Ikea plans to close its only U.S. factory site and shift operations to Europe. The Swedish furniture company’s Danville, Virginia, manufacturing facility will close in December, cutting about 300 jobs, The Wall Street Journal reported. The company said its production costs in Europe will be lower and that importing the goods will make its products more affordable in North America,…
Joe Keenan
Based on Adobe Analytics data, the first day of Prime Day saw a substantial increase in online spending in the U.S., suggesting that Amazon.com is no longer the sole winner of the summer shopping holiday. Large retailers ($1 billion-plus in annual revenue) saw a 64 percent increase in sales vs. an average Monday, compared to last…
For Lamps Plus, the nation’s largest specialty lighting retailer and a leading lighting and home furnishings manufacturer, creating a seamless shopping experience for its customers across all channels is of critical importance. It's for that reason that the company has introduced computer kiosks in each of 35-plus stores. The kiosks create an “endless aisle” of products in-store,…
In episode 204 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews Mike Relich, chief operating officer at Lucky Brand, a denim and fashion brand for men, women, and kids. Listen in as they discuss Lucky Brand's use of predictive analytics to improve inventory allocation across channels (store, web, wholesale), touching specifically on Lucky Brand's partnership with…
Last week, 7-Eleven Japan suspended a recently launched mobile payments feature on its app after a flaw allowed a third party to make bogus charges on hundreds of customer accounts. The company released the feature on July 1. It allowed customers to scan a barcode with the app and charge a linked credit or debit card.…
Amazon.com warehouse workers in Minnesota plan to strike during the online retailer’s summer sales extravaganza, a sign that labor unrest persists even after the company committed to paying all employees at least $15 an hour last year. Workers at a Shakopee, Minnesota, fulfillment center plan a six-hour work stoppage on July 15, the first day…
In episode 203 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews Doug Zarkin, vice president and chief marketing officer at Pearle Vision, a leader in the optical retail category that provides exam and eyewear retail products. Listen in as they discuss Pearle Vision's pivot from being a promotional-driven business to one focused on touting…
Lowe’s announced last week that it has selected Charlotte, N.C. for a 2,000-employee global tech hub. The home improvement retailer said it's spending $153 million on the project. Lowe’s plans to create 1,600 jobs and bring about another 400 over from its headquarters office in nearby Mooresville, N.C. The retailer will be hiring for a…
In episode 202 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews Julia Babina, vice president of operations and customer service at Brooklinen, a direct-to-consumer brand selling luxury bed sheets, pillows, comforters and blankets. Listen in as Babina discusses the story of Brooklinen's growth, and why the launch of a pop-up shop was a test…
Hibbett Sports, an athletic-inspired fashion retailer that operates 1,100-plus stores in smaller markets across 35 states, was decidedly late in building an e-commerce business. The company didn't launch an e-commerce site until late 2017. Despite its late start, however, Hibbett Sports has successfully grown its e-commerce business with the help of an unlikely source: its…
Hundreds of engineers, product managers, and visual artists employed at the online housewares giant Wayfair streamed out of their sleek offices and into Copley Square in Boston on Wednesday, gathering with hundreds more to protest the company’s sale of furniture to the operators of facilities that detain migrant children along the southern border. The protesters spread…
In a session yesterday at IRCE @ RetailX in Chicago, a panel of retail executives covered a wide range of topics related to the future of the industry, including Amazon.com's growing dominance, driving elusive customer loyalty, and adapting their businesses for shifting customer behaviors. Diana Ganz, co-founder, The Groomsman Suit; Reid Greenberg, president, Vermont's Original…
REI is discontinuing its print mail-order catalog and debuting a magazine. Called Uncommon Path, the print publication will run on a quarterly basis and include stories focused on the outdoors. Kent, Washington-based REI is partnering with Hearst Magazines on the project, which will be staffed by a team of roughly six in-house REI employees as…
Leading online ticket sales and distribution company Ticketmaster is turning to relevant brand partnerships as a means for driving customer engagement and transactions. Ticketmaster is working with partnerships software company Impact, and in particular its Partnership Cloud, to drive leads to its website and app. For example, Ticketmaster has partnered with Spotify to help drive…
In episode 201 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan speaks with Mike Tamte, co-CEO and co-founder of EVEREVE, a national women's fashion brand that works to inspire joy in its customers. Listen in as Tamte discusses the growth of EVEREVE, including investments in brick-and-mortar stores; hiring the right talent, particularly for its technology…
