Here’s the latest in retail sales and strategy:

A planned sale of more than 100 former J.C. Penney stores to a private equity firm has been canceled, according to a regulatory filing by the trust responsible for selling the properties. Onyx Partners and Copper Property CTL Pass Through Trust announced in July that Onyx would acquire 119 stores for $947 million. The transaction was expected to close in September but was delayed several times before being called off. The trust was created during J.C. Penney’s 2020 bankruptcy to manage leases for 160 stores and six distribution centers, with the goal of selling the real estate to third-party buyers as quickly as possible.

Lowe’s has acquired competitor Foundation Building Materials in an $8.8 billion deal, marking a major step in the home improvement retailer’s effort to expand its professional, or Pro-customer, business. Lowe’s operates more than 1,700 home improvement stores nationwide. Foundation Building Materials operates more than 370 locations across the U.S. and Canada. The acquisition underscores Lowe’s strategy to increase its presence among contractors and other professional customers.

Zales has introduced a new retail concept called The Edit, featuring open layouts, storytelling zones and digital tools, the company says in a press release. The concept, which is designed to emphasize self-purchase and self-reward, is currently open in four markets: Atlanta; Denver; Austin, TX; and Chandler, AZ. A location in Jacksonville, FL, is expected to open early next year. The Edit includes customization options, one-on-one consultations and a digital companion tool that uses QR codes to connect customers to Zales’ full in-store assortment.

Saks Global Enterprises, the parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks OFF 5TH, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman, is considering a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing as it faces mounting debt, sources tell Bloomberg. The retailer is confronting a debt payment of more than $100 million due at the end of December, the sources said. The company has been exploring emergency financing options and may sell assets to bolster cash reserves. A bankruptcy filing would be a last resort, the people said.

Sears, once the largest retailer in the U.S., now operates just five stores, down from eight earlier this year, according to a report from The Street. At its peak, Sears had about 3,500 locations nationwide and was a dominant force in American retail. The company’s footprint has steadily contracted for years amid shifting consumer habits and competition. “The company has been on a death spiral for well over a decade,” former Sears executive Mark Cohen tells CBS. “It lost sight of the fact that change is a constant.”