Retail and Shopping
-
Friends’ woodworking hobby sparks Batavia retail businessMay 28, 2025 2:36 pm - Four friends who opened a woodworking store in Batavia are celebrating their first year in business with an open house event on Saturday, May 31.
-
St. Charles Whole Foods store set to open June 25
May 27, 2025 7:49 pm - Whole Foods Market is set to open its doors to customers in St. Charles for the first time Wednesday, June 25. An opening day celebration will begin at 9 a.m. with compli...
-
US consumer confidence rebounds after five straight months of declines amid tariff anxiety
May 27, 2025 2:36 pm - Americans’ views of the economy improved in May after five straight months of declines sent consumer confidence to its lowest level since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, largely driven by anxiety over the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
-
Why are more shoppers struggling to repay ‘buy now, pay later’ loans?
May 24, 2025 1:03 pm - More Klarna customers are having trouble repaying their “buy now, pay later” loans, the short-term lender said this week. The disclosure corresponded with reports by lending platforms Bankrate and LendingTree, which cited an increasing share of all “buy now, pay later” users saying they had fallen behind on payments.
-
‘It’s a high-end grocer’: The Fresh Market coming to Schaumburg’s Veridian developmentMay 23, 2025 3:22 pm - The Fresh Market has been named as the operator of the proposed grocery store serving not only The District at Veridian mixed-use development on the former Motorola site in Schaumburg but the existing neighborhoods around it.
-
St. Charles among few local municipalities that hasn’t decided on 1% grocery tax in 2026
May 23, 2025 2:23 pm - Most municipalities in Kane County have chosen to maintain the 1% grocery tax even after the state allows it to expire at the end of 2025. Still, St. Charles has not yet decided whether it wants to continue receiving roughly $2 million in annual revenue from the tax.
-
A guide to farmers markets in the suburbsMay 23, 2025 8:04 am - Farmers markets are opening throughout the suburbs. Some start in June or later while others have already begun. Here’s a helpful guide.
-
The Biz Week That Was: Sears’ HQ nearly razed, Dick’s buys Foot Locker, and Walmart warns of higher pricesMay 17, 2025 1:35 pm - The demolition of Sears campus in Hoffman Estates is almost done The demolition of Sears’ former 2.4 million-square-foot headquarters in Hoffman Estates is entering ...
-
A rare warning from Walmart during a US trade war: Higher prices are inevitable
May 15, 2025 8:58 am - Walmart, which became the nation's largest retailer by making low prices a priority, has found itself in a place it's rarely been: Warning customers that prices will rise for goods ranging from bananas to car seats. Executives at the $750 billion company told industry analysts Thursday that they are doing everything in their power to absorb the higher costs from tariffs ordered by President Donald Trump. Given the magnitude of the duties, however, the highest since the 1930s, higher prices are unavoidable, and they will hurt Walmart customers already buffeted by inflation over the past three years. Walmart reported strong sales for the first quarter on Thursday, though profits slipped.
-
Dick’s Sporting Goods to buy struggling shoe chain Foot Locker for $2.4 billion
May 15, 2025 8:24 am - Dick’s Sporting Goods is buying the struggling footwear chain Foot Locker for about $2.4 billion, the second buyout of a major footwear company in as many weeks as busine...