In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Joe Keenan and Marie Albiges discuss the recently released 2025 Best Digital Gift Card Programs report, produced by NAPCO Research in conjunction with Blackhawk Network. This eighth annual report is the most comprehensive assessment of the digital gift card industry in the market. Keenan and Albiges…
Kristina Stidham
Skechers has agreed to be taken private by 3G Capital for $9.42 billion in the footwear industry's biggest buyout to date, reports Reuters. The popular shoe brand is exiting public markets after 26 years as it grapples with the impact of steep U.S. tariffs. Investment firm 3G Capital has offered $63 per Skechers share in…
President Donald Trump on Monday met with chief executives from three of the nation’s top retailers, who came to the White House to discuss how his sweeping tariff plans could impact their import-heavy business models, reports CNBC. Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, Target CEO Brian Cornell, and The Home Depot CEO Ted Decker were in attendance…
While attending Shoptalk 2025 in Las Vegas last month, Total Retail's Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan had the opportunity to interview Liz Roche, vice president of media and measurement at Albertsons Media Collective, the retail media arm for Albertsons Companies. In the wide-ranging conversation, Roche discusses the mission of Albertsons Media Collective, her role and career background,…
While attending Shoptalk 2025 in Las Vegas from March 25-27, Total Retail's Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan had the opportunity to interview Chris Carl, head of marketing, U.S. for AliExpress, an international B-to-C e-commerce platform under the Alibaba Group. Carl discusses his role in growing market share for Alibaba's consumer e-commerce business in the U.S., recent updates…
While attending Shoptalk 2025 in Las Vegas from March 25-27, Total Retail's Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan had the opportunity to interview Jon Blotner, president of commercial and operations at Wayfair, one of the world's largest home retailers. Blotner discusses the launch of the Wayfair Verified program, the process for identifying products as Wayfair Verified, and its…
In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Joe Keenan and Marie Albiges share their biggest takeaways from Shoptalk 2025, held from March 25-27 in Las Vegas. They detail the key industry trends discussed on stage at the event as well as the insightful conversations between women leaders at the Women in Retail Pavilion,…
While attending Shoptalk 2025 in Las Vegas from March 25-27, Total Retail's Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan had the opportunity to interview Emily Hosie, founder and CEO of REBEL, formerly REBELStork, a Certified B Corp and the leading tech-driven recommerce solution for returns and overstock in North America. Hosie provides an overview of the business, her career…
Clothing and accessories retailers across the United States are delaying orders and freezing hiring ahead of tariff hikes that take effect Wednesday on products imported from Vietnam and China, reports Reuters. These businesses, much like Nike and Lululemon, face an impossible choice: offset the cost of tariffs by raising prices by some 40 percent —…
While attending Shoptalk 2025 in Las Vegas from March 25-27, Total Retail's Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan had the opportunity to speak with Mark Barrocas, CEO of SharkNinja, a global product design and technology company with a diversified portfolio of five-star rated lifestyle solutions that positively impact people’s lives in homes around the world. Barrocas provides an…
Target salaried employees who are eligible for bonuses will only receive 87 percent of their potential bonus for fiscal year 2024 based on total-year financial performance, reports YahooFinance. That percentage is a considerable drop from FY 2023, when bonuses were paid at 100 percent. In earnings reported March 4 for FY 2024, Target announced that…
Forever 21's U.S. operating company on Sunday filed for bankruptcy for the second time in six years and said it would wind down its domestic operations, hurt by mounting online competition in the fast-fashion sector and weak mall traffic, reports Reuters. It blamed the situation on higher costs and companies taking advantage of duty-free treatment…
Ross Stores announced Monday it opened 16 Ross Dress for Less and three dd's Discounts stores in 14 states in March, reports USA TODAY. According to the discount retailer, these new locations are part of the company's plans to add approximately 90 new stores in 2025, made up of 80 Ross and 10 dd's Discounts…
As news of Forever 21 store closings trickle in across the country, the apparel retailer is set to lay off over 350 employees from its Los Angeles corporate office, which it also plans to close, reports USA TODAY. Layoffs are expected to begin on April 21, according to a Feb. 14-dated WARN notice, which is…
Fabrics retail chain Joann will shutter all of its approximately 800 locations after failing to find a buyer that would keep its stores open, reports CNBC. In January, the retailer filed for Chapter 11 protection for the second time in a year, saying that inventory shortages had forced it to back into bankruptcy. In a…
