November, 2024

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The state of insolvencies in the retail industry

Retail Focus

The British high street has endured a string of high-profile insolvencies in recent years, leading to the demise of household retail brands. Retailers are fighting to stay out of the red as record-high inflation, rising rent, the cost of living crisis, and growing popularity for ecommerce dent already reduced budgets. Chris Bristow, a company liquidation and corporate rescue specialist at Real Business Rescue, examines the financial health of retail businesses under the current climate.

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30-Year Verizon Veteran Shares How Retailers can Turn ‘Just Jobs’ into Careers

Retail TouchPoints

Kevin Zavaglia took his first job with Verizon in 1994 as a junior sales associate, back when the company was still Bell Atlantic. Flash forward 30 years, and Zavaglia has spent nearly his entire career at the retailer, rising up the ranks to become Chief Sales Officer. However, Zavaglia’s single-employer experience is becoming less and less common, particularly in retail, where historically high attrition rates hover at around 60%.

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Retailers warn National Insurance hike makes job cuts ‘inevitable’

Retail Gazette

The UK’s biggest retailers have warned of “inevitable” job losses as a result of the government’s decision to increase National Insurance. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves has been warned that jobs will be lost, stores will shut, and prices will have to rise due to the hike. Reeves increased the rate of employers’ National Insurance by 1.2% to 15% from April, and also lowered the level where employers begin paying on each staff member’s salary from £9

Shopping 122
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Domino’s Pizza Stake Purchased by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Group

Retail Wire

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Group has purchased a huge stake in Domino's Pizza, and the investor's reasons for the purchase may be surprising.

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Is Your Business AI-Ready? Find Out with Orium’s Maturity Model

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.

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Small retailers expect upcoming holiday trading to be ‘more essential than ever’

Inside Retail

Australian retailers forecast a $69.7 billion boost in the lead up to Christmas, expecting this coming trading season will be “more essential than ever.” The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and American Express Small Retail Index shows that 44 per cent of small retailers are expecting sales to be slightly up or significantly up from last year.

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Self-Service Innovation Summit executive panel to share future predictions, strategy insights

Retail Customer Experience

This year’s Self-Service and Innovation Summit, hosted by Networld Media Group in Tampa, Florida from December 9-11 will culminate with “Thought leader roundtable: Executive predictions,” a panel dedicated to helping decipher fact from fiction and providing practical advice for building your business.

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Scheduling Transparency, Safety are Retail Workers’ Biggest Concerns this Holiday Season

Retail TouchPoints

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but for a sizeable portion of the U.S. workforce the holiday shopping season can be the most strenuous and stress-filled time of year. As consumers furiously stock up on everything they need for under the tree and around the table, retail workers — who make up more than one quarter of the U.S. labor force — find themselves literally on the front lines of the holiday madness.

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Sainsbury’s profit edges up as it claims ‘biggest market share gains in industry’

Retail Gazette

Sainsbury’s sales and profits edged up in its first half as it claimed to be making “the biggest market share gains in the industry” The grocery giant ‘s retail underlying operating profit hit £503m, up 3.7%, driven by strong grocery volume growth, though this was partially offset by a lower contribution from Argos. Retail sales, excluding fuel, advanced 3.1% with grocery up 5%, but general merchandise and clothing sales were down 1.5%.

Marketing 138
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Abercrombie & Fitch Reports Stunning Q3 Earnings, Expects Strong Holiday Shopping Season

Retail Wire

Abercrombie & Fitch has been doing something right, as its latest earnings report shows significant growth.

Shopping 278
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FlyBuys to open Sydney pop-up store

Inside Retail

FlyBuys will host a pop-up store in Sydney on Saturday, where members can choose a range of rewards such as travel and experiences and everyday essentials. Participating brands include Bissell, iRobot, Bosch, GHD, Apple, Velocity Frequent Flyer, Coles and Liquorland. FlyBuys said that members do not need to use any of their points to avail of the “redemption” of their choice.

Checkout 290
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Less Stress, More Success: Accounting Best Practices & Processes for 2025

Speaker: Duke Heninger, Partner and Fractional CFO at Ampleo & Creator of CFO System

Are you ready to elevate your accounting processes for 2025? 🚀 Join us for an exclusive webinar led by Duke Heninger, a seasoned fractional CFO and CPA passionate about transforming back-office operations for finance teams. This session will cover critical best practices and process improvements tailored specifically for accounting professionals.

