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Strategy

  • A.T. Kearney: Economic resilience spikes holiday spending

    Forty percent of U.S. consumers plan to spend more this year than during the 2015 holiday shopping season, driven by better job prospects and an improving economy.     That’s one of the findings of the A.T. Kearney 2016 Holiday Shopping Survey, which was conducted online from Oct. 24 – Oct. 25, 2016.   

  • Kronos: Tips for reducing holiday turnover

    The ghost of holidays past hangs over many retail workers, according to a new study of part- and full-time retail employees by Kronos.   Forty-percent of employees in the survey said that their employer did not have enough staff in previous years to account for the amount of shoppers they receive at their store. And 53% are worried about getting burned out during the holiday season.  

  • Rise of the ‘Craft’ Brand

    The age of the Goliath brand is over. Now, the Davids are running the show.   The commerce landscape has consistently been dominated by giant corporations, whose brands became extremely broad, and in some ways generic. Think about Gillette. What does Gillette mean to you?    Unless you get really excited about the prospect of a 37-blade razor, Gillette as a brand probably doesn’t mean much to you. It’s just the standard razor you buy at the store.  

  • Ikea expanding renewable energy portfolio with new technology

    Ikea is rolling out biogas-powered fuel cell technology to more stores.     The home furnishings retailer has installed the fuel cell systems at two Southern California stores, in Costa Mesa and Covina.   In addition, Ikea also is planning to deploy fuel cell systems at its store in East Palo Alto, Calif., as well as its store in San Diego and in New Haven, Conn. (Ikea first deployed the technology over a year ago, at its store in Emeryville, Calif.).  

  • Hot Canadian brand opens first U.S. store

    A popular goose from up north has landed in Manhattan.   Canada Goose, the 60-year-old brand best known for its signature goose-down jacket with Arctic Circle logo and fur-trimmed hood, has opened a flagship in the SoHo section of Manhattan. It is the company’s first-ever U.S. store and only second store to date, with the first opening in Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre in October.   

  • Staples Q3 revenue falls short

    Staples Inc. on Thursday reported earnings for its third quarter in line with its expectations but revenue fell short of forecasts as same-store sales fell.   Earnings came in at $179 million, or 27 cents a share, compared with $198 million, or 31 cents a share, a year ago. Adjusted earnings came in at 34 cents a share.   Total company sales fell 4% to $5.4 billion in the quarter ended Oct. 29, missing estimates.  

  • Best Buy shines in Q3 but Samsung recall may dent holiday

    Best Buy Co.’s sales and profits in the third quarter topped forecasts, but the retailer warned that the recall of a Samsung smartphone is likely to impact its holiday sales.   Best Buy’s profit jumped 55% to $194 million, up from $125 million in the same period a year ago. Adjusted for one-time expenses, it earned 62 cents a share, which was higher than the 47 cents analysts were expecting.  

  • Staples brand to disappear from the United Kingdom

    A familiar U.S. retailer will soon make its exit from the U.K. retail scene.    Staples, which operates some 105 stores in the United Kingdom, has agreed to sell its U.K. retail business and operations to Hilco Capital Limited. The use of the Staples brand in the U.K. will be phased out over the coming months.   In May, Staples announced plans to explore strategic alternatives for its European operations as part of its new strategy.  
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