There are few practitioners of collaborations more sagacious than fashion designer Todd Snyder, who has harnessed unique pairings to establish and grow his namesake label since founding it in 2011. In the decade since, the designer has continued to generously deploy the strategy, sometimes referred to as a mashup or product drops, teaming most recently…
Glossier was established in 2014 with a mission to democratize the beauty industry. At a time when top brands primarily parked themselves in elite department stores and lacked presence on social media, Glossier wanted to facilitate an online makeup economy. Now it’s 2021, and people want to do stuff in person again, so the digital-first…
Nearing the halfway mark this year, U.S. retail and food service sales have not only recovered, but are well above their 2019 levels, according to data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. As of the end of May, advance monthly retail and food service sales for the first five months of 2021 totaled an estimated…
Google wants its very first permanent physical retail space to be more than just a gadget store. The 5,000-square-foot flagship, which opens on June 17 in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, will feature elaborate demo stations, lounge-like areas for customers waiting on tech help and a central event space for panels, lessons and performances. The goal is…
CVS Health’s retail division, CVS Pharmacy, is updating its loyalty program’s core 2% cash-back feature for the first time in 20 years so benefits are disbursed immediately after each transaction, rather than on a quarterly basis. The upgrade to the pharmacy chain’s ExtraCare Rewards program applies to existing benefits, such as 2% back in so-called…
Get ready to start seeing more digital screens at your local drugstore or supermarket. Cooler Screens, a startup that replaces refrigerator and freezer doors with digital displays that showcase product inventory interspersed with ads, is officially moving beyond an initial debut in the Chicago area (as well as a few pilot locations in other cities)…
The Murray brothers’ ties to golf go back to their teenage years when they spent their summers as caddies at Indian Hill Club, a private golf course located in the suburbs of Chicago. It was those experiences that would see all six of them–Andy, Ed, Joel, John, Brian and golf brand William Murray’s namesake Bill–not…
Industrious fans of Schitt’s Creek have been cobbling together their own versions of the characters’ memorable outfits since the beloved series debuted in 2015. Soon they’ll have help in the form of officially licensed patterns and supplies from Lion Brand Yarn Company. It’s still a DIY undertaking, but it comes with instructions–and yes, of course,…
It could be a lyric from an Alanis Morissette song, depending how you define ironic these days. If office supply retailer Staples succeeds in its latest $1-billion bid to buy rival Office Depot’s consumer business, it may well be a merger that came a few years too late. “The space has been crushed by Walmart…
There are few retailers more beloved in the U.S. than Target, which gained some $9 billion in market share over the course of 2020. Entrusted with protecting that brand and its $90 billion business is Cara Sylvester, who was promoted to chief marketing and digital officer in February. “When I tell people I work at…
For retail, hell hath no fury like a pandemic. Nearly 15,000 stores–equal to about 52 million square feet of retail space–were permanently shuttered in the U.S. in 2020, according to real estate services provider Cushman & Wakefield. That’s a new record. Closures were led by retailers such as Ann Taylor’s parent Ascena, which filed for…
Home goods retailer Bed Bath & Beyond has introduced its latest private label brand, “Our Table,” a line of kitchen- and dinnerware. The line also includes cookware, bakeware, table linens, kitchen tools and kitchen linens. Prices range from $5 for a silicone whisk to $120 for a 10-piece stainless steel cookware set. In a statement,…
To satisfy pandemic-induced cravings for Butterbeer or to replace the broken wand that has left your life devoid of magic, Warner Bros. opened the doors to its first and only flagship Harry Potter store in New York City. To accommodate fans of the book series, theatrical play and movies, the location boasts three stories and…
A$AP Rocky is joining buy-now-pay-later platform Klarna as an investor and–for a one-day stunt at least–CEO. Top line The rapper and fashion devotee is spending his daylong stint at the company’s helm curating exclusive content for its shopping app with a focus on upcycling–or repurposing products in a way that creates an item of higher…
CVS Pharmacy is capitalizing on the trend towards private label by adding more than 150 new products under its in-house brands, including Live Better by CVS Health and two new labels: Fair Trade-certified coffee label Gold Emblem and men’s personal care line Goodline Grooming Co. “When most people think of a ‘store brand,’ they think…
Ikea is urging customers to consider more sustainable ways to live with a new campaign that features a robot inspired to save the planet. Created by the brand’s retained agency Mother, the “Change a Bit for Good” ad aims to challenge the perception that sustainable living is too complicated and expensive. In the ad, the…
Discount retailer Big Lots unveiled a new brand campaign today that invites consumers to “Be A BIGionaire.” It’s a new tagline that touts how hunting for the banner’s bargains makes customers “feel like a million bucks.” The campaign will launch in select markets on April 24 and then nationally on Memorial Day via television, video,…
Target is unveiling a new brand campaign today under the tagline “What we value most shouldn’t cost more.” The new tagline is a sentiment that perfectly aligns with the banner’s brand promise “Expect More. Pay Less,” Cara Sylvester said in her first interview since being named chief marketing and digital officer in February. Even more…
What a difference a year makes. Twelve months ago, following mass store closures across the U.S. during the pandemic, most of the chatter around retail was about who was filing–or likely to file–for bankruptcy. Soon thereafter, the acquisition of bankrupt U.S. retailers abounded, from the purchase of apparel retailer Brooks Brothers by Authentic Brands Group…
Pent-up demand. Making up for lost time. Return to the “new normal.” There will be revenge spend. Whatever we call the next phase of consumer behavior, we have to consider the interesting and exciting trends forged from the challenges of the past year as we shape our marketing strategies for the future. What changed In…
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