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.

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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.

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Merchant Services Returns Consumer Planning 306

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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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.

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Customer Experience

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.

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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.

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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.

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Inside Retail

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

After unveiling its renovated Melbourne Central store earlier this month, French beauty giant Sephora is now gearing up to open the doors to its new store in Sydney’s Westfield Miranda shopping centre. With the reopening of Sephora’s Melbourne Central store came the launch of its first beauty classroom, a space dedicated to hosting masterclasses with its exclusive brands – as well as the launch of Skincredible, its innovative app developed in collaboration with dermatologists to offer personalis

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Store Layout Shopping Customer Experience Fulfillment 262

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.

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Wholesale Supermarket Promotions Marketing 276

Retail Wire

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

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

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In a digital-first world, website security is non-negotiable. This comprehensive guide explores the critical importance of securing your site against hackers and vulnerabilities like SQL injection, XSS, and malware. Discover tools like SiteLock for threat monitoring and CodeGuard for seamless backups, ensuring robust protection for your data and operations.

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.

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Planning Visual Merchandising Marketing ATS 273

Retail Wire

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

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

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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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Retail Wire

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

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

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Generative AI is poised to redefine B2B, but scaling AI success in this space isn’t without obstacles. From fragmented data sources and complex buyer journeys to operational inefficiencies, the road to AI-powered growth can be challenging. To achieve a competitive edge, understanding your organization’s AI-readiness is essential. Orium's Data & AI Maturity Model provides a quick, actionable way to assess your starting point.

Customer Experience

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.

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Finance Fulfillment ATS 263

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.

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Telecommunications Supermarket ATS Marketing 147

Retail Wire

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

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

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Shipping 147

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.

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Fashion Marketing ATS Accessories 147

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Off-page SEO is the key to building trust, attracting qualified traffic, and boosting conversions. This guide explores how to leverage backlinks, guest blogging, social media, and influencer marketing to expand your website’s reach and authority. Discover the synergy between on-page and off-page SEO, ensuring your site is optimized for success. Learn how to create valuable content, engage with online communities, and track your progress to fine-tune your strategy.

Marketing

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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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

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

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.

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Planning ATS Accessories Fashion 130

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Generative AI is reshaping retail, but achieving true AI success isn’t simple. Many brands face hurdles—underdeveloped data strategies, limited AI-ready infrastructure, or lack of seamless integration across systems. As you explore how AI can boost efficiency and transform customer experiences, understanding your business’s readiness is key. Orium's Data & AI Maturity Model offers a clear starting point.

Customer Experience

Retail Wire

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

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

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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.

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Retail Wire

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

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

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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.

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Customer Experience Management Returns Location 130

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Your website can be more than just a digital presence—it can be a thriving profit center. Discover proven strategies to monetize your website, whether you sell physical products, digital downloads, or services. Learn the importance of user-friendly design, high-quality content, and tailored marketing to meet audience needs and boost engagement. Explore options like e-commerce, affiliate marketing, and subscriptions, and use analytics to optimize for success.

Marketing

Retail Wire

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

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

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Planning 130

Retail Dive

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

This is the first such partnership for Roblox, which plans to integrate with “various” e-commerce platforms in the future.

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Planning 127

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.

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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.

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Finance 124

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