Storefront Expansion: Warby Parker plans to operate roughly 100 stores within the US by the end of 2018. The eyeglass retailer, which started as an online-only player, currently has 64 locations. According to CNBC, other companies that started on a digital footprint are also planning to expand into physical locations.
Fresh Consolidation: Amazon will reportedly be merging its Prime Now and AmazonFresh services to "streamline a delivery experience for Whole Foods Market," which the ecommerce giant acquired last year, Yahoo Finance reports. As part of this consolidation, Amazon has laid off hundreds of its corporate employees, The Seattle Times first reported on Monday.
More Closures: JCPenney is expected to shut down eight stores this year. Many of the stores—which include those in Paramus, New Jersey and Calexico, California—will close by mid-May, USA Today reports. According to eMarketer's Retail Database, JCPenney's comparable sales increased 1.7% in Q3 2017.