestoday.com | Jennifer Marks

Washington – Just hours before exclusions on a class of products under 2018 levies were set to expire on May 31, they were extended. The Sec. 301 tariffs exclusions have been extended to Aug. 31. Those categories include Those exclusions include lotion dispensers, pillows stuffed with down & feather, down, feather and certain textile yarns.
Down pillows, lotion dispensers face new tariffs as China exclusions expire this weekend

1 week ago | hometextilestoday.com | Jennifer Marks

Washington – When the clock strikes midnight on May 31, tariffs will jump up to 25% on some home products that had been excluded from President Trump’s original 2018 tariffs. The class of home textiles that had been excluded from Sec. 301 tariffs on Chinese-made products includes pillows filled with down & feather, cotton pillow encasements, feathers, down, lotion dispensers and certain textile yarns. Those exclusions will expire at midnight ET Saturday, May 31.