Retail

Meijer is adding a new senior leader to its merchandising organization with more than 30 years of grocery experience.

Meijer has named Tod Pepin as the retailer’s senior VP of Foods.

Excess energy consumption in retail can exceed 30%, which means there is a huge opportunity for savings that many retailers s have not yet fully explored.

Retailers spend nearly $20 billion annually on energy expenses, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. By saving just 15% from optimizing operations and eliminating waste, we can save $3 billion as an industry.

Specialty fashion retailer Vanity is trying to make visiting its stores as rewarding an experience as possible.

Target is planning to not only open on Thanksgiving Day but also roll out a new “10 Days of Deals” promotion to increase traffic to its stores.

As part of the “10 Days of Deals,” the retailer announced it will offer daily discounts on electronics, kitchenware, toys and more from Nov. 22 through Dec. 1. In addition, guests will have access to a Black Friday presale on Nov. 25.

While some retailers are taking a stand this year against opening on Thanksgiving Day and even Black Friday, Toys“R”Us thinks its customers will be ready to do some shopping after their turkey dinners.

The toy retailer announced that its stores will open at 5 p.m. on Nov. 26, the same time as last year. Stores will remain open through 11 p.m. on Nov. 27.

Last month outdoors retailer REI said it would close on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday. Jo-Ann Fabrics, GameStop, At Home and Staples have also announced they would not open on Thanksgiving. 

It would take a pretty big event to cause Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Off 5th, and Neiman Marcus to all align their online discount offers.

Singles Day, coming up on Nov. 11, is just that size of an event. Once an informal celebration of the Chinese singles dating scene, Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba formally turned Singles Day into a shopping holiday in 2009. The occasion generated gross merchandise volume of more than $9.3 billion on the Alibaba Alipay mobile and digital payment platform alone in 2014.

Online retail sales continue to increase – both in absolute terms and as a percentage of total retail sales. The fact remains, however, that online commerce takes place in what is essentially a one-dimensional transactional venue.

Think quick – who are your top competitors? No matter what product category or channels you operate in, if your list of top two or three rivals doesn’t include Amazon.com, it probably needs updating.

Staples CIO Tom Conophy has publicly identified Amazon as a prime competitor, and Walmart has launched a clear strategy of trying to one-up Amazon innovations like Prime Day and delivery drones. But even if you’re not a major big-box chain, Amazon still most likely represents a critical threat to your market share. Here are three reasons why.