Here are the latest stories to emerge as retailers and brands deal with the impact that the global spread of the coronavirus has had on their businesses. This daily update offers retail executives the chance to stay-up-to-date on all that's happening within the retail industry, particularly as they put into motion their own COVID-19 response…
Joe Keenan
In episode 240 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Lexy Onofrio, vice president, brand marketing strategy and creative at Lane Bryant, a leading retailer of plus-sized clothing for women. Listen in as Onofrio discusses the brand's history and audience, as well as how Lane Bryant is improving its customers' in-store shopping experiences through…
In order to keep pace in a hypercompetitive retail environment, as well as meet the increasing demands of fickle and fragmented consumers, retailers and brands are looking to technology for help. This extends to all facets of their businesses, from consumer-facing brick-and-mortar stores and digital properties, to back-end systems and solutions that are powering marketing,…
Total Retail is continuing its daily coverage of the COVID-19 global pandemic, with a specific focus on how retailers and brands are responding to the crisis. One positive to emerge from this situation is the various ways retailers and brands are chipping in to help out those in their local communities as well as the…
Retail organizations began taking necessary steps in the last couple of weeks to protect their employees and customers from the growing spread of the coronavirus by closing their brick-and-mortar stores. Now certain retailers are taking the further step of closing their e-commerce sites as states' stay-at-home and shelter-in-place orders are preventing them from fulfilling online orders. For example,…
In episode 239 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Michael Markesbery, co-founder and CEO of OROS, a performance outerwear brand that features product inspired by NASA technology. In this wide-ranging interview, Markesbery discusses his inspiration for launching OROS, why product innovation is at the core of the brand's ethos, the digital-native company's decision…
Total Retail is continuing its daily coverage of the COVID-19 global pandemic, with a specific focus on how retailers and brands are responding to crisis. As many of our audience know all too well, the retail community is one of the sectors being hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic. As retailers try to figure out how…
Facebook announced a $100 million program to help small businesses as governments throughout the country urge local gyms and restaurants to close their doors to slow the spread of COVID-19. In a blog post announcing the grants, Facebook said, “We know that your business may be experiencing disruptions resulting from the global outbreak of COVID-19. We’ve heard…
In episode 238 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Gail Buffington, vice president of marketing and analytics at Soft Surroundings, a women's apparel, shoes and accessories retailer. Listen in as Buffington discusses Soft Surrounding's brand history as a cataloger, its expansion into brick-and-mortar retail, and her career at the company. She shares how Soft…
Neiman Marcus is largely getting out of the discount store business. The Dallas-based upscale department store chain announced on Wednesday that it was closing most of its 22 remaining Last Call discount stores, saying it preferred to focus on its high-end business. The closings will result in 500 jobs being eliminated by the end of…
In a world where retailers are taking the fight for market share online, Burlington Stores says it’s going to end its e-commerce operation and focus on growing its brick-and-mortar business. Burlington’s Chief Executive Michael O’Sullivan said on the company’s earnings call last week that e-commerce only accounts for 0.5 percent of sales, and the company’s efforts…
In episode 237 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Steven Borelli, founder and CEO, and Carter Shae, director of finance, both of Cuts Clothing, an online men's apparel brand that's the first to accessorize the basic tee. Listen in as Borelli and Shae share why Cuts Clothing was founded, the brand's history, and how…
Gap Inc. has tapped its Old Navy chief, Sonia Syngal, to be CEO, effective March 23, the company announced yesterday. Syngal has been leading Old Navy’s business since 2016, and has been with Gap Inc. since 2004. She will also be joining Gap’s board of directors later this month, the company said. The announcement comes…
Total Retail is conducting a brief survey as part of a larger research report to better understand retailers use of technology across their organizations, including their technology buying processes and current and future spending plans. If you haven’t done so already, kindly complete the survey by clicking here. The data compiled from this survey, which will remain anonymous and…
Walgreens announced on Friday that it inadvertently exposed personal messages stored on its messaging app due to an internal error. On Jan. 15, officials said they first discovered an error in Walgreens’ personal secure messaging features and launched an investigation. They found a data compromise, which allowed personal messages stored on its database to be viewable by other customers.…
