Leaving behind its big-box roots, Petco is opening a new kind of retail store where animal-friendly amenities such as dog baths, play yards and treats fit for humans are meant to win over picky pet owners who would otherwise snub the mainstream brand. Called PetCoach, the pilot store in northern San Diego County — unveiled this…
Joe Keenan
Amazon.com suffered glitches at the start of Prime Day on Monday, slowing sales on the e-tailer's biggest shopping day of the year. Amazon's annual shopping holiday kicked off at 3 pm E.T. and runs for 36 hours, the longest Prime Day yet. Shoppers reported several errors on both the desktop site and the mobile app. Amazon didn't…
In episode 154 of Total Retail Talks, Joe Alexander, founder and CEO of Nest Bedding, discusses how the mattress and bedding company is humanizing the in-store shopping experience, and why the strategy is paying dividends. In addition, Alexander offers advice for other retailers that are looking to create a differentiated in-store shopping experience for their…
With 3,000 points of sale in over 100 countries around the world, ALDO Group, a designer, manufacturer and retailer of footwear and accessories, sought a solution to help it better optimize its inventory across its online and offline sales channels. After a thorough vetting process, ALDO announced that it was partnering with Celect, a predictive…
Build-A-Bear Workshop halted its first-ever "Pay Your Age" sale on Thursday after chaos and long lines took over stores throughout the U.S. The discount let customers purchase a stuffed animal according to how old the child is. Build-A-Bear dubbed it as its "biggest in-store deal ever." The company's website says it couldn't allow additional people at…
How does where you work and live impact how much money you make? This is just one of many questions that Total Retail's 2018 Salary Benchmark Report provided answers to. The report was based on a survey sent to Total Retail's audience. Retail executives’ salaries appear to be adjusted for the cost of living in…
Nordstrom is preparing to open more smaller stores with no inventory. The company said Monday, ahead of its investor meeting in West Hollywood, California, that it will open at least two more Nordstrom Local shops in Los Angeles, and is eyeing New York for expansion. In last year's fourth quarter, Nordstrom opened its first Nordstrom Local…
In episode 153 of Total Retail Talks, Adam Lynch, co-founder and chief operating officer of Marine Layer, discusses the San Francisco-based apparel brand's growth from an online startup into an omnichannel retailer. Lynch details how Marine Layer is trying to differentiate itself in the crowded apparel space through unique and quality product, engaging in-store shopping…
After appointing a CEO for its healthcare joint venture with Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan last month, Amazon.com announced an acquisition that underscores how it also hopes to have a more direct — and more commercial — role in the world of healthcare in the coming years. Amazon has purchased PillPack, an online pharmacy the lets users buy…
In episode 152 of Total Retail Talks, Stephen Kuhl, co-founder and CEO of Burrow, discusses the startup furniture brand's approach to disrupting the traditional retail furniture business. Kuhl addresses how Burrow is differentiating itself in the increasingly crowded online category, why he believes the future of the furniture industry is direct to consumer, his top…
Adidas has warned millions of U.S. customers of a potential data breach. The athletic wear company announced in a press release on Thursday that an “unauthorized party” claims to have acquired customer data from its U.S. website. According to a preliminary investigation conducted by outside data security firms and law enforcement, the leaked data is believed…
Party City will open about 50 Toy City pop-up stores this year as Toys"R"Us finishes closing its last stores this week following its September bankruptcy. Party City said yesterday it will roll out the temporary locations alongside its Halloween City pop-up shops in "optimal" markets where it found "attractive leasing opportunities." Many retailers have been able…
Total Retail recently released its 2018 Salary Benchmark Report, which offers retail employees and employers a comprehensive look into salary trends within the industry. A survey sent to Total Retail's audience yielded some interesting data regarding the salaries and financial benefits of today's retail executives, perhaps none more so than the difference in total compensation…
The Supreme Court handed American Express a win Monday in a lawsuit over rules it imposes on merchants that accept its cards. Under their contracts, merchants which accept American Express generally can’t encourage customers to use other credit cards, even though they charge merchants lower fees. The federal government and a group of states sued over…
Pet Supplies Plus opened 33 new franchise stores and 12 new corporate stores in 2017, with plans to add 50 new store this year. In episode 151 of Total Retail Talks, Chris Rowland, CEO of Pet Supplies Plus, details the brand's brick-and-mortar growth strategy. In addition, Rowland addresses Pet Supplies Plus’ approach to integrating its digital and physical businesses on a local level.
