In this week’s Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Joe Keenan and Kristina Stidham discuss the challenge brick-and-mortar retailers face in getting customers to come back to their stores to shop again. Specifically, they analyze a recent article published on myTotalRetail.com, The 4 Reasons Shoppers Don’t Come Back to Stores, which was authored by Tom Buiocchi, president…
Health and wellness retailer GNC plans to close up to 900 stores, with big cuts to mall locations expected. Officials with the Pittsburgh-based chain spoke of their continued "store optimization effort" during GNC's second-quarter earnings call with analysts Monday. In the first six months of 2019, GNC records show 192 company-owned and franchise locations have…
In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Joe Keenan and Kristina Stidham discuss the top trends driving experiential retail, as written in a recent article published on Total Retail by author Martin Kurpiel, senior vice president of technology solutions and IT at Valid. They focus on how experiential retail could impact businesses’ brick-and-mortar strategies going…
Fashion accessory retailer Charming Charlie will close all of its stores after going bankrupt for the second time in less than two years. The company filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware with plans to close all of its 261 stores in 38 states, according to court documents via Bloomberg News. The chain expects the liquidation to take about…
There has been a significant shift in what consumers expect from their in-store experiences. Retailers are working harder than ever to deliver a seamless shopping journey for their customers to cater to this change and come out as a winner in a competitive landscape. Only those that transform their stores for innovation will continue to…
While attending the IRCE at RetailX conference in Chicago, Total Retail's Melissa Campanelli interviewed John Kennelly, general manager of partnerships at b8ta, a retail-as-a-service company. Kennelly discusses b8ta's 17 stores across the U.S., where online and direct-to-consumer brands can showcase products, and how the brand partners with retailers to help them reinvent their stores and business models though…
Tamara Pattison, chief marketing and information officer at BevMo!, a leading alcoholic specialty beverage retailer, recently spoke with Total Retail regarding the company's mobile app strategy as well as its focus on omnichannel. Here's the exclusive interview: Total Retail: Tell us about BevMo!…
The ongoing saga around Bed Bath & Beyond continues to send ripples throughout the retail industry. Once the pre-eminent home goods brand, Bed Bath & Beyond is in the midst of massive upheaval as it struggles to cope with the pressure it's facing from discounters and online pure-play brands, particularly when it comes to pricing.…
Sixty-eight retailers have filed for bankruptcy since 2015. Analysts say up to 12,000 stores could close in 2019. Alarmists are calling it the "retail apocalypse." However, at the same time, there’s a modern retail renaissance happening. Incumbents like Dollar Tree, T.J.Maxx, lululemon, Madewell, and Ulta are opening more stores. Digital brands like Away and Casper…
“How do I keep people coming in the door when my customer’s next purchase can be done anytime, anywhere?” This is the question that’s been on nearly every brick-and-mortar retailer’s mind for years. The emergence of experiential retail has been a saving grace keeping physical stores alive — even if they look and feel different…
