Corporate Responsibility Programs

In episode 320 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Christine Grasser, manager of corporate communications, giving and volunteerism, and Sam Di Scipio, vice president of corporate communications, giving and volunteerism at Macy's. Grasser and Di Scipio discuss Macy's recent partnership with the National Retail Federation Foundation's RISE Up training and credentialing program, and how the…

Ikea is piloting a furniture buyback and resale program in the United States as it aims to make the service a permanent fixture at its stores nationwide. The pilot program will be available at its store in the Philadelphia suburb of Conshohocken from Monday through Sept. 19. It will eventually roll out to additional markets. Loyalty…

Want to provide more value to customers? Retailers should consider, if they haven’t already, diversifying their supplier network, especially since today’s consumers increasingly purchase goods and services from ethically sourced local, small and minority-owned businesses. Working with a select group of familiar, reliable suppliers might be working well (why upset the apple cart?). However, expanding…

Various studies show there's an undoubtable uptrend around sustainable consumer products. What’s new is that increasing consumer demand is going beyond targeting only special interest categories, such as apparel or natural foods. Sustainable and responsible products are becoming the new norm. What happened? Retailers and brand managers can remember the circumstance as if it was…

In episode 295 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Stuart Landesberg, founder and CEO of Grove Collaborative, a leading sustainable CPG company and certified B Corp that creates innovative natural products and offers a curated selection of healthy home essentials. Listen in as Landesberg discusses the mission behind Grove Collaborative, his background that…

Walmart has increased the number of women and people of color in its officer roles in an effort to better reflect the country’s diversity among its top leadership. According to the retailer's annual diversity and inclusion report, which was published on Monday, Walmart’s representation of women and of people of color at the officer level…

lululemon athletica on Tuesday announced its first-ever recommerce program and will pilot a trade-in program in California and Texas next month, with plans to expand to an online resale program in June, reports CNBC. According to a company press release, lululemon Like New is a recommerce model for guests to rethink, revive and rediscover lululemon…

Target announced it will partner with more Black-owned companies, CNBC reported. The retail chain will also launch a program to identify and support rising minority entrepreneurs, and include products from more than 500 Black-owned brands on its shelves or website. All of these initiatives combined will leave Target spending more than $2 billion with Black-owned businesses…

In episode 292 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Kecia Steelman, chief store operations officer at Ulta Beauty, the largest U.S. beauty retailer for cosmetics, fragrance, skin care products, hair care products and salon services. Steelman discusses her recently announced transition to the chief operating officer position at Ulta Beauty and the company's…

Target announced today that it's contributing $1 million to local and national nonprofits offering access to free and discounted rides to coronavirus vaccination appointments through Lyft’s Universal Vaccine Access campaign. The campaign, which also features partnerships with JPMorgan Chase, Anthem Inc., and United Way, provides underserved communities access to rides to and from vaccination sites across the country. Target's…