Wed.May 10, 2023

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UFCW Officially Votes to Oppose Kroger and Albertsons Merger

Retail TouchPoints

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) has officially announced that delegates representing 1.3 million of its members unanimously voted to officially oppose mergers, including the proposed $24.6 billion deal between Kroger and Albertsons. The vote was made on the grounds that such mergers “pose a threat to essential workers, their families, and the communities they serve.

Consumer 298
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KMD Brands names Megan Welch as Kathmandu CEO

Inside Retail

Multibrand outdoor apparel retailer KMD Brands has appointed Megan Welch as CEO of Kathmandu. Welch has extensive global brand and product experience and joins Kathmandu from Crocs where she served as senior VP and GM for Asia Pacific, based in Singapore. Michael Daly, Group CEO and MD of KMD Brands, welcomed Welch and said she has a “proven track record for growth and strong international experience”.

Outdoor 245
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Vitamin Shoppe Parent Company to go Private Following Acquisition by Senior Management

Retail TouchPoints

The senior management team of Franchise Group , led by the company’s CEO Brian Kahn along with a consortium of financial partners that includes B. Riley Financial and Irradiant Partners, have agreed to acquire approximately 64% of the company’s stock that the management group does not currently own in a transaction that will take the company private.

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Why retail has cautiously embraced the 2023 Federal Budget

Inside Retail

The 2023 Federal Budget appeared to be about striking a balance between combating inflation, while also providing cost of living relief for Australian households and businesses. It comes amid a challenging economic period, with the inflation rate well above the 2-3 per cent band targeted by the Reserve Bank. At the same time, retail sales have receded for two consecutive months – constituting a consumer recession.

Consumer 244
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A Roadmap For Modernization: How To Break Free From Your Monolith Before July 31, 2026

Speaker: Jason Cottrell and Gireesh Sahukar

Retailers know the clock is ticking–legacy SAP Commerce support ends in 2026. Legacy platforms are becoming a liability burdened by complexity, rigidity, and mounting operational costs. But modernization isn’t just about swapping out systems, it’s about preparing for a future shaped by real-time interactions, AI powered buying assistants, and flexible commerce architecture.

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CPG Brands: Leverage Shipper Intelligence Technology Amid Supply Chain Challenges

Retail TouchPoints

For consumer-packaged goods (CPG) brands wanting to lead their category at major retailers, it’s critical to be strategic and adaptable with a logistics strategy. While many brands try to shave pennies off transactional transportation costs, that won’t drive long-term success in retail locations. CPG brands that DO find success are proactive and utilize technology to increase order visibility and analyze performance data.

Shipping 278
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Soaring customer footfall boosts Scentre Group’s performance

Inside Retail

Westfield mall owner Scentre Group says its strategy to increase footfall across its retail centres has helped boost its operating performance. In a trading update for the first 17 weeks of the year, the group said its shopping centres hosted 163 million customer visits – an increase of 20 million, or 13.7 per cent, over the corresponding period a year ago.

Shopping 244

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Lewis Land puts Adelaide outlet shopping centre on the market

Inside Retail

Adelaide’s Harbour Town Premium Outlets centre has been put up for sale by private property developer, Lewis Land Group. Developed in 2003, the centre is Adelaide’s only purpose-built outlet shopping centre. It features 118 outlet stores and parking for 1480 vehicles and recently underwent a $12 million upgrade. Lewis Land Group CEO, Matthew McCarron, said the business is continuously exploring opportunities for growth over the long term.

Shopping 244
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Shoppers Seeking Comfort and Self-Expression Will Smash the Piggy Bank for a Splurge Purchase

Retail TouchPoints

Shoppers are cutting back in the aggregate as they brace themselves for economic headwinds, so the conventional wisdom is that unnecessary “splurge” purchases are on hold. But Deloitte’s For Consumers, Splurges Aren’t Just Lipstick report found that 77% of global consumers say they made a splurge purchase in the last month, with an even higher number ( 81% ) in the U.S.

