Retail insights at the intersection of now and next. Unfiltered. Unbiased
We’re taking a hard-boiled look at the billion-dollar fraud lurking behind wine labels, olive oil, honey and the scallop on your dinner plate. These are true crimes happening in the grocery industry, and the detective work is novel worthy.
Ryan Cohen always has big ideas. Some like Chewy.com, the successful pet products online retailer that he co-founded and eventually sold for $3.35 billion, turn out to be great ideas. And some, like his aborted takeover attempt of the original Bed Bath & Beyond, turn out to be big busts. Now Cohen has his biggest idea ever: GameStop, the gaming retailer he is CEO of, is trying to buy eBay, a company three times the size of his. To do so will take an enormous amount of financing (try $9.4 billion in cash and up to $20 billion in debt), which is often the kiss of death for any retail business. And eBay is no big Hit either this week; it has zigged and zagged its business strategy for decades with varying degrees of success. Same as Cohen, who has also played the meme-stock scam as well as anybody. He always aims high; it’s just that very often his aim is not very good.
Join Shelley and TRR contributors Arick Wierson and Pamela Danziger as they deconstruct the impact of the war and challenge the conventional wisdom driving luxury brand strategy.
Airports are growth retail markets for travelers of all ages. Purchasing decisions are increasingly emotional and experiential, and we shop and dine in blended, seamless ways where we live, work, play and travel. So, what does a future ready airport look like? Imagine landside and airside experiences that rival the best high streets, cultural institutions, and lifestyle centers.
Resort activations allow brands to test new markets and formats with limited capital commitment. And arguably more important, they allow them to reach consumers in a leisure mindset, open to inspiration, primed to share on social media and psychologically removed from the friction of everyday life.
Food rescue is the most underfunded climate and hunger solution on the planet. Grocers are finally waking up — but it’s going to take a lot more than trendy algorithms to bring retailers and consumers to their senses.
American Eagle was accused of promoting eugenics and then doubled down on its controversial spokesperson. Then it hired her opposite to represent its subsidiary. The 100% Aerie Real campaign begs the question, “How much research is the average consumer doing?” Only time will tell, but one thing is for certain: Consumers’ response to the Aerie Real campaign will be a case study in brand accountability and customer forgiveness.
Changing CEOs is always a tricky thing but in going with an insider—current SVP Jason Bonfig—to succeed Corie Barry, Best Buy has chosen the safest and probably least progressive choice possible.
Join Shelley, Roland Ehigiamusoe, Principal of Retail and Consumer Products + AI and Engineering and Saurabh Vijayvergia, Managing Director of Retail AI Strategy and Engineering at Deloitte Consulting, as they unwrap the future of the next level of customer engagement and operations through this structural change.
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