Retail Gazette

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Almost 40 stores closed their doors for the final time each day this year in the latest blow to the high street, according to new data. The latest research from PwC shows that 6,945 outlets have shut so far in 2024, equating to 38 store closures per day – an increase on last year’s 36 per day. This figure outnumbers the rate of new store openings, which rose modestly to 4,661 this year – averaging 25 openings each day.

Location 119

Location Fashion Consumer Shopping 119

Retail TouchPoints

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Still-potent economic uncertainty is encouraging consumers to be savvier as they browse and buy. But while there may be more price comparing and deal hunting this holiday season, consumers will still expect stellar experiences as they browse and buy across channels. Retail TouchPoints interviewed 12 experts who shared their predictions for the 2024 holiday season.

Merchant Services 287

Merchant Services Returns Consumer Planning 287

Inside Retail

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Decathlon has launched free exercise classes and picnic kit rentals exclusively from its new flagship store at 570 George Street in Sydney CBD. The company’s in-house fitness experts will lead the high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and pilates classes in the park and guided run club sessions. Decathlon also offers 10 free picnic kit rentals from 10 am to 6 pm daily.

Outdoor 278

Outdoor ATS Marketing 278

Retail Wire

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Accounting firm PwC is restructuring two of its U.S. units, which includes reducing staff.

Accounting 264

Accounting 264

Advertiser: ZoomInfo

Incorporating generative AI (gen AI) into your sales process can speed up your wins through improved efficiency, personalized customer interactions, and better informed decision- making. Gen AI is a game changer for busy salespeople and can reduce time-consuming tasks, such as customer research, note-taking, and writing emails, and provide insightful data analysis and recommendations.

Consumer

Inside Retail

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Metcash has booked a sales increase of 6.1 per cent in the early part of the new fiscal year – with food leading the growth. The group’s food sales, excluding tobacco, surged 17.9 per cent, reflecting volume growth and inflation moderation, the company said in an investor update covering the period to September 8. Supermarket and convenience store sales grew 3.5 per cent, while its Superior Foods division jumped 8.7 per cent.

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Supermarket Returns Consumer Planning 278

Retail Wire

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

The fast-food giant has been named the team's official quick-service restaurant.

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Retail TouchPoints

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Alcohol ecommerce solution Drinks has launched the “Drinks-as-a-service” (DaaS) platform, a subscription software solution that will allow any brand, merchant or ecommerce operator to navigate the various tax and compliance impediments to selling alcohol online. The DaaS platform can be used by retailers that want to add wine or spirits to their assortment to alcohol producers looking to build out their direct-to-consumer business.

Merchant Services 238

Merchant Services Consumer 238

Retail Wire

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Jack in the Box has a spooky season-themed menu.

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Retail TouchPoints

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Lego stores around the world are creating interactive experiences showcasing the power of play — from a playable library in China to a restaurant-themed pop-up in Japan — as part of the brand’s “Play is Your Superpower” campaign. The goal is to encourage families to play together, with Lego citing a consumer survey it commissioned showing that 83% of parents see play as a platform for celebrating differences in a fun and positive way.

Location 233

Location Planning Consumer Visual Merchandising 233

Retail Wire

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

DoorDash and Magnolia Bakery's newest sweet treat is sure to please fans.

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Speaker: Becky Parisotto and John Vurdelja

Fulfillment is no longer just about getting products from point A to point B – it's about crafting seamless, scalable, customer first experiences. Flexible fulfillment strategies are more important than ever for those aiming to stay ahead and build resilience as retail enters a new era in 2025. Learn how to optimize fulfillment processes, tackle complex, multi-vendor orders, and create seamless customer experiences – from white-glove delivery for high-value items to quick-ship solutions for ever

Fulfillment

Retail TouchPoints

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Paramount debuted a new technology last night at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) that allowed viewers to shop the entire broadcast, from the red carpet to the stage. The Shopsense AI Lens is an image recognition tool that lets viewers snap a photo of what their favorite artists are wearing and then shop the looks they love in an AI-curated digital store.

ATS 227

ATS Fashion Advertising Shopping 227

Inside Retail

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Bunnings was once again crowned the most trusted brand in the June quarter, followed by Aldi in second place and Kmart in third place, according to a survey from Roy Morgan. This marks the hardware chain’s third straight quarterly victory. The second and third rankings also remained unchanged compared to the March quarter. The biggest loser in the latest quarterly rankings was Woolworths, which fell a massive 194 places to be the fifth most distrusted brand.

Telecommunications 147

Telecommunications Supermarket ATS Marketing 147

Retail TouchPoints

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Associated Food Stores (AFS), a wholesaler and cooperative serving nearly 450 supermarkets in the Intermountain West region, has adopted customer engagement, personalization and analytics solutions from Birdzi. AFS will roll out the Birdzi shopper analytics platform, personalized ad, coupon flyers and audience engagement tools first before deploying the VISPER personalization engine, with the entire process forecasted to be complete in time for the holiday season.

Wholesale 223

Wholesale Supermarket Promotions Marketing 223

Inside Retail

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Zara’s parent, Inditex, booked higher net income and sales across all of its brands during the fiscal first half year. The fashion group’s net income surged 10.1 per cent to €5.0 billion (A$8.24 billion) as net sales rose 7.2 per cent to €18.1 billion, thanks to the spring and summer collections being well received by customers. Zara’s net sales increased 5.4 per cent to €13.0 billion while Pull&Bear climbed 7.9 per cent to €1.1 billion.

