Next Time You Go Somewhere, Drive A Lexus (Or Any Toyota) To Ace Hardware

Put people first. Refer to car buyers as people and treat them as guests? I don’t get it. I don’t get it because I don’t own a Lexus or Toyota. A Company with A Conscience and A Big Wrench As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Toyota Motor North America, Inc. continues to assist those […]

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“Main Street” Retailers Rely on the Local Community for Support in Every Way

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, San Francisco and other cities have asked people to only leave their homes for essential goods like food and medicine. Of course, the essential goods can only be made, packaged, delivered to the store, and sold in the store, when thousands of people who do this work leave their […]

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Corporate America’s Leaders Get Crash Course in Crisis Communications

Crisis management and crisis communications are not disciplines that you want to learn on the job. Yet, on the job in the midst of a crisis is exactly where and when you will learn them. Some CEOs will blunder during this time of disease and turmoil. Others will excel, along with their brands. John Mackey, […]

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American Shoppers Can’t Drive the Economy When They’re Afraid to Leave Home

SXSW is canceled and cash refunds are not available. NBA games are canceled. March Madness is canceled. St. Patrick’s Day parades are canceled. In-person classes at hundreds of universities across the country are canceled. No more than 250 people can lawfully gather in public. Hotel and airline bookings are spiraling down and down. The stock […]

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Snarky Wendy Gets Egg McMuffined

Social media marketing is for grown-ups. Naturally, adults come in all ages, because adulthood is about exercising emotional maturity, not about circles around the sun. Case in point, Wendy’s social media team decided to support its own product launches (Wendy’s has launched a Breakfast Baconator, a Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit, and a Maple Bacon Chicken […]

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NFL Teams With H&M to Offer Branded Gear Outside of the US

Swedish fast-fashion giant H&M is partnering with the National Football League to offer branded gear to customers beyond American fans, according to the retailer. “H&M is extremely excited to offer fans outside the U.S. the opportunity to purchase NFL-licensed products,” an H&M spokesperson said. On H&M’s website, a variety of men’s jackets, T-shirts and sweatshirts…

P&G’s First Acquisition of 2020 Is a DTC Shaving Brand for Women

The new year is only nine days old, and P&G has already made a major acquisition. The CPG giant has acquired Billie, a direct-to-consumer women’s shaving brand, for an undisclosed amount. Billie launched in November 2017 and had raised $35 million to date, with a Series A round in January 2019 of $25 million led…

Early Results From Macy’s, L Brands Indicate a Less Than Happy Holidays

It’s a little more than a week into January, and already retailers are revealing results for the holiday shopping season that are mediocre at best. Notably, department store banner Macy’s and retail group L Brands both reported declines in comparable store sales for November and December. Macy’s said its comparable store sales for the two…

PVH to Sell Speedo to Pentland Group for $170 Million

Apparel conglomerate PVH agreed to sell the perpetual license it holds for the Speedo brand in North America and the Caribbean to Pentland Group for $170 million, according to an announcement today. Pentland was already the parent of Speedo International, which it acquired in 1991, and owns the swimwear brand’s intellectual property. PVH, as the…

Lululemon Names Nikki Neuberger Chief Brand Officer

Lululemon Athletica has named Nikki Neuburger its chief brand officer, a role she will begin effective Jan. 20, the company announced today. In the newly created role, Neuburger will lead the retailer’s marketing, creative, communication and sustainability efforts, and will report to CEO Calvin McDonald. Neuburger joins Lululemon from Uber, where she served as global…

A Vitamin Brand’s Itty Bitty Billboards Want You to ‘Start Small’ With Healthier Living

Go ahead and make those sweeping resolutions for 2020, like hitting the gym in beast mode seven days a week and going cold turkey on the drive-through. It’s good to have goals. But the Ritual vitamin brand has two words for those of us who may be over-eager–and guilt-ridden–this time of year: Baby. Steps. Execs…

Hinge’s New Online Shop Celebrates Dating App’s Sacrificial Mascot

Hinge is inviting fans to destroy Hingie, the brand’s mascot that dramatically dies when users find a match, in the comfort of their own homes. The dating app has launched an online merchandise store called The Hingie Shop, featuring products that are an extension of the brand’s ongoing “Designed to Be Deleted” messaging. The international…

Yum Brands Enters Fast-Casual Category With Purchase of The Habit Burger Grill

Yum Brands is adding burgers to its menu with an agreement to acquire the operator of fast-casual restaurant chain The Habit Burger Grill for $14 per share or $375 million in cash, according to an announcement by the two companies on Monday. The Habit Burger Grill is the first foray into the fast-casual category for…

Kylie Cosmetics Names Beauty Industry Veteran as CEO

Cosmetics conglomerate Coty and reality TV star Kylie Jenner named Christoph Honnefelder as Kylie Cosmetics and Kylie Skin’s new CEO, the brand announced today. Coty also confirmed the completion of its purchase of a 51% stake in Kylie Cosmetics for $600 million. The sale, which values Kylie Cosmetics at nearly $1.2 billion, was announced in…

With Restructuring, Toms Shoes Suffers Fate Common to Mall-Based Retailers

Philanthropic brand Toms Shoes proved as vulnerable to the retail apocalypse as any legacy mall-based brand, agreeing to an out-of-court restructuring more than a week ago. Toms Shoes was saddled with a roughly $300 million loan due in 2020, according to credit rating agency Moody’s Investors Service. That debt was acquired when founder Blake Mycoskie…

SmileDirectClub Expands Its Product Line With Walmart Partnership

SmileDirectClub, which went public in September 2019, is expanding beyond its most famous product of teeth aligners. The direct-to-consumer brand is debuting an oral care line that includes an electric toothbrush, toothpastes, a water flosser and more at over 3,800 Walmart stores and on walmart.com. It’s yet another move by SmileDirectClub to expand its retail…

Saks Fifth Avenue Parent Company Hudson’s Bay Agrees to Take-Private Offer

Richard Baker, the chairman of Hudson’s Bay Company, hopes to succeed where others have largely failed in recent years by taking a retailer private–in this case a department store operator–even as the broader category continues to struggle. The parent of luxury retailer Saks Fifth Avenue agreed to be taken private for 11 Canadian dollars ($8.48)…

John Wanamaker’s Cutting Comments Continue To Slice

At the end of the 19th century, a prominent client lacked faith in his advertising investment. “I know half the money I spend on advertising is wasted, but I can never find out which half,” said John Wanamaker. John Wanamaker opened and operated the first department store in Philadelphia. Wanamaker also created the first price […]

How the Boston Seaport Became a Hotbed for DTC Brands

A city known for its sports dynasties, baked beans and place in American history, Boston is becoming a testing ground for direct-to-consumer retailers. The revitalized seaport is attracting companies looking to target a different kind of consumer, one that may park their electric vehicles in a certain kind of yard. With daily average visits of…

Despite Uptick in Holiday Sales, Don’t Expect Retail Bankruptcies to Subside

Despite an uptick in retail sales during the 2019 holiday shopping season, don’t expect the financial pressure on troubled retailers to subside in 2020, according to retail analysts at credit rating agency Moody’s Investors Service. “Between Black Friday and Christmas, it has been a large ongoing sale,” said Raya Sokolyanska, a vice president and retail…