Retail Stores

Walmart will remodel 200 of its Supercenters by the end of 2020 to encourage a more "digitally enabled shopping experience" featuring bolder signage, contactless checkout, and airport-inspired crowd management techniques, according to the company's Chief Customer Officer Janey Whiteside. The retail giant's remodeling project will expand to 1,000 stores by the end of 2021. The…

The outbreak of COVID-19 in February 2020 and subsequent government-mandated stay-at-home orders forced the closure of many brick-and-mortar retail stores for several months. However, as orders expired and government restrictions eased, retailers began reopening their stores with safety measures in place to inform and protect shoppers from contracting the coronavirus. How well are they doing…

Everyone is feeling the impact of COVID-19 on brick-and-mortar retail — from small businesses to goliaths like Neiman Marcus and J.C. Penney. Although storefronts are closing, this traditional channel is pivoting as brands look to do more with less by enhancing the retail experience across fewer, more targeted locations. Despite the news, consumers value brick-and-mortar…

Party City will open about 90 percent fewer Halloween pop-up stores than last year as the coronavirus pandemic makes many traditional Halloween celebrations scarier than usual. Earlier this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended avoiding door-to-door trick-or-treating and crowded indoor parties or haunted houses to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19. The retailer is…

COVID-19 has left an indelible mark on many sectors. Consumers are continuing to shift priorities and spending habits as they adjust to new realities. Across the country, children are back to school in many different forms. Back-to-school marks the second busiest season of the year for retailers; an event that's only superseded by the holidays.…

As 2020 unfolds and economies across the country reopen, two new constituencies will meet each other: the post-COVID brand and the post-COVID consumer. Coronavirus has changed what we buy and how we buy it, and for as much as a third of consumers that disruption will last for the foreseeable future. IAB analysis reveals a…

Christmas in July? Not quite, but since a sizable portion of shoppers plan far ahead for the holidays, now is the time to begin engaging them. We’ve identified four main types of holiday shoppers, based on data from Google and Cardlytics around timing and mind-set — two of which are historically on the lookout for holiday shopping…

We’ll address how, through proper communication and training, Sephora was able to set its employees up for success while reopening.

J.C. Penney reached an agreement yesterday to sell its retail business to mall operators Simon Property Group and Brookfield Property Partners, averting a total liquidation. Simon and Brookfield will pay about $300 million in cash and assume $500 million in debt to buy J.C. Penney, lawyers for the retailer said at a Bankruptcy Court hearing. The deal…

Just the other day, I took my son to the hardware store to pick up supplies for a project. We were both wearing masks, naturally. You can’t get into the store without one. As we browsed, you couldn’t help but feel a sense of comfort at all the visual cues for social distancing. At checkout,…