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How AI and voice-speech interaction is transforming kiosk customer experience

Retail Customer Experience

AI has taken the world by storm, and it has transformed numerous aspects of customer experience across restaurant, QSR, and self-service contexts, including drive-thru ordering and kiosks.

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Winners and losers of Black Friday 2024

Retail Dive

With deals all spread out and e-commerce surging even on Thanksgiving Day, the red-letter event seems to be losing its punch.

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How (and Why) Ikea Embraced Trauma-Informed Design in Crafting Housing for the Homeless

Retail TouchPoints

Hopefully, most of us won’t have to deal with being homeless during our lives — however, that shouldn’t keep us from feeling empathy for those who are in this situation. Ikea has turned its empathy into action by helping drive the construction of a Small Home in San Antonio’s Towne Twin Village that is grounded in trauma-informed design and now serves as the residence for a formerly homeless person.

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Tesco faces £1bn hit to National Insurance bill

Retail Gazette

Tesco’s national insurance bill is expected to rise an extra £1bn over the next four years following the chancellor’s decision to increase employer contributions. The supermarket giant, which employs 300,000 people, is estimated to be facing a £250m hike in its yearly tax bill when the changes come into effect in April, according to analysis by Morgan Stanley that was reported in The Times.

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NEWS: SML RFID Delivers 98% Inventory Accuracy to Gina Tricot

I’m getting in touch with the news that fashion retailer, Gina Trictot, has achieved 98% inventory accuracy thanks to its partnership with SML RFID. Please see the full press release below, including exclusive quotes.

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How Is the Restaurant Industry Changing as Red Lobster, Denny’s, and TGI Fridays Close Locations?

Retail Wire

How is the restaurant business changing as chains such as Red Lobster, TGI Fridays, and Denny's close?

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Toys ‘R’ Us posts higher sales in October quarter

Inside Retail

Toys ‘R’ Us said its sales grew in the October quarter and expects further growth in the holiday trading period. The toy retailer’s sales during the three months ended October surged 168 per cent, or by $329,000, from the previous quarter, driven by its e-commerce performance. It also noted that Riot continued to perform well and expects the brand’s revenue to accelerate in the coming quarters. “With our streamlined operations and strong inventory position heading

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Small but mighty: backing the UK’s independent retailers through Shop Small

Retail Times

Retail Times publishes international & UK retail news covering products, data, tech, packaging, people, research, comment and more besides! A Retail Times’ sponsored post By Dan Edelman, general manager, UK Merchant Services at American Express Small, independent retailers play a huge role across the UK, bringing vibrancy and acting as the heartbeat of local communities.

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Will Kohl’s have to close stores?

Retail Dive

Not long ago, in stark contrast to rival Macy’s, the department store was talking about expanding its fleet. That may be about to change, analysts say.

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eCommerce in 2025: How Customer Experience Drives Online Retail Success

Speaker: Jennifer Wright and Nick Barron

2025 is right around the corner, and with it comes a new wave of consumer expectations, competitive pressures, and operational challenges. Success lies in finding the balance between operational flexibility and creating experiences that keep customers coming back. The future of retail belongs to those who can stay ahead of shifting customer preferences and marketing trends. 🔮 In this session, we’ll dive deep into what it takes to keep customers engaged and your operations nimble, no matt

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Puma Brings Immersive Entertainment Flagship to Las Vegas

Retail TouchPoints

Puma has unveiled a new flagship concept that includes activations, customization services and other tech-powered elements. Located at the BLVD , a new retail and entertainment destination in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, this is the global sports brand’s second U.S. flagship. The 25,000-square-foot space spans three floors and represents Puma’s much broader “brand elevation strategy,” according to Arne Freundt, CEO of Puma.

Apparel 307
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Waitrose opens first convenience store in six years

Retail Gazette

Waitrose has opened its first new convenience shop in six years as it looks to expand its estate and builds on partnerships with Welcome Break and Shell. The new Little Waitrose store in Hampton Hill, southwest London, is the supermarket’s 47th Waitrose-operated convenience shop. This move comes as the upmarket retailer looks to expand its footprint through its franchise with Welcome Break, with stores opening in Spaldwick, Cambridgeshire this month and in Rotherham, South Yorkshire in Jan

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Amazon Invests Another $4B in Anthropic, Adds Program for Quantum Computing

Retail Wire

Amazon is going all in with AI startup Anthropic as well as getting ready for quantum computing.