Apparel 276
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REISS selects centre:mk for latest location

Retail Focus

REISS, the premium international fashion brand, has selected centre:mk, one of the top 10 retail and leisure destinations in the UK, for its latest location and key site in the region. The new store, set to open on Silbury Arcade this summer, will showcase 1,884 sq ft of REISS’ modern womenswear, menswear, accessories, and childrenswear. For the last five decades, REISS has established a unique style of attainable-luxury collections showcasing unwavering elegance and attracting a loyal following

Location 147
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What LVLY, Camilla, Koko Black and Mrs. Fields are doing this Mother’s Day

Inside Retail

Compared to other sales events throughout the retail calendar, Mother’s Day celebrations aren’t typically thought of as a bumper celebration. However, Australians are tipped to spend almost $1 billion ahead of this weekend’s event, according to the Australian Retailers Association, across retail segments such as food, flowers, homewares and clothing.

Boutique 130
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Humans + Agents = Rethinking Enterprise Commerce with AI

AI agents already analyze trends, draft content, and trigger actions across leading commerce platforms. Yet most organizations still rely on workflows built for human‑only teams, losing speed, margin, and customer loyalty. Humans + Agents: Rethinking Enterprise Commerce in the Age of AI Collaboration shows how to close that gap. In one concise read you’ll see where agent gains surface first, how early adopters prove ROI, and which lean controls keep innovation moving without risking data or bran

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Retailers see big opportunities in live streaming

Retail Wire

Live shopping in the U.S. is expected to grow to $32 billion this year, according to Coresight Research. Amazon.com, Walmart and other retailers are rapidly getting into live streaming to capture a share of the growing market.

Shopping 130
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Why department stores are thriving in Japan even as the US sector shrinks

Inside Retail

For once, department stores are leading a retail sales recovery instead of lagging it. In Japan, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) reports that retail sales in the first quarter amounted to 39,781 billion yen (about $434 billion at current exchange rates), up 6.5 per cent from a year ago. Momentum has been rising since the beginning of the year, with year-on-year sales growth in both February and March above 7 per cent.

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Capital One says Walmart didn’t support its private label credit card

Retail Wire

Capital One Financial claims that Walmart is trying to get out of its private label credit card deal after it failed to market the product as agreed. The financial firm alleges in a lawsuit that “Walmart is positioning itself to compete directly with Capital One to provide credit and payment products to Walmart customers.” Walmart has denied the allegations made by Capital One.

Marketing 130
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How will consumers shop in 2025? Here’s a look at four emerging profiles

Inside Retail

Retailers are always looking for ways to gain market share and build loyalty, but the strategies that work today may not be relevant in the future. A recent report by WGSN on the future consumer sheds some light on the emerging trends that businesses need to take into account. The report states that four consumer profiles will drive businesses in 2025: the new nihilists, the reductionists, the timekeepers and the pioneers.

Consumer 130
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5 Tips for a Winning Category Management Strategy in 2025

Category Management is a cornerstone of a successful retail strategy. While it promotes collaboration between manufacturers and retailers to optimize category performance, challenges persist in its effective implementation due to hurdles in communication and collaboration across teams and partners, and more. In this guide, we outline five essential strategies for success in 2025 that will touch on all the essential pieces of a successful strategy and implementation.

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Tempur Sealy to acquire Mattress Firm

Retail Wire

Tempur Sealy has agreed to pay $4 billion to acquire Mattress Firm, the largest bedding retailer in the U.S. Mattress Firm operates about 2,300 stores.

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Strand launches Nere luggage brand in UK, online

Inside Retail

Australian bags company Strand will launch an online store for its luggage brand Nere in the UK, marking the company’s first foray into the market. Nere offers a range of luggage, travel bags, and accessories for the style-conscious traveller at affordable prices. The brand was established in Australia with the idea of making travel “more fashionable, economical, and fun” Launched in July in Australia and New Zealand, Nere aims to create vibrant collections.

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Warby Parker and Allbirds show progress

Retail Wire

Warby Parker’s sales rose 12 percent year-over-year in the first quarter and the direct-to-consumer eyewear company cut its losses by $23 million to $11 million. Allbirds’s sales fell 13 percent, which was better than the 28 percent decline that was expected.

Consumer 130
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Joann CEO exits the company after ‘challenging’ year

Retail Dive

Wade Miquelon retired as of Monday. Two executives will lead in the interim while the board searches for a permanent replacement.

