REI is encouraging its employees to exercise their right to vote this November by delaying the opening of its stores by two hours on Election Day, reports Footwear News. On Nov. 8, every employee will receive paid time off as part of the outdoor retailer's Your Vote Can’t Wait campaign. REI has also created an election resource hub…
Kristina Stidham
In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Joe Keenan and Kristina Stidham discuss key learnings from this past July's Prime Day that can help brands maximize success during the iteration of the sale as well as the upcoming holiday shopping season. This topic was covered in Total Retail's recently published article, "Prime Day…
Activist investor Ancora Holdings is pushing Kohl’s to remove its chief executive and its chairman, reports CNBC. Ancora sent a letter to the board Thursday asking for the replacement of CEO Michelle Gass and Chairman Peter Boneparth. The firm, which has a 2.5 percent stake in Kohl’s, wants new leadership so the company can revamp…
Vera Bradley was ranked No. 1 on Forbes' 2022 America's Best Midsize Employers list. Daren Hull, president of Vera Bradley, recently spoke during the August Women in Retail and Total Retail Virtual Exchange on how the retailer creates an inclusive culture and became a top workplace for diversity. In this clip from his session, Hull shares three unique…
CVS Health has reached a deal to acquire in-home healthcare company Signify Health for about $8 billion, reports CNBC. CVS said it will pay $30.50 a share in cash for Signify, an acquisition that would enable the pharmacy chain to offer care to more customers in their homes. Signify offers patient care through virtual and in-person…
J.Jill has entered a new chapter in its brand evolution with the launch of its Welcome Everybody campaign, which includes an expanded product assortment. In this video interview, Total Retail's Joe Keenan speaks with Claire Spofford, CEO of J.Jill, about the brand's new initiative to provide one size-integrated shopping destination for all women with price parity across…
UPS announced last week its surcharges for the 2022 peak season, which will impact high-volume shippers expecting elevated home delivery demand during the holidays, reports Supply Chain Dive. Beginning Oct. 30, customers billed for more than 20,000 packages any week after October 2021 will see a “Peak/Demand Surcharge” applied to certain UPS Air Residential, Ground…
Back-to-school is upon us and with it comes a big business opportunity — not just for computers and supplies, but adaptive apparel as well. Schoolwear brand French Toast recently launched a new adaptive wear line, French Toast Adaptive, ahead of the back-to-school season. In this video interview, Alyson Shapero, vice president of brand, digital and wholesale…
Adidas AG’s supervisory board has initiated a CEO transition, the sports retailer announced Monday. Kasper Rorsted will hand over the CEO position next year, and the search for a successor has started. Rorsted, who has been CEO since 2016, and its supervisory board “mutually agreed” on the decision. He will remain CEO until a successor has…
Sweetwater, the world's leading online retailer of music technology and instruments, recently launched an e-commerce resale marketplace, Sweetwater Gear Exchange. In this video interview, Andy Rossi, vice president of Sweetwater Gear Exchange, discusses how this platform creates a new opportunity for musicians to buy and sell gently used gear in a safe and cost-effective way through a…
Nike is again closing its global offices to encourage employee well-being, reports FootwearNews. This will be the athletic wear brand's second annual “Well-Being Week,” continuing efforts to give its employees rest and recovery. In addition to closing its corporate and Air Manufacturing Innovation (Air MI) offices, the retailer will give its retail store and distribution center staff a week’s…
99 Cents Only Stores, the leading retailer of extreme value stores in the southwestern United States, is launching a new mobile app to meet the evolving needs of its customers with more personalized offers that increase savings. In this video interview, Mary Kellmanson, chief digital marketing officer at 99 Cents Only Stores, discusses how inflation is impacting customers…
Federal regulators have fined Family Dollar more than $1.2 million in penalties related to safety violations at two Ohio stores, the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Monday and CNBC reports. In January and February of this year, OSHA inspected Family Dollar stores in Columbus and Maple Heights and found blocked exits, unstable stacks…
Lowe’s is giving full-time workers in its stores the choice to schedule four-day work weeks. The home improvement retailer made the decision after its five-day schedule left many associates complaining about an inability to find a balance between their personal and work lives as a result of having very few consecutive days off, reports Retail…
Every organization should be on an ever-evolving environmental, social and governance (ESG) journey. In this video, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Kathleen Carroll, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Grainger, a leading business-to-business (B-to-B) broad line distributor. Carroll discusses Grainger's portfolio of environmentally preferable products (EPP), why the business focuses on environmental sustainability, and…