Fashion 147

Fashion Marketing ATS Accessories 147

Advertiser: ZoomInfo

In today’s ultra-competitive markets, it’s no longer enough to wait for buyers to show obvious signs of interest. Instead, sales teams must be proactive, identifying and acting on nuanced buyer behaviors — often before prospects are fully ready to make a purchase. In this eBook from ZoomInfo & Sell Better, learn 10 actionable ways to use these buyer signals to transform your sales strategy and close deals faster.

Planning

Retail TouchPoints

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Walmart has approved embedded finance provider Parafin to offer financing to Walmart Marketplace sellers to help them grow their businesses Parafin offers full-scale financial services programs to marketplaces, employing machine learning to analyze sales data to determine offer eligibility and terms. Since Parafin’s launch in 2021, it has served tens of thousands of businesses and extended more than $8 billion in offers via platforms including Worldpay and Mindbody.

Finance 218

Finance Fulfillment ATS 218

Retail Wire

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Thankfully no one was hurt after the incident and the cruise continued as normal.

Shipping 147

Shipping 147

Retail TouchPoints

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

As the retail media boom continues , the relationship between the retailer and the brands they carry is going through a significant transformation. While brands have always had to strategize, plan, negotiate and spend with retailers to get their products distributed across stores to reach new and existing customers, their commitments are evolving once again.

Planning 210

Planning Visual Merchandising Marketing ATS 210

Retail Wire

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Sony Interactive Entertainment has just revealed its new PlayStation 5 Pro, making it the newest addition to the PlayStation lineup.

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Customer Experience

Retail TouchPoints

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Over the past 11 years, Grove Collaborative has built a name for itself as conscious consumers’ go-to supplier for everyday essentials. And that hard-won name has been built on top of a homegrown tech stack that supported the brand’s robust ecommerce and subscription ecosystem. But recently the brand realized it had outgrown its in-house tech and began a process that many today are undertaking — shifting from custom-built digital commerce systems to best-in-breed third-party technology, a.k.a.

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Customer Experience Promotions Consumer Shopping 209

Retail Wire

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

BurgerFi International Inc., the parent company of BurgerFi and Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza & Wings, has officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

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Inside Retail

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Understanding how to authentically engage younger consumer groups, especially Gen Z, is key to success in retail today, but it’s easier said than done. That was the topic at the 2024 Retail Influencer CEO Forum in New York City this week, which brought together industry experts to understand how leading brands, such as American Eagle, are getting this right.

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Marketing Fashion Consumer Accessories 130

Retail Wire

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Southwest Airlines allegedly "retaliated" against employees who wanted PTO.

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147

Advertiser: ZoomInfo

As prospects define their problem, search for solutions, and even change jobs, they are generating high-value signals that the best go-to-market teams can leverage to close more deals. This is where signal-based selling comes into play. ZoomInfo CEO Henry Schuck recently broke down specific ways to put four key buying signals into action with the experts from 30 Minutes to President’s Club.

Marketing

Inside Retail

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Uniqlo is aggressively expanding its reach by opening more than 20 flagship stores in Asia, Europe, and North America from this month, taking its worldwide store count to more than 2500. In Asia, the Fast Retailing-owned brand will open its largest store in South Korea at the Lotte World Mall and its first overseas roadside store featuring a new design concept in Bangkok, Thailand.

Planning 130

Planning ATS Accessories Fashion 130

Retail Wire

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

This new weight loss medication could be an alternative to injectibles currently on the market.

Marketing 130

Marketing 130

Inside Retail

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Sales results coming out of Japan in the past few weeks indicate that a high base-year comparison and a narrowing of the tourism effect are starting to have an adverse impact on growth. The evidence is showing up most clearly in the reports coming out of the big department store chains, where the strength is increasingly concentrated in a few flagship stores rather than being distributed across their entire store fleets.

Department Stores 130

Department Stores Specialty Store Consumer Supermarket 130

Retail Wire

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Moderna is releasing 10 new drugs but won't profit from them for several years.

Planning 130

Planning 130

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Inside Retail

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Imagine walking into a store where the staff are not only knowledgeable but genuinely enthusiastic about helping you. Or calling customer service, and having someone instantly locate the exact product, size and colour you need and suggest the best delivery option. This is the reality for companies that invest in their employees’ experience. In an era where customer expectations are high and customer experience (CX) is a top priority, retail employees have never been more important.

Customer Experience 130

Customer Experience Management Returns Location 130

Retail Gazette

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Waterstones is making a return to Oxford Street as it teams up with John Lewis to open a bookshop in the retailer’s flagship on the busy shopping street. The bookseller will open a shop-in-shop on the second floor of the department store’s flagship, next to its café, on 8 October. The space will stock nearly 20,000 books, including non-fiction, fiction and children’s books.

Department Stores 119

Department Stores Returns Shopping ATS 119

Retail Dive

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

The funding will allow the bargain-focused retailer to continue normal operations, including paying employees and vendors.

Finance 112

Finance 112

Retail Gazette

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Tesco has lost its Supreme Court ‘hire and fire appeal’ as the judge ruled it cannot terminate staff employment contracts and offer to rehire them on less favourable terms. Shopworkers’ union Usdaw took legal action against the supermarket giant after it tried to strip some warehouse workers of their higher pay by ending their contracts and offering to rehire them, in a long-running legal battle between the pair.

Supermarket 119

Supermarket ATS 119

Advertiser: ZoomInfo

Sales and marketing leaders have reached a tipping point when it comes to using intent data — and they’re not looking back. More than half of all B2B marketers are already using intent data to increase sales, and Gartner predicts this figure will grow to 70 percent. The reason is clear: intent can provide you with massive amounts of data that reveal sales opportunities earlier than ever before.

Marketing