b8ta, the experiential retailer and pioneer of retail as a service (RaaS), is launching a new community-driven fashion and lifestyle retail concept focused on discovery and meaningful engagement. The store, called Forum, is opening in Los Angeles on Nov. 15, and will connect the modern consumer with forward-thinking brands that prioritize quality, design and sustainability.…
Barneys New York Inc’s flagship Madison Avenue outlet in Manhattan will remain open for at least another year, albeit in a slimmed-down form, while the buyer of the luxury retailer negotiates with the store’s landlord. A bankruptcy judge approved the sale of Barneys brands and other intellectual property to Authentic Brands, a firm that acquires and…
More often, a reliable employee who is always willing to go the extra mile, put in the extra hours, and take extra projects on starts slipping. Most often we think it’s a problem at home or outside the workplace. However, it could just be all the “extra” adding up to employee burnout, which was recently…
The shoe company Allbirds is continuing its brick-and mortar expansion with plans to open 20 more stores in 2020, CNBC reported. Tim Brown, co-founder and co-CEO, made the announcement earlier this week. Allbirds, which sells environmentally sustainable wool sneakers, started online only, but began opening stores in the last few years. Allbirds currently has 15…
In episode 219 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews Jason Schott, chief operating officer of Schott NYC, a manufacturer and retailer of premium outdoor clothing, including leather jackets, motorcycle apparel, and other clothing and accessories. Listen in as Schott discusses the brand's use of local social advertising to support its brick-and-mortar stores…
In 2018, specialty retail was under assault. This year, it’s taking up arms. Specialty retailers have improved fulfillment speed dramatically. Consider, a fifth of brands now offer free two-day shipping, and the number of brands offering next-day shipping has doubled. Recognizing that mobile accounts for 55 percent of online traffic, on average, in this sector,…
In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Joe Keenan and Kristina Stidham discuss the rebirth of Toys"R"Us, including the news earlier this month that its e-commerce website will be powered by Target. For the toy category, the re-emergence of Toys"R"Us, both online and offline, brings another competitor with a strong, iconic brand name…
The "gig economy" has taken the traditional hourly workforce by storm. 2019 has been a landmark year for the gig economy, with Lyft and Uber going public, and Postmates expected to do so in the near future. And with the number of gig workers forecast to keep growing, the traditional hourly workplace faces daunting competition…
While online shopping is growing in popularity, according to a 2018 NPR survey, 56 percent of consumers stated they appreciate the in-person experience over e-commerce. That means that today's in-person consumer is looking for a more bespoke buying experience, which puts pressure on brick-and-mortar retailers to provide the optimal in-store customer experience. This shift in…
It's an exciting time in retail, that's for sure. In fact, some might say it's never been easier to open a store (be gone retail apocalypse!). While at one point stores seemed like a thing of the past, the rise of the pop-up has dramatically shifted how the industry thinks about physical retail. Similar to…
