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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Can a former Victoria’s Secret exec turn J.Crew around?
It took more than a year, but sales-challenged and debt-laden J.Crew has a new chief executive officer. The retailer announced that Jan Singer, who most recently served as CEO of…
Are retailers ready for the coronavirus?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an update earlier this week on the spread of the coronavirus from Wuhan, China to the U.S. and other countries. What would…
Will online food and beverage sales be even bigger than imagined?
Few would deny that online grocery sales are gaining momentum, yet there’s debate on how far and how fast. A soon-to-be-released study from FMI and Nielsen previewed at FMI Midwinter…
Will investors sleep on Casper’s IPO?
Direct-to-consumer mattress brand Casper has made its mark with customers. Now it is trying its luck with investors. What can a company in Casper’s position hope to gain by going…
Food retailers need to go ‘all-in’ with Hispanic consumers
The fastest-growing population in the country over the next forty years will be Hispanic, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. How effective have U.S. grocers been in catering to the…
Why did IKEA end its pilot on Amazon?
IKEA recently decided to end a pilot in which the retailer tested the strategy of selling on Amazon.com’s U.S. site, although it apparently isn’t giving up on marketplaces — those…
Forget football, the Super Bowl is all about the food!
According to the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) annual survey, consumers are expected to spend a record $17.2 billion at retail for the Super Bowl. Much of that will be spent…
Is IT insourcing critical to omnichannel?
At the NRF Big Show, the CIOs of Lowe’s and Target talked up the benefits of bringing software development in-house to move quicker and be more responsive to meeting customers’…
Move over plant-based meat, lab-grown meat is coming
Consumer exuberance — irrational or otherwise — for plant-based meats may be wearing off some. That’s based on the experience of the largest franchisee of Burger King franchises in the…
Can aesthetics cure our throw-away society?
Like many environmentalists, Tom Szaky, CEO of TerraCycle, believes reuse must play a large role in solving eco-challenges, but he doesn’t think sustainability guilt will be enough to change behaviors…
Will store closures worsen in 2020?
After a record number of retail stores were shuttered in 2019, the question for many entering the new year is whether even more will close this year. What are the…
Cross-brand collaborations open up store shelf space for CPG brands
Crossovers aren’t just for comic book characters anymore as consumer packaged goods companies are reaching across the aisle to other manufacturers to create product mashups that let both companies capitalize…
Are online advertising platforms a must for retailers?
“When you look at online advertising, it’s a monopoly, oligopoly — pick your word. The concentration is clear,” said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella at a keynote session at the NRF…
Has BOPIS changed holiday selling?
On Christmas Eve, Target prepared nearly five times the number of products for curbside pickup of online orders than it did the year prior. Does BOPIS now offer a sizable…
Is a ‘hassle cost’ justified in resolving customer service issues?
A university study concludes that many businesses purposefully make customer service complainers deal with unnecessary obstacles to avoid providing them with refunds, replacements, repairs or other compensation. Do the benefits…
Amazon, Kroger, Walgreens and Walmart earn perfect scores for LGBTQ policies
Retailers rose to the top of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s eighteenth annual “Corporate Equality Index” report, which rates workplaces on their policies and treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender…
Does convenience trump price for today’s consumer?
During last week’s annual convention, the National Retail Federation (NRF) released a report showing that 83 percent of consumers say convenience while shopping is more important to them than it…
Does IKEA need parking lots?
IKEA has done a lot of experimenting to make its furniture shopping experience fit with the lifestyle of today’s city dweller. Now the chain is opening a store with no…
Nike offers advice on successful marketplace partnerships
Nike last November controversially ended its direct sales relationship with Amazon. Yet at the NRF Big Show, a Nike VP discussed how the sneaker giant’s partnership with Zalando should serve…
Is Bose doing the smart thing in closing its stores?
Citing “the dramatic shift to online shopping in specific markets,” Bose announced plans to close its remaining 119 retail stores across North America, Europe, Japan and Australia over the next…
Best Buy CEO faces alleged misconduct probe
Best Buy Co.’s board is investigating allegations that CEO Corie Barry had an inappropriate romantic relationship with a former fellow executive. How should retail businesses govern personal relationships between coworkers,…
