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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Organized theft is turning San Francisco into retail’s wild west
There’s a battle going on in San Francisco between retailers and organized retail crime, and the thieves are winning so convincingly that stores are closing their doors. What are retailers…
Is Foot Locker throwing in the towel on key consumers by closing Footaction?
Foot Locker last week announced plans to close its Footaction chain, citing an overlap with its flagship property and other stores. Will the decision to close Footaction ultimately prove to…
What are the greatest pain points for mobile checkout?
Even with growing adoption, mobile shopping faces challenges in a number of areas that need to be addressed for retailers and their customers to get full benefit from the experience. What…
Do chatbots need to be more likable?
A new university study finds people will more readily use a chatbot if they perceive it to be friendly and competent and less so if it projects overconfidence and arrogance…
Vans can’t skate by on its pre-pandemic reputation
Vans’ streak of robust double-digit annual gains ended with the novel coronavirus pandemic and an expected relatively modest recovery has stoked concerns that the skate brand has fallen out of…
If you google ‘Google store’, you’ll find one opening in NYC
Google went searching for a new platform to sell its consumer electronics products and found the answer in opening its own store in the Chelsea section of Manhattan. Do you…
Are student loan repayments the next big perk in retailer loyalty programs?
Price Chopper/Market 32 is looking to create deeper relationships with its customers as the grocer expands its reward programs beyond simple discounts on food and fuel. Do you see loyalty…
Will Target and Walmart top 2020’s record results in 2021?
Strong, better than expected first quarter sales and earnings results for Target and Walmart may be further proof that, for most every rule (or widely held belief), there are exceptions…
Macy’s CEO says recent gains are real and better things are ahead
Macy’s reported a 63.9 percent gain in same-store sales during the first quarter as shoppers returned to stores and online sales climbed upward. Do you agree with Macy’s CEO Jeff…
Can Wayfair fend off the bigger guys?
Niraj Shah, Wayfair’s CEO and co-founder, is confident that elevated demand for home goods and furniture will continue even as pandemic restrictions ease. Will strength in the home goods category…
Will TikTok-driven customer traffic break Starbucks’ baristas?
Many retailers are hungry for social media notoriety and the traffic it brings but, for Starbucks and its employees, becoming the object of a TikTok trend is turning into a…
Is enabling young kids to buy toys online a teaching tool or something else?
Toy stores are still mostly about getting kids to beg their parents to buy them something. Small toy store chain Camp NYC, however, has launched a new model that puts…
Will made-to-order polos have everyone wanting to wear Ralph Lauren?
Brands have been touting the potential of mass customization for years, but is the time now right to make it work in a really big way? The answer is yes,…
Smart & Final swaps private equity owner for largest U.S. Hispanic grocer
Grupo Comercial Chedraui, Mexico’s third-largest retailer and the largest Hispanic grocery store operator in the U.S., has reached an agreement to acquire Smart & Final, which operates “smaller, faster” warehouse stores…
Is Amazon the safest place to work in retail?
Amazon’s management wants the world to know that the company is serious when it comes to the health and safety of its workers with a comprehensive physical and mental health…
Neighborhood Goods puts CPG brands on the menu
Neighborhood Goods, which claims to be reinventing the department store model, is also exploring doing the same for consumer packaged goods, using an on-premise restaurant for sampling. Are mainstream grocers…
Do brands currently have a rare opportunity to build trust with consumers?
A slew of corporate and governmental scandals and an influx of misinformation have destabilized the public’s trust in many traditional institutions, yet may have created “an unprecedented opportunity” for brands…
Whole Foods goes all-in on centralized buying
Whole Foods Market announced last week an organizational realignment that includes fully centralizing product buying. Does shifting to centralized buying offer more benefits or risks for Whole Foods?
Will virtual fitting room tech help Walmart achieve its fashion ambitions?
Walmart has been on a multiyear journey to up its fashion cred and the latest milestone is last week’s announcement that it is acquiring Zeekit, a virtual fitting room technology…
Can Nike ‘Just Do It’ with a hybrid work model?
Nike sent out an internal memo last week calling on U.S. employees to return to work at world headquarters in Beaverton, OR at least three full days a week, with…
Should retailers continue to require associates and customers to wear masks?
Americans who have received full doses of COVID-19 vaccines and have allowed at least two weeks to pass will now be free to go about their daily activities without wearing…
