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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Why is being stuck indoors boosting outdoor product sales?
The stay-at-home economy has supported strong trends toward home cooking and home improvement projects, but it has also more surprisingly led to a surge in sales in outdoor gear. What…
COVID-19 will redefine the meaning of Christmas creep in 2020
This coming holiday season is expected to see the earliest promotions ever, although many of the reasons are tied to the pandemic rather than getting a jump on the competition…
Will Lowe’s new push turn rentals into a tool for growth?
Lowe’s has its sights set on becoming a significant player in the tool rental market for professional construction trade customers and ambitious do-it-yourselfers working on home projects. Do you expect…
Culture is the key to creating a company that people want to work for
One of the top elements of an employer brand – for 73 percent of the professionals surveyed – is having a defined and clearly articulated culture, according to a new…
Has COVID-19 transformed BJ’s warehouse club business for good?
BJ’s Wholesale Club management is feeling pretty good after reporting a record-setting quarter where it drove better-than-expected numbers for memberships, sales and profits. Do trends that have arisen this year…
Grocery CEO to anti-maskers – Got a complaint, call me on my cell.
The CEO of a regional grocery chain in the Northeast has decided that if customers have a problem with a store’s mask rule, they can call and talk to her…
Has the local movement become a way of life for Americans?
Consumers’ recently renewed refocus on their local communities amid the pandemic will become a long-term trend bringing about the “Decade of the Home,” according to an Accenture study. Is the…
Do Americans think that Target is the easiest place to shop?
When COVID-19 hit, Target used its same-day services and local fulfillment options to attract millions of new customers, driving record quarterly results in the process. What stands out to you…
Walmart keeps growing and growing and …
Walmart’s second-quarter numbers did not disappoint investors. The chain reported same-store sales were up 9.3 percent and online sales jumped 97 percent. What is your assessment of Walmart’s progress on its…
Will Kohl’s gain from other retailers’ pain?
If these were normal times and you were just looking at the numbers, you wouldn’t think Kohl’s is in a great place right now. Do you agree that Kohl’s is…
Does a co-working concept make sense for Starbucks’ business?
Starbucks was a pioneer in establishing itself as a place for remote work. Now, the coffee chain is opening a concept making it as much a co-working space as a…
Cloud tech becomes a retailing priority amid COVID-19
Cloud spending has accelerated during the pandemic. Online collaboration and remote working tools, e-commerce, remote learning and content streaming hit new records during lockdowns. Has cloud migration become a necessity…
Can Payless avoid past mistakes with its new comeback effort?
Payless has been in and out of bankruptcy for years, having filed for court protection in 2017 and again last year when it announced it was closing all its stores…
Will guiding ‘personal wellness journeys’ drive loyalty for Raley’s?
Raley’s is introducing its Something Extra Health service, “a new feature of the company’s loyalty program designed to help interested customers on their personal wellness journeys.” What do you think…
Can retailers mitigate holiday delivery fee spikes?
Retailers are expected to see blockbuster sales online this holiday with shoppers still nervous about in-store shopping, but a side effect may be escalating delivery costs. Is raising prices or…
Smart home spending to take a temporary hit before surging
A new study from ABI Research predicts that the pandemic will significantly slow consumer smart home purchases in 2020 and accelerate growth in the years ahead. Will COVID-19 speed up…
Is Sur La Table too late for the home cooking craze?
Sur La Table found a buyer at a bankruptcy court auction and so will get a chance to take advantage of the resurgence in home cooking amid the pandemic. Is…
Build vs. buy: Is that still a question in retail IT?
A lot of old-school thinking still pervades retail management when it comes to IT as the “build versus buy” argument continues inside many retail HQs. Where do you land on…
Home Depot and Lowe’s are in a race against time and each other
Rivals Home Depot and Lowe’s have each announced this month that they are taking steps to outpace the other when it comes to the delivery and pickup of online orders…
Can airport retailers weather the turbulence?
With travel at historical lows due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, airport retailers that were thriving just a few months ago are now having trouble getting people in the door…
REI is going remote and selling its corporate headquarters
REI Co-op has announced plans to sell its newly completed corporate campus in Bellevue, WA, and “lean into remote working as an engrained, supported and normalized model.” What steps will…