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Cut Costs & Complexity: Smarter Fulfillment for Home, Furniture & DIY Brands

Late deliveries. Split shipments. Spiraling freight costs. For home, furniture, and DIY brands, fulfillment has never been more complex—or more critical. This report outlines how a smarter, AI-ready order management system (OMS) helps you reduce shipping costs, streamline project-based fulfillment, and ensure accurate inventory across every channel.

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Inflation inched down in April

Retail Wire

Consumer prices increased 0.4 percent in April, the equivalent of a 4.9 percent annual gain, according to the Labor Department. The Consumer Price Index has declined since peaking at nine percent in June 2022.

Consumer 100
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Allbirds undergoes layoffs, co-CEO transitions to new role

Retail Dive

Co-founder Tim Brown has taken on the chief innovation officer role as the direct-to-consumer brand reported a drop in its Q1 net revenue.

Consumer 122
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A CEO-led group takes Vitamin Shoppe owner private

Retail Wire

Franchise Group, the owner of Vitamin Shoppe, Pet Supplies Plus, Buddy’s Home Furnishings and other franchised banners, is being taken private by a group led by CEO Brian Kahn in a $2.6 billion deal.

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Dollar Tree to lay off about 90 at corporate office

Retail Dive

A WARN Notice indicates that people will be let go by June 23 from the discount retailer’s Chesapeake, Virginia, headquarters.

ATS 120
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What Your Financial Statements Are Telling You—And How to Listen!

Speaker: David Worrell, CFO, Author & Speaker

Your financial statements hold powerful insights—but are you truly paying attention? Many finance professionals focus on the income statement while overlooking key signals hidden in the balance sheet and cash flow statement. Understanding these numbers can unlock smarter decision-making, uncover risks, and drive long-term success. Join David Worrell, accomplished CFO, finance expert, and author, for an engaging, nontraditional take on reading financial statements.

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Oatly names new CEO

Retail Wire

Oatly Group has named Jean-Christophe Flatin, the company’s global president, to succeed CEO Toni Petersson on June 1. Mr. Petersson will become co-chairman of Oatly along with Eric Melloul.

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Why Bed Bath & Beyond’s private labels were a bust

Retail Dive

The now-bankrupt home goods retailer hired the merchant who led the development of billion-dollar store brands at Target. What went wrong?

ATS 111
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Starbucks to charge customers for Refreshers hack

Retail Wire

Starbucks customers who order one of the chain’s Refreshers without water will have to pay $1 more to get the drink. The chain says that leaving water out of the drink is about the same as asking for an extra espresso shot in a latte without expecting to pay for it.

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Amazon pursues in-game shopping with Amazon Anywhere

Retail Dive

Launching inside AR pet game Peridot, the tool allows shoppers to view and buy products without leaving the game environment.

Shopping 111
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State of AI in Sales & Marketing 2025

AI adoption is reshaping sales and marketing. But is it delivering real results? We surveyed 1,000+ GTM professionals to find out. The data is clear: AI users report 47% higher productivity and an average of 12 hours saved per week. But leaders say mainstream AI tools still fall short on accuracy and business impact. Download the full report today to see how AI is being used — and where go-to-market professionals think there are gaps and opportunities.

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How World Possible is using technology to inclusively bridge the digital divide to help teachers and students

Cisco Retail

The Transformational Tech series highlights Cisco’s grant recipients that use technology to help transform the lives of individuals and communities. An estimated 37% of the world’s population – or 2.

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Wayfair aims to raise over half a billion dollars through convertible senior notes

Retail Dive

The home goods retailer expects to generate up to $677 million in net proceeds from the offering, which is set to close on Friday.

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Learn about DevSecOps at Cisco Live

Cisco Retail

Increase your chances of security survival Security in your software project should be “baked in,” not “bolted on.

ATS 98
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Higher-income shoppers help ThredUp narrow loss, grow sales in Q1

Retail Dive

The secondhand apparel site plans to reach a measure of profitability by Q4, but some analysts warn its growth plans could risk that.

Apparel 111
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SEO vs. PPC: Which Strategy Is Best for Your Business?

When it comes to driving traffic and growing your online presence, businesses often ask: SEO or PPC—what’s the better choice? This guide breaks down the key differences between search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, highlighting their pros, cons, and best use cases. Whether you’re looking for long-term organic growth or immediate visibility through paid ads, we’ll help you determine which strategy—or combination of both—is right for your business.