Public Relations
February 16, 2018 at 10:24 am
In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Joe Keenan and Caitlin Sullivan discuss L.L.Bean's decision to change its famously generous return policy, the implications it may have on the brand, and what it means for its competitors.
January 24, 2018 at 12:07 pm
Starbucks announced today that it will use some of the savings from the new U.S. corporate tax cuts to give domestic employees pay raises, company stock and expanded benefits with a combined worth of more than $250 million for more than 150,000 employees. More specifically, Starbucks’ plan will include the following: In April, all eligible U.S. hourly…
January 18, 2018 at 1:56 pm
Amazon.com has released a "short" list of cities it's considering for its second headquarters. The 20 potential cities include Atlanta; Austin; Boston; Chicago; Columbus, Ohio; Dallas; Denver; Indianapolis; Los Angeles; Miami; Montgomery County in Maryland; Nashville; Newark; New York City; Northern Virginia; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Raleigh; Toronto; and Washington D.C. Last year, Amazon received bids from 238…
January 10, 2018 at 12:29 pm
A new magazine ad from Ikea is generating a lot of attention. Award-winning Swedish advertising agency Akestam Holst created an ad for the furniture giant that doubles as a pregnancy test, Adweek reported Wednesday. The ad encourages women to dab urine on a modified pregnancy test strip included at the bottom of the magazine ad and wait a…
January 9, 2018 at 12:43 pm
H&M apologized on Monday for an image appearing in its website that showed a black child model wearing a hooded sweatshirt that said “coolest monkey in the jungle.” The company removed the image on Monday and said it would also pull the shirt from its stores worldwide. The image was widely criticized online for its reference…
December 19, 2017 at 10:17 am
Female workers bore the brunt of job losses in the retail industry over the last year. As the retail industry grappled with store closings and bankruptcy filings, it lost 54,300 jobs from October 2016 to October 2017. During that time, women lost 160,300 retail jobs, while men actually gained 106,000 jobs, according to the Institute for…
December 15, 2017 at 12:16 pm
This week, Gander Mountain emerged from bankruptcy protection and reopened stores with a new name: Gander Outdoors. The outdoor apparel and product company was purchased by Camping World Holdings, an Illinois-based network of RV-centric retail locations, in April. Now under new ownership, the newly minted Gander Outdoors is on track to open 55 to 65…
December 7, 2017 at 1:58 pm
Most retailers consider Black Friday weekend to be one of the largest events of the holiday season. In the mix of all the deals for early-bird sales and cyber week extravaganzas, sometimes Giving Tuesday (along with the holiday spirit) gets lost in the shopping frenzy. However, 2017 proved to be the year Giving Tuesday went…
December 7, 2017 at 12:52 pm
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is taking the "Stores" out of its name. MarketWatch reports the big-box retailer will shorten its legal name to Walmart Inc. The move highlights Wal-Mart's message that it is more than just large storefronts, while also showing a commitment to its digital business. “While our legal name is used in a limited…
December 6, 2017 at 11:55 am
Anyone who visited Patagonia’s website on Monday night intent on searching for some holiday gifts was in for a surprise. Replacing the usual shopping choices were giant white letters on a black background offering a stark message: “The President Stole Your Land.” The message continued in smaller letters: “In an illegal move, the president just reduced…
