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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
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…
Are current supply chain bottlenecks a bigger deal than normal?
In an example of delayed fallout from the pandemic, the nation’s ports in recent months have been struggling with congestion and container shortages. The circumstances could lead to long delivery…
Is suburban retail (malls, too) primed for a comeback?
Simon Property Group CEO David Simon predicted a “major comeback” for suburban retail coming out of the pandemic on his company’s fourth-quarter conference call last week . Will the shift…
Keep on growing is Target’s mantra as chain announces leadership moves
Target is not standing on its laurels. The retailer announced earlier this week that it is making changes to its executive leadership team with continuing improvement and growth as the…
Is Joann’s IPO success all sewn up thanks to the pandemic?
Jo-Ann Stores went private in 2011 and by 2018 the chain was floundering. But when the pandemic hit, the crafting retailer experienced an unexpected boom, and the chain is now…
Should retailers just say ‘no’ to Instacart?
Many traditional retailers are living on borrowed time, with lagging ecommerce efforts. But is the current reliance on Instacart to handle the notoriously challenging “last mile” of retail fulfillment really…
Has text messaging become retail’s go-to communication tool?
Thirty-four percent of businesses adopted the use of texting because of the pandemic and 77 percent indicate they’ll continue post-COVID, according to a new study. How would you rate the…
Amazon acquires Shopify rival
Amazon.com reached a deal last month to acquire Selz, an online platform provider that helps small and medium size businesses create and operate online sites. In what ways do you…
Digital gains are changing how Best Buy puts its associates to work
Best Buy last week laid off some in-store workers and told others their weekly hours would be reduced as digital increasingly drives the chain’s sales growth, according to The Wall Street…
