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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Are short-term leases here to stay?
Gaining leverage due to elevated vacancy rates amid the pandemic, retailers are asking for and increasingly receiving short-term leases. The change carries short-term benefits and long-term risks for merchants. Do…
Automated checkout ‘will be everywhere’ sooner rather than later
According to a survey from Piplsay, 89 percent of shoppers who have visited Amazon Go have had either an excellent (54 percent) or a good (35 percent) experience. Has the…
Do rivals need to follow Costco’s minimum wage lead right now?
Costco has consistently been ranked among the best retail companies to work for and this week it will demonstrate that once again when it offers something that its rivals in…
Will the post-pandemic era be America’s next Roaring ‘20s?
On L’Oréal’s recent quarterly call, Jean-Paul Agon, CEO, predicted that once the pandemic subsides, a “Roaring ‘20s” boom will deliver huge upside for the beauty category. What parallels do you…
Is it the right time to reopen food bars?
For years, Matthew Stern had a near-daily ritual of visiting the hot bar and salad bar at the grocery store across the street. It was not a cost efficient habit,…
Target wants a bigger slice of Apple’s pie
Target announced yesterday that this month it is debuting a new and “enhanced shopping experience” for Apple products in the chain’s stores and online. Do you expect Target’s “enhanced shopping…
Are retailers snoozing on the sleep-tech opportunity?
Mattress Firm, the retail mattress chain, has partnered with SleepScore Labs, best known for its sleep-tracking app, to enable store associates to tap sleep quality insights when helping customers find…
Are Americans ready to do some good old-fashioned ‘revenge shopping’?
TJX Companies’ fourth quarter report did not reveal the type of positive results that have become routine for the parent company of Homegoods, Marshalls and TJ Maxx in recent years,…
What’s next for mask mandates?
Mask compliance continues to frustrate retailers nearly one year into the pandemic and the vaccine rollout is creating more turbulence on selling floors. What new challenges does the rollout of…
Marketers are going online more and in-person less to gather research data
A new study exploring consumer research not unsurprisingly finds a significant shift towards online qualitative research over the last year, raising speculation on whether in-person methods may be another casualty…
Can making deliveries once a week make e-commerce sustainable and more profitable?
A co-founder of Jet.com has launched a delivery platform, Olive, that consolidates retailers’ orders into weekly deliveries to bring sustainability along with some convenience to online selling. What about Olive’s…
Macy’s says it will recover and rebuild coming off a tough 2020
Macy’s reported a gain in earnings during the fourth quarter, the first time in more than a year, as the department store retailer cut inventory and pulled back on merchandise…
Best Buy is handing out bonuses, paid time off for vaccines and pink slips. Huh?
Despite all of the positive news around Best Buy’s treatment of its workers, some of the chain’s employees have reached out to RetailWire, claiming the company is being less than…
Activist investors attempt takeover of Kohl’s board of directors
A group of activist investors that control 9.5 percent of Kohl’s stock want to see big changes from the retailer, beginning with its board of directors. Do you agree with…
Are outlet centers immune to the ills of regional malls?
Tanger Factory Outlet Centers’ traffic equaled 90 percent of prior year during 4Q, then further improved to more than 99 percent in January for domestic centers. Fourth-quarter results, however, revealed…
What’s so funny about authenticity, integrity and transparency?
Face it. Outside of the Big Four — Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas — flowers are special occasion purchases. So how is Farmgirl Flowers on-track to hit $100…
Do grocers need to get better at planning for weather-related disasters?
Texas is experiencing an environmental catastrophe some are comparing in its severity to Hurricane Katrina. Unprecedented winter weather has caused infrastructural problems on multiple fronts, including the breakdown of grocery…
Should suppliers help fund retailers’ omnichannel investments?
In Canada, Walmart and Loblaw are stoking controversy by raising fees for suppliers during the pandemic to cover upgrades designed to help the chains handle the accelerated shift to digital…
Amazon is using crowdsourcing to create new products
Amazon launched a new program, “Build It,” that in a crowdsourcing scheme enables consumers to vote on which Alexa-enabled products will be developed. Do you see more benefits than drawbacks…
Will 7-Eleven’s beer and wine on tap be a c-store game changer?
7-Eleven stores in Canada are applying for liquor licenses to serve beer and wine to customers inside their locations. Could having alcoholic beverages on tap be a major customer traffic…
Walmart gives workers a raise and weighs in on the minimum wage debate
Of all the latest Walmart news, none gained more attention than the announcement that it would raise wages for 425,000 associates in the U.S. who stock shelves and fulfill orders…
