Corporate Governance

Angela Ahrendts, senior VP of retail for Apple and former CEO of Burberry, is taking a more luxe approach in some of the company’s retail stores. “The stores are the best physical manifestation of the brand,” Jan Dawson, an analyst at Jackdaw Research, told the New York Times. “Angela is bringing her sensibility to that experience.” [New York Times]

New technologies, new products, new consumer preferences — change always threatens to disrupt the status quo, and the retail landscape is no different. The trick is to determine which trends are passing fads and which have real staying power.

To help, we asked six experts from the Daymon Worldwide family of companies (Interactions is a subsidiary of Daymon Worldwide) to share their predictions for trends that will have the biggest impact on the U.S. retail environment in 2016.

Improved Transparency and Distribution

A decline in traffic at Jos. A. Banks stores weighed heavily on Men's Wearhouse in the third quarter, forcing the company to consider store closures and job cuts.

Shoppers at Walmart stores will soon be able to pay with their smartphones as the retailer has developed a unique solution to become the newest entrant in the crowded world of mobile wallets.

Former Target Chief Marketing Officer Michael Francis will reportedly serve as a marketing consultant at Walmart when the retailer’s current CMO steps down.

The CEO of Ollie’s Bargain Outlet says the company’s recent IPO contributed to another strong quarter of merchandise margin and sales growth.

For the third quarter ended Oct. 31, the value retailer said same store sales increased 3.2%. Total net sales increased 16.4% to $174.6 million. Net income increased 39.4% to $6.8 million, or $0.11 per diluted share.

Pep Boys, which agreed to be sold to Bridgestone in October, said it is considering a competing offer from Carl Icahn's investment firm that is worth $2 million more.

Don’t be fooled by Costco’s tepid sales growth and first quarter profit decline. The company is accelerating expansion and pursuing some intriguing digital partnerships while members continue to renew at record rates.

When it comes to promoting high-end retail and product brands on social media, different platforms suit different companies.

According to new research from Engagement Labs, on Facebook, high-end shoe brand Christian Louboutin ranked first with the highest overall proprietary “eValue” social media measurement score, as well as the highest engagement and responsiveness scores among luxury brands studied.

While same-store sales at Dollar General and Dollar Tree have decelerated of late, that is not the case with Canada’s largest dollar store operator which recently opened its 1,000th location.