The first Amazon Style store, located in the Los Angeles suburb of Glendale, California, will open its doors later this year, the company announced Thursday. The store will feature women’s and men’s apparel, shoes, and accessories from a mix of well-known and emerging brands, with prices catering to a wide range of shoppers. At roughly 30,000 square…
Joe Keenan
During a keynote session yesterday at the National Retail Federation (NRF) Big Show in New York City, Elizabeth Spaulding, CEO of Stitch Fix, discussed how the styling service for women, men and kid's is evolving from its "Fix" box business into a personalized online shopping destination. Spaulding was interviewed by Lauren Thomas, retail reporter at CNBC. The…
In a conversation with National Retail Federation (NRF) President and CEO Matthew Shay at the trade association's Big Show in New York City yesterday, Corie Barry, CEO of Best Buy, detailed five areas the consumer electronics retailer is investing time and resources to help it take friction out of the customer experience. Safety matters, and…
In episode 332 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Kelly Mahoney, vice president of customer marketing at Ulta Beauty, a leading cosmetics, fragrance, skincare and beauty gifts retailer. Mahoney discusses Ulta Beauty's Ultamate Rewards loyalty program, what she attributes the recent growth of the program to, and the engagement metrics the beauty retailer…
The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked the Biden administration from enforcing its sweeping vaccine-or-test requirements for large private companies, but allowed a vaccine mandate to stand for medical facilities that take Medicare or Medicaid payments. The rulings came three days after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) emergency measure for businesses started to take effect. The…
In this episode of Total Retail Tech Insights, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Omar Akilah, corporate vice president of commerce products, and Eugene Amigud, corporate vice president of commerce at Blue Yonder, the world leader in digital supply chain and omnichannel commerce fulfillment. Akilah and Amigud discuss their professional backgrounds and current roles, how Blue Yonder helps…
In episode 331 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Justin Baer, founder of Collars & Co., a direct-to-consumer (D-to-C) brand that’s flipping the switch on elevated dresswear with a comfortable twist. Listen in as Baer discusses his entrepreneurial background, the inspiration behind Collars & Co. shirts' unique design, and and rapid growth of…
Office Depot executed on a long-expected plan to sell its CompuCom Systems subsidiary in a deal worth up to $305 million, and in the process made itself a more attractive acquisition target for rival Staples. On Friday, Office Depot unveiled the sale of CompuCom Systems integration business to an affiliate of Variant Equity Advisors, a…
In episode 330 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Cara Pratt, senior vice president of Kroger Precision Marketing (KPM) at 84.51°, the retail data science, insights and media subsidiary of the Kroger company. Listen in as Pratt discusses the business and her role at the company, the genesis of Kroger's new programmatic advertising marketplace,…
In episode 329 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Tom Ripley, chairman and CEO of Lids, the largest licensed sports retailer in North America, selling fan and fashion-oriented headwear and apparel across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. Ripley discusses his professional background, Lids' partnership with the National Hockey League (NHL) to open…
In an effort to get more of its workers vaccinated against COVID-19, Kroger will eliminate paid pandemic-related leave and charge $50 per month to employees that haven't gotten shots. Kroger stopped short of mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for workers, but said it's "modifying policies to encourage safe behaviors including vaccination." Company officials added the grocer will also…
In this episode of Total Retail Tech Insights, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Juliana Prather, chief marketing officer of EDITED, the leader in retail intelligence, market strategy and enterprise data. Listen in as Prather discusses her professional background in retail, how EDITED works with retailers, and her take on the current supply chain environment for brands and…
In episode 328 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Melissa Gonzalez, founder and CEO of The Lionesque Group, an experiential retail firm, as well as a principal and shareholder in global architecture firm MG2. Listen in as Gonzalez discusses the presentation she gave at CRMC 2021 focused on brick-and-mortar stores as a point…
In a letter to Congressional leadership, 20 CEOs of leading retailers expressed urgent concern over the growing impact of organized retail crime on retail employees and communities across the U.S. The signatories representing apparel, electronics, health and beauty, home improvement, and general merchandise sectors implore lawmakers to pass the INFORM Consumers Act, legislation that will…
In this episode of Total Retail Tech Insights, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Eric Best, co-founder and CEO of SoundCommerce, the end-to-end data platform for retail brands. Best discusses his career background in e-commerce that led him to start SoundCommerce, how the technology platform can help retailers, and why the decrease in brand loyalty and increase…
