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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Walmart takes a stake in a rancher-owned beef company
Walmart has agreed to acquire a minority stake in Sustainable Beef LLC, a rancher-owned company dedicated to producing top-quality Angus beef. Do you expect large grocers to make more direct…
Will Instacart’s new acquisition change pricing and promo strategies for retailers and CPGs?
Instacart will acquire Eversight, an AI-supported pricing and promotions platform for CPG brands and retailers. What impact will Eversight’s technology have on the pricing and promotional practices of retailers and…
Will Bed Bath & Beyond’s new turnaround plan work any better than the previous one?
Bed Bath & Beyond yesterday went public with the struggling retailer’s new plan to get its business on solid footing. What are the key challenges that Bed Bath & Beyond…
Peloton looks to get back in shape by selling on Amazon
Peloton, which seemingly overnight went from boom to bust, last week reached a deal to sell through Amazon.com’s U.S. website, marking its first wholesale selling relationship. Do you see more…
Will Sam’s Club customers be okay with paying a higher membership fee?
Sam’s Club is increasing the price of its annual membership options for the first time in nine years. The increase comes at a time when the chain’s sales have been…
Sephora learns an expensive lesson about customer data privacy in California
Sephora ran afoul of California’s new data privacy laws, and the beauty retailer is paying the price for it — a settlement of $1.2 million to the state. What impact…
What’s really behind Amazon’s decision to shutter Amazon Care?
Amazon last week said it would stop offering its Amazon Care in-person and virtual health service at the year’s close, signaling a major reset amid its pending purchase of a…
Will Nuuly’s rental and resale model drive profitable growth for Urban Outfitters?
Urban Outfitters, Inc. can’t wait for its Nuuly business to really take off. The retail clothing chain operator will soon go live with Nuuly Thrift, a peer-to-peer resale marketplace. How…
Nordstrom Rack bets on premium merchandise in the face of rising prices
Nordstrom Rack sales were up six percent in the second quarter. That’s the good news. The bad news is that sales at Nordstrom’s off-price chain started to go south towards…
Should grocers make a big deal out of freezing prices?
On Walmart’s second-quarter conference call, Doug McMillon, CEO, said the retailer’s merchants are focused on “holding prices down or rolling them back” across categories based on demand. Should retailers be…
Would organic grocery stores do better if coupled with conventional food stores?
In 2020, Schnucks opened EatWell, A Natural Food Store by Schnucks in Columbia, MO, with a focus on natural, organic, local and specialty products. Last week, the company opened a…
Should retail worry about the ‘quiet quitting’ trend?
A global trend dubbed “quiet quitting” has replaced “The Great Resignation” as the latest development among disgruntled workers arising from the pandemic. Has the quiet quitting movement been caused by…
Full-price clothing retailers me-too off-pricers with a packaway inventory strategy
Gap, Express and Kohl’s are among the retailers getting ready to employ packaway sales to reduce the markdown blow of last holiday’s late deliveries. Has packaway become a more standard…
Can Instacart transform from a transactional to an inspirational shopping platform?
Instacart has retained Grammy winner Lizzo as the face of its biggest brand campaign to date to introduce Carts, an in-app experience that will enable pop culture personalities, retailers and…
Transactional reward programs are easy, but do they build customer loyalty?
Another day, another retail loyalty program launch. Bath & Body Works earlier this week debuted its “new” rewards program, which was soft-launched in July after it began testing in March. Do…
Employees want Apple management to ‘think different’ about office work
Apple has ordered its employees back to the office, and many are not happy about it. Will companies with either full-time remote or hybrid work schedules have an advantage in…
Are feedback requests worth it, even when they’re annoying?
A university study finds requesting feedback from online users can favorably influence their behavior, even when they disregard the requests. Do you find online customer feedback requests to be more…
Walmart+ members get a rewarding new perk
Walmart, which recently added a Paramount+ Essential subscription at no extra cost to Walmart+, has introduced a new way for members to earn points towards future discounts with every purchase…
Can pay raises and stock awards change GameStop’s trajectory?
GameStop is planning on giving pay raises and awarding stock to thousands of employees in an effort to retain valued workers and recruit talent to the video gaming chain. How…
Is Barnes & Noble’s updated buying policy good or bad for book discovery?
Barnes & Noble’s CEO James Daunt has defended a new buying policy that some book industry insiders charge only leads to the chain stocking new releases of hardcovers from best-selling…
What tradeoffs are consumers willing to make to stretch their food dollars?
A new survey finds 76 percent of U.S. consumers saying their family has changed how they buy food with prices on the rise. Do you suspect grocery shopping behavior will…
