Monica Deretich has lost count of retailer transformations she’s witnessing in the last two years. As a consultant and veteran retail marketing executive, she is now as retail industry advisor to Sailthru, helping brands counter revenue and retention pitfalls by automating hyper-personalized communications. In recent months, Deretich has noticed a pattern in retailer digital marketing … Read more
Live Brief: RC Ventures, the activist investment firm headed by Chewy co-founder and GameStop chairman Ryan Cohen, disclosed it has taken a 9.8% stake in Bed Bath & Beyond. In a letter to the retailer’s board, Cohen said that Bed Bath & Beyond’s “highly-publicized and scattershot strategy is not ending the tailspin that has persisted … Read more
In the early days of the pandemic, when uncertainty loomed, the home took on a new meaning — an all-in-one venue for office, school, virtual happy hour and dining in. To adjust to the new way of life and make the place they were spending the majority of their time more comfortable, consumers began investing … Read more
Same-day delivery is not going away. Amazon and other e-commerce giants “are committed to pushing same-day delivery into the mass market,” McKinsey & Company research notes. And customers are coming to expect faster delivery. This shift was underway before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the crisis kicked it into overdrive. As Valerie Metzker, head of partnerships … Read more
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has instigated a humanitarian crisis and preoccupied world leaders with how to respond both short and long term. The violence has raised the specter of World War II, leading Europe, the United States, the United Nations and other countries to pull financial, military and diplomatic levers in hopes of forcing Russian … Read more
Live Brief: Gap Inc.’s sales ticked up by 2% year over year to $4.5 billion in the fourth quarter while comparable sales rose 3%. The company’s operating margin barely edged over zero as air freight costs ate into its margins. For the year, the apparel giant rebounded from 2020’s steep declines. Net sales reached $16.7 … Read more
For many companies, an unexpected bill for $400 million would be a crucible, if not the beginning of a tailspin. For Walmart, the world’s largest company by revenue, it was a mere speed bump. That figure, $400 million, was what the company spent on supply chain costs above management’s original estimates for the fourth quarter, … Read more
Live Brief: Best Buy comparable sales fell 2.3% in the fourth quarter while total revenue fell just short of management’s expectations. Operating income fell by more than 20% from a year ago to $803 million. During an investor presentation, Chief Financial Officer Matt Billunas attributed the sales decline to constrained inventory availability, including in mobile … Read more
3D printing is changing the way manufacturers and supply chain professionals think about the way they make, with some using the technology to take production outside of the warehouse altogether. An MHI and Deloitte survey last year of more than 1,000 supply chain professionals found 21% of companies currently use 3D printing and additive manufacturing, … Read more
Live Brief: Purple on Tuesday announced its board of directors appointed Robert DeMartini as its chief executive officer. DeMartini was appointed acting CEO in December after Joseph Megibow stepped down from the role. Prior to joining Purple, DeMartini was the CEO of New Balance for 12 years during which time the company increased its annual … Read more