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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Will consumer anger drive down inflation?
Consumers are fed up with escalating inflation, prompting some companies to restrain their price hikes to offset cost pressures. Will consumer resistance to higher prices likely be the primary factor…
Walmart using a well-proven formula to attract B2B customers
Walmart last week unveiled a new program, Walmart Business, to serve the needs of small and medium-size businesses (SMBs) and nonprofit organizations. What is your assessment of the opportunities that Walmart…
Should Dollar General sweat its former CEO taking over at Dollar Tree?
Dollar Tree yesterday said that its executive chairman, Richard Dreiling, has been named CEO of the company. He replaces Mike Witnyski who has led the company since last year after…
Amazon looks to undercut rivals with monthly Rx prescription plan
Amazon.com today introduced RXPass, a new subscription plan that enables Prime members to buy prescription medicines for more than 80 common health conditions delivered to their homes for $5 a…
Can opera keep loiterers away from store parking lots?
A 7-Eleven in Austin, TX, is blasting opera music nonstop outside the store as a deterrent against loiters and panhandlers. The owner said he has faced issues since a homeless…
Where are the cost savings in last-mile delivery?
A new survey finds retailers increasingly fixated on cost efficiencies around last-mile deliveries amid rising inflation and fuel costs. Where do you see the biggest opportunities to drive down costs…
Does retail need a data-based rebuild?
Australian supermarket Woolworths has succeeded in using analytics to inform and redesign a number of processes core to its business in a short amount of time, as outlined in a…
Will reducing organic fraud help justify higher prices?
In the biggest update since organic standards were first established in 1990, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced new guidelines designed to close loopholes and increase confidence in the often pricier product…
Nordstrom gets snagged by apparel markdown pressures
Nordstrom last week became the latest retailer in the apparel space to lower its outlook as it found that deeper discounts were required to clear slow-moving holiday merchandise. Is Nordstrom’s…
Will Lowe’s become birthday party central for kids?
Lowe’s may be giving new meaning to the term lifetime customer value. The home improvement retailer is looking to appeal to consumers as young as five-years-old with a new pilot…
Are CVS and Walgreens prepared to be at the center of the abortion debate?
CVS and Walgreens have both begun the certification process to sell abortion pills under a new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation that will allow the medication to be offered…
Bite-sized content tests bring Dick’s impressive results
When many retailers nationwide were forced to operate as e-commerce-only companies in March of 2020 due to pandemic-related lockdowns, Shawn Wilkinson, e-commerce program manager for personalization at Dick’s Sporting Goods,…
Retailers should be prepping now for economic recovery
The U.S. may or may not experience a recession in the coming year, but in either case retailers should be strategizing and hiring with the era that follows the economic…
Will bankruptcy enable Party City to succeed for years to come?
Party City Holdco, the parent company of Party City, on Tuesday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The retailer also said it had entered into an agreement with creditors. What…
Does Coach’s experience with Tmall offer livestreaming lessons for U.S. retailers?
A senior correspondent for Business of Fashion took to the NRF Big Show stage to moderate a robust session covering a host of innovative strategies Coach has implemented through its…
Are retail communications out of sync with consumers?
A survey from Emarsys finds retailers failing to align with consumers when it comes to when, how and what they want to hear. For starters, the survey found 61 percent…
Does Neiman Marcus have too many eggs in too few baskets?
In a keynote presentation at the 2023 NRF Big Show, Geoffroy van Raemdonck, Neiman Marcus Group’s CEO, was asked about the benefits and risks of the retailer’s high concentration levels…
PepsiCo’s retention recipe starts with technology
In an employment landscape with a lot of turnover, PepsiCo has begun investing in technology and automation and operational changes to keep its workers happy, fulfilled and on-board. What processes…
Will gambling on a Saks Fifth Avenue flagship casino pay off?
Hudson’s Bay Company has bid for a gaming license to install a high-end casino on the top three floors of the famed Saks Fifth Avenue flagship in Manhattan. What do…
Is culture the key to Target’s success?
Target had a lot to say about the importance of company culture in a keynote presentation at the 2023 NRF Big Show. Target CEO Brian Cornell led a discussion on…
Marvin Ellison advises aspiring execs to ‘take tough assignments’
Marvin Ellison, CEO at Lowe’s, speaking at the NRF Big Show, said he learned early on that, to get ahead in his career, his best approach was to “just take…
