Dollar Shave Club (DSC) announced that it will be introducing automated retail to increase the brand's physical footprint. As part of a pilot program, DSC will roll out vending machines featuring trial-sized versions of the brand's favorite products. The machines will be placed in high-traffic areas (e.g., airports, train stations, malls, stadiums) across the country. Nick Virginio,…
Joe Keenan
J.Crew, still without a CEO, has also lost a chairman: former CEO Mickey Drexler. The retailer announced Friday that Drexler has officially retired from his role as chairman, which he's had since stepping down as CEO in June 2017. Drexler, who joined J.Crew in 2003, has been credited with turning it into the massive, iconic brand…
In episode 179 of Total Retail Talks, Shelagh Stoneham, senior vice president of marketing, Chico's, reviews the women's apparel and accessories brand's #HowBoldAreYou social campaign, aimed at celebrating women's uniqueness and authenticity, and not just their ages. Stoneham offers insights into the customer feedback that Chico's has gotten from the campaign, as well as the…
Signet Jewelers, the owner of the Kay Jewelers, Zales and Jared chains, reported weak holiday sales and hinted that it will speed up store closings. Sales at stores open for at least 12 months fell 1.3 percent in the nine weeks ended Jan. 5. Signet pointed to “reduced traffic during key December gifting weeks.” Its higher…
In a wide-ranging discussion this week at the National Retail Federation’s Big Show in New York City, Marvin Ellison, president and CEO of Lowe’s, offered insights into his plans for rebuilding the home improvement retailer, shared advice for the next generation of retail leaders in the audience, and reflected on how retail has changed his…
In an interview yesterday at the National Retail Federation's Big Show in New York City, Aaron Sanandres, co-founder and CEO of UNTUCKit, a men's apparel retailer, discussed how a new omnichannel platform is empowering the company's store associates with valuable customer data that they're using to better connect customers' online and offline shopping experiences.
In a keynote presentation and interview at the National Retail Federation (NRF) Big Show in New York City, Target Corp. Chairman and CEO Brian Cornell detailed how the general merchandise retailer has followed a plan of reinvesting in the business, from people to technology to product, and the benefits it’s now realizing as a result.…
Children's clothing retailer Gymboree Group is expected to file for bankruptcy protection as soon as this week, in what would be its second bankruptcy filing in less than two years, a person familiar with the situation told CNBC. As part of the bankruptcy process, the company expects to close much of the roughly 900 stores…
In episode 178 of Total Retail Talks, Chris Brigham, director of omnichannel, and Michael Wheeler, omnichannel sales analyst, both of City Gear, discuss the urban footwear and apparel retailer's use of its mobile app to generate customer loyalty. In addition, Brigham and Wheeler share how City Gear's use of mobile push notifications has helped to drive…
Fort Myers, Fla.-based women's retailer Chico's FAS has announced plans to close at least 250 stores and to expand a review of its operations. In a news release, the company said the strategic initiatives are designed to "build on the company's omnichannel platform" and ensure it has "the agility, customer service and speed needed for long-term success…
Retailers are looking for ways to improve their customers‘ experiences across all channels in which they interact with their brands, and they're turning to technology solutions to help them do so. This was a key finding from Total Retail's 2018-2019 Retail Technology Report, which provides data and analysis on retailers current usage of technology, as…
Sears Holdings has rejected Chairman Eddie Lampert’s bid to save the 126-year-old company, setting the storied retailer with more than 50,000 employees on a path to liquidation, people familiar with the situation told CNBC on Tuesday. Sears, which also owns Kmart, planned to announce its liquidation plans Tuesday morning, the people said. Lampert had put forward…
In episode 177 of Total Retail Talks, recorded at the 2018 Shop.org conference in Las Vegas, Bai Gan, chief product officer at Zenni Optical, an online eyewear retailer, discusses the brand's growth from humble beginnings (i.e., selling products out of the founder's garage) into a leading seller of prescription glasses and sunglasses. Zenni Optical currently owns…
Sears Chairman Eddie Lampert has offered two options to try to keep the company afloat, a $4.4 billion plan that would save 425 locations, and a less-ambitious proposal that would keep at least 250 of the little under 700 stores the retailer had when it filed for bankruptcy in October. The primary bid, made through…
Gymboree is shopping for a bankruptcy loan as it prepares for a second chapter 11 filing in less than two years. The bankruptcy filing, which could come as early January, would allow the struggling children’s apparel retailer to close most of its stores, the people said. However, the company is seeking a bankruptcy loan that…
