Leadership

How to Nurture Personal Conversations During Stressful Times
October 14, 2020 at 1:07 pm

The importance of listening to her employees and having open and honest communication with them, especially during the current COVID-19 pandemic, was a key topic discussed by Christina Callas, executive vice president and chief digital officer of Total Wine & More, during a conversation with Sonia Lapinsky, managing director of AlixPartners, during the September installment of the Women in Retail and Total Retail Virtual Exchange.

Synchrony: Leading With Empathy
October 12, 2020 at 12:18 pm

Paula Clayton, senior vice president and Lowe’s general manager for Synchrony, and Jennifer DiPasquale, president and co-founder of Women in Retail Leadership Circle and Total Retail, have a candid conversation around the transformative year 2020 has been. This interview took place during Women in Retail Leadership Days, a one-of-a-kind virtual event designed specifically for women leaders…

Innovative Culture Propels Chewy to Record YoY Sales
October 6, 2020 at 7:51 pm

As noted in last week's article announcing the release of the latest installment of the Top 100 Fastest-Growing Retailers, Chewy was at the top of the rankings, posting a 37.19 percent increase in year-over-year (YoY) sales for its 2019 fiscal year. For the annual report, Total Retail conducted a YoY comparison of 2019 fiscal year net…

NRF Cautiously Optimistic in Holiday Retail Sales Forecast
October 5, 2020 at 7:22 pm

Consumer spending has recovered from the coronavirus pandemic more quickly than expected, but forecasting 2020 holiday sales is like assembling a jigsaw puzzle without all the pieces, National Retail Federation (NRF) Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said in a press release from the trade association. “I'm cautiously optimistic about the fourth quarter in terms of the…

Newell Brands' CEO on the Essential Traits of a Strong Leader
October 1, 2020 at 6:26 pm

During the September Women in Retail and Total Retail Virtual Exchange, Ravi Saligram, CEO of Newell Brands, a leading consumer products company featuring brands such as Rubbermaid, Coleman, Sharpie, and many others, was interviewed by Joe Keenan, editor-in-chief of Total Retail. The two discussed everything from how Saligram is trying to build the right corporate culture at…

Kelly Cook's 5 Keys to Leadership Success
September 23, 2020 at 6:05 pm

Setting up a clear vision (and then getting out of the way), listening to your team members and customers, creating a safe environment for experimenting with ideas, surrounding yourself with high-performing talent, and feeding and nourishing that talent are the key leadership success drivers for Kelly Cook, chief marketing and IT officer at David’s Bridal.

In a Post-COVID-19 World, CEOs Should Model This Attribute
September 23, 2020 at 5:13 pm

For several years, we've been studying how leaders can be resilient in the face of disruption. Based on our research and interviews with CEOs, we identified five characteristics that are likely to enhance their ability to navigate through disruptive times. We first reported on these themes in our 2017 article, "Can CEOs Be Un-Disruptable?," and…

Why You Can't Miss Our September Virtual Exchange
September 17, 2020 at 7:05 pm

In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Ashley Chiaradio and Joe Keenan discuss the upcoming Women in Retail and Total Retail Virtual Exchange, which is taking place on Wed., Sept. 23. Women in Retail and Total Retail Virtual Exchanges are live virtual events that feature interviews with leading retail executives on a variety…

Amy Errett on How Madison Reed Pivoted During the Pandemic
September 16, 2020 at 5:04 pm

During the August Women in Retail and Total Retail Virtual Exchange, Amy Errett, CEO and founder of Madison Reed, an omnichannel beauty brand that's challenging industry titans in the hair color space, participated in a virtual discussion with Jennifer DiPasquale, co-founder and president of the Women in Retail Leadership Circle.

Target Pledges to Increase Number of Black Employees by 20% Over 3 Years
September 14, 2020 at 9:21 pm

In conjunction with the release of a racial and gender breakdown of its team across all levels of the company, Target last week announced plans to increase representation of Black team members by 20 percent over the next three years by sharpening its focus on advancement, retention and hiring. Target said it has had diversity and inclusion…