A Toy Story of Resilience
Unlike many of the “walking dead” retail brands that went out of business but have hung on in a virtual state, TRU is aggressively opening stores and pursuing retail partnerships. Its owner WHP, is not playing around.
The Latest Retail Industry Insights and Analysis
Who’s Right About Walmart’s Pricing?
After I listened to NPR’s Life Kit broadcast, I drove to Burbank over the weekend to see for myself, and
Celebrity Fast Food Frenzy
As celebrity merchandise gets increasingly extravagant (see Beyoncé’s $900 empty box), a new kind of endorsed merchandise is on the
Walmart Makes a Fashion-Forward Play
Walmart and Macy’s are inching upward into fashion-forward style, and iconic couture designers are spreading a version of their vision
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Retail Unwrapped
Our weekly podcast with Shelley E. Kohan, & guests. Available on your favorite podcast platforms.
Experience
Walmart Makes a Fashion-Forward Play
Walmart and Macy’s are inching upward into fashion-forward style, and iconic couture designers are spreading a version of their vision
TJ/TK Maxx: Addicted to the Treasure Hunt
Savvy retailers enhance value through the treasure-hunt experience with a self-rewarding customer journey. The formula can be replicated across other
Patagonia: The Robin Report Retail Hit of the Week, 9. 26. 26
Unlike a certain President of the United States who offered a bordering-on-bribery $5,000 to anyone who voted Republican in the
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Opinion
What Now? What to Do
Tariff-driven cost inflation is likely here to stay, and now, with an ongoing Iranian war, potentially explosive expense inflation is
Tariff Chaos and the Widening Gyre
How does a business leader who may have just breathed a sigh of post-Covid-19 relief in early 2026, only to
What Now? What to Do
Tariff-driven cost inflation is likely here to stay, and now, with an ongoing Iranian war, potentially explosive expense inflation is
Tariff Chaos and the Widening Gyre
How does a business leader who may have just breathed a sigh of post-Covid-19 relief in early 2026, only to
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The Retail Unwrapped Podcast
Retail insights on-the-go, with Shelley E. Kohan. Available on your favorite podcast platforms.
From Our Partners
Placer’s 10 Brands to Watch + 3 Surprises
Check out Placer.ai’s latest enlightening report on the 10 Top Brands to Watch in 2025 when it comes to retail
How LoveShackFancy and WeWoreWhat Are Crushing Consumer Engagement
Watch and learn LoveShackFancy and WeWoreWhat are building engagement and social media strategies that matter to today’s younger consumer.
Technology
Spatial Intelligence: Unlocking the Store
By transforming the physical store from a black box into a source of real-time intelligence, spatial intelligence provides retailers with
AI and the Extinction of Retail
The creators of AI are sounding the alarm. No regulatory cavalry is riding over the hill to insulate your business
What’s Going On in All Those AI Factories Centers?
You may already know this, you possibly don’t want to know this, but you definitely need to know this. Tokens
Management
Old Navy Is Caught In a Doom Loop
Old Navy’s move into beauty isn’t reinvention — it’s dilution. A mature brand adding tangential categories without fixing its core
J. Peterman: The Most Famous Fictional Retailer in America
The famed mail-order catalog was a better TV plotline than a retailer, and it appears to have made its last
Operations
Caraway: The Robin Report Retail Miss of the Week: 10. 3. 26
At first, one might think that this DTC cookware company, being sued by two of the biggest players in the
Retail Is a Permission Game
Studies of decluttering, time poverty, and “de-influencing” all suggest consumers want less. The marketplace tells a more complicated story. Consumers
Sweden Is a Beacon for Modern Retail
If you thought Sweden was a conservative nation devoted to wellbeing and simple style, keep your eye on developments here