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Coles, Woolworths to defend class actions over discount promotions

Inside Retail

Coles and Woolworths said they will defend the class action proceedings a law firm has filed in the Federal Court of Australia concerning the supermarket chains’ allegedly false discounts. Gerard Malouf & Partners filed a class action against Coles and Woolworths, seeking to recover funds for consumers who may have been deceived by the fake price drops on the items sold in their stores. “Coles announced on September 23 that it is defending the ACCC proceedings and also intends to

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How to Maximize Amazon Sales and Crush the Competition

With over 9 million sellers on Amazon, online marketplaces are more crowded than ever. Whether you’re looking to fine-tune prices in real-time or align strategies across channels, this guide provides the tools to understand how to maximize sales and secure a lasting competitive edge. Download now to transform your pricing strategy and drive holiday success.

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Cisco and Tele2 IoT: Co-Innovation Broadens IoT Benefits Across Industries

Cisco Retail

Cisco and Tele2 IoT are expanding their partnership to jointly develop new features for the IoT Control Center and other solutions within the Cisco Mobility Services Platform, aiming to empower businesses to maximize their IoT investments. This collaboration focuses on enhancing connectivity and driving digital transformation across industries, marking a significant advancement in IoT technology.

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CEOs say personalization is the key to success in music retail

Retail Dive

The leaders of two of America’s top musical instrument retailers, Guitar Center and Sweetwater, say they’re trying to engage customers both online and in stores.

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How Network Detection and Response Can Protect Retailers from Cybercrime

Retail TouchPoints

The past year has been brutal for big retailers when it comes to cybercrime. Breaches have compromised customer records, disrupted online sales and caused network outages that impacted customer deliveries. It’s not as though these companies had no defenses. They did. The alarming reality is that hackers are adopting new methodologies to overcome traditional defensive technologies – and are succeeding.

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Homebase in administration: What went wrong and what next?

Retail Gazette

Homebase plunged into administration today, appointing Teneo, which immediately sold the DIY retailer’s brand, IP and up to 70 UK stores to The Range and Wilko owner CDS Superstores. But where did it go wrong for Homebase, and what will happen next? Retail Gazette explores. Homebase’s fall from grace Homebase’s demise was kickstarted by what GlobalData senior data analyst Matt Walton terms, the “disastrous ownership” by Australian conglomerate Wesfarmers.

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Is Your Brand AI-Ready? Find Out with Orium’s Maturity Model

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.

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Best Buy Misses All Targets in Q3 Earnings Report, Stock Tumbles

Retail Wire

Best Buy recently revealed a disappointing Q3 earnings report, causing stocks to tumble.

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Webjet in legal battle over flight price misrepresentation

Inside Retail

Webjet is facing legal proceedings for allegedly misrepresenting the minimum price of airfares on its app, email marketing, and social media posts. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) launched the legal action in the Federal Court against Webjet for displaying “flights from $X” statements but omitting its compulsory service fee and booking price guarantee fee in the advertised prices between November 2018 and November 2023.

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Not Ready For AI? Time To Lay The Groundwork

Cisco Retail

In our recent Cisco AI Readiness Index, we found that only 13% of organizations consider themselves ready to capture AI’s potential, even though urgency is high. Companies are investing, but close to half of respondents say the gains aren’t meeting expectations. Here’s how organizations can get themselves better prepared.

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Etsy focuses on personalized gifts in sprawling holiday campaign

Retail Dive

Waldo, of “Where’s Waldo?” fame, travels the world but only feels seen upon returning home and receiving a thoughtful gift in the platform’s campaign.

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Pricing for Profit: How to Set, Negotiate, and Succeed

Speaker: Igli Laci, Strategic Finance Leader

In today’s competitive market, pricing is more than just a number — it’s the cornerstone of profitability. The right pricing strategy ensures that you capture the true value of your offering, paving the way for sustainable growth and long-term success. Join Igli Laci, Strategic Finance Leader, in this exclusive session where he will explore how a well-crafted pricing approach balances customer perception with business objectives, creating a powerful tool for securing both competitive advantage a