News Briefs

Political affiliations of brands might not have as much influence on purchasing decisions as some may think.

The majority (62%) of consumers care very little about a brand’s political affiliation, with 32% of them saying political stances don’t influence purchasing decisions at all, according to a survey by Sitejabber, a destination for customer reviews of businesses. Thirty-percent of consumers have boycotted a brand over political reasons in the past 12 months.

Importantly, as the 2024 election approaches, 41% of buyers prefer that companies keep their political positions private.

“At a time when our country feels so divided, it’s refreshing to see that political sentiments might not have as much impact on purchasing decisions as the media would lead us to believe,” said Michael Lai, CEO and co-founder of Sitejabber. 

Other key findings from the report include: 

•Consumers generally refrain from writing politically motivated reviews. The majority (80%) say they have never left a public review or comment about a product or service specifically because of the company’s political stance, and 78% report they are unlikely to mention a company’s political affiliation when writing a review. 

•Many customers believe they are savvy enough to remain impartial when reading politically-motivated reviews, with 44% being aware of the practice of “review bombing” and 34% reporting that a sudden influx of negative company reviews would not affect their purchasing decision. 

Review bombing is a coordinated assault on a brand, often fueled by disgruntled customers, competitors or even online trolls for various reasons, including political motivations. In recent years, this form of attack has become an increasingly challenging issue for businesses across industries, noted SiteJabber. It can be devastating to a business’s online reputation. 

MarketSight conducted the survey, which included 1,000 online responses from consumers aged 21+ across the United States.

A new study hopes to serve as a “wake-up call” to the fashion industry by highlighting the disparity between the sizing of American women and what they’re being advertised and sold.

The majority (54.4%) of American women are considered "plus-size" (wearing a size 14 or above), according to new data from social-commerce platform Mys Tyler. Yet only 0.8% of the looks at New York Fashion Week AW24 were plus-size, despite the majority of women falling into this category. 

“Despite making up a significant portion of the population, 'plus-size' women are still overlooked by most brands, and even in 2024, size-inclusive representation is heavily lacking on runways and in advertising,” said Mys Tyler founder Sarah Neill. “Our community continues to shares with us the challenges they face when shopping in-store and online.”

According to “Mys Tyler Insights – U.S. Edition 2024,” the most common dress size in America is size 16. Also, the average American woman has a height of 5'4" and the majority of American women (58.3%) wear a D cup or larger.

Underrepresentation in the fashion industry not only has a negative impact on how women feel about their bodies, but it directly translates to an inefficient shopping experience, poor fit and high return rates — negatively impacting profits and environmental sustainability, according to Neill.

“We hope the industry sees this data and uses it as a call to action to help increase representation and size-inclusivity,” she said.

Mys Tyler is a body-positive fashion app designed to help women buy clothes online. A proprietary FIT Algorithm matches shoppers with fashion creators who are most relevant (similar height, shape, size, age and coloring) so they can see clothes on a body like theirs.

The offices of Chain Store Age will be closed on Monday, Sept. 2 for Labor Day. We will resume publishing on Sept. 3.

The CSA team wishes you and your family a happy and safe holiday weekend!

Teen apparel and accessories retailer Pacsun is welcoming a new chief financial officer.

Aina Konold is joining the retailer from home exercise equipment brand BowFlex Inc., where she served as CFO since December of 2019. Prior to that, Konold spent more than 11 years at Gap Inc. in a number of roles of increasing responsibility, including VP, CFO of Gap Inc. China and VP of strategy and finance.

Konold lived and worked in Shanghai as CFO of Gap Inc. China where she led the business through a "hyper growth phase." She helped open nearly 200 stores and established e-commerce businesses across Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

As CFO, she succeeds Russell Bowers, who was appointed chief operating officer of Pacsun last year. Konold will report directly to the company’s CEO Brie Olson, who was appointed to the role last year.

[READ MORE: Pacsun partners with Pinterest; unifies customer data for analysis]

“Aina’s energy and passion for the customer and for building teams are evident in all her professional endeavors,” said the retailer. “We are excited to welcome her to the Pacsun team.”

Spirit Halloween is going bigger than ever this year.

The seasonal retailer will open a record-breaking 1,525 locations this year in the United States and Canada, the majority of which (more than 1,100) are already open. Locations can be found here.

Spirit’s theme for this year’s Halloween season is “Spirit Carnevil,” which gives shoppers an in-store experience featuring a large carnival area with an archway, multiple booths and a funhouse.

Earlier this year, Spirit said it was looking to hire 50,000 seasonal sales associates and store managers to support its stores this year. Last year, the chain aimed to hire 40,000 workers for a similar number of stores.

"The Halloween fandom continues to grow, and our incredible team works year-round to create an unparalleled and unique in-store experience that will engage customers all season long," said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. "Visiting a Spirit Halloween store is more than just a shopping trip - it's entertainment, it's tradition, it's creating moments and memories with family and friends that bring the magic of Halloween to life, and we are thrilled to welcome fans back to the show."

[READ MORE: Big Lots to hold massive Halloween sale]

Founded in 1983, Spirit is a “one-stop destination” for all things Halloween. Stores offer an immersive and interactive experience for shoppers, complete with a wide assortment of costumes and accessories along with exclusive décor and animatronics.

Spirit Halloween and mall retailer Spencer’s Gifts are part of Egg Harbor Township, N.J.-based Spencer Spirit Holdings Inc.

Sprouts Farmers Market isn't letting up on expansion: It has over 100 approved new stores in the pipeline. 

The fresh, natural and organic foods grocer will also be busy between now and December, opening 21 stores during the next several months. (See list below) The openings are in line with Sprouts' previously announced goal of opening 35 new locations during its current fiscal year, with more than half of the remaining openings scheduled for the fourth quarter. 

“Despite the challenging development environment, the real estate team is doing a terrific job,” Sprouts CEO Jack Sinclair told analysts on the company’s second quarter earnings call in July. "Given the success of our new stores, we are dedicated to expanding our brand with over 110 approved new stores and more than 70 executed leases in the pipeline for the next few years.”

Here is a list of Sprouts’ upcoming openings.

Aug. 30

•Westminster, Md.

Sept. 6

•McKinney, Tex.

•Sarasota, Fla.

Sept. 13

•York, Pa.

Sept. 27

•Rio Rancho, N.M.

•Hayward, Calif.

•Greenville, S.C.

Oct. 4

•Gilbert, Ariz.

Oct. 11

•Long Beach, Calif.

Oct. 25

•Leesburg, Va.

•Avondale, Ariz.

Nov. 8

•Palm Springs, Calif.

Nov. 15

•Studio City, Calif. 

•Largo, Fla.

In addition to the above locations, which are listed on Sprouts' website, the grocer confirmed the following openings to CSA sister publication Progressive Grocer.

Nov. 22 

•Cheyanne, Wyo.

•Georgetown, Tex.

Dec. 6

•San Jose, Calif.

•Downey, Calif.

•Middletown, Del.

•Melbourne–Wickham, Fla.

•Madison, Tenn.

Sprouts Farmers Market operates more than 415 stores in 23 states nationwide.