Retail behemoth Target Corporation’s recent announcement that it has committed to spending more than $2 billion by 2025 on products and services from Black-owned businesses, including ramping up the number of minority-owned brands on store shelves and Target.com to at least 500, is setting a new bar for what it means to be a retailer in an era when racial justice and equality are front and center in American national discourse. The mega retailer also announced that it would engage with more advertising, marketing, and construction companies …
Five Macrotrends That Will Drive Traditional Retail’s Big Comeback
For the better part of a year – ever since the onset of Covid-19 – the doomsday diviners of retail have held center stage, pushing the narrative that brick-and-mortar retail will never come back, or if it does, it will surely be in some new, emasculated form that will be virtually unrecognizable to a time traveler from 2019. “Malls throughout America are suddenly running out of time,” exclaimed a recent USA Today report on the state of retail. Rhode Island’s Providence Journal went even further, stating that “the coronavirus pandemic will not …
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For Retailers, It’s Time to “Go Green” or Go Home
One storyline that was somewhat overlooked during the unfolding drama surrounding sleepy videogame retailer GameStop earlier this month – a David vs. Goliath story egged on by Elon Musk in which thousands of small retail day traders looked to deep-six hedge funds’ short bets on the stock – was where this so-called trend of ‘meme’ investing is likely to head next. In a recent research note, analysts at Bank of America said they are concerned that “ESG darlings” (Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance funds) might be affected by “the …
21 Global Disruptors
From Tel Aviv to São Paulo to New York City’s Garment District, the onset of the pandemic in 2020 forced widespread change and innovation across the retail ecosystem. From big retail chains and brands to technology enablement and alternative payments, CEOs across the globe were forced to adapt to a new reality – one in which being able succeed online moved from being essential to absolutely mission critical. But improved digital performance wasn’t the only outcome that can be traced back to the pandemic. Amid these strong headwinds, retail …
20 Wildcards for ‘21
The second weekend in January was "Wild Card Weekend" in the NFL, where all the teams with so-so seasons had one last chance to prove their mettle or suffer certain elimination from a chance to play in this year's Super Bowl. In most years, Wild Card teams fail to make it to the Big Game but every once in a while (6 to be exact, out of 53 Super Bowls) a Wild Card team ended up winning the whole enchilada. 20 for 2021 The retail business has its own cadre of Wild Cards - trends that may not look like much now but might just be positioned to …
For Retailers, It’s Time to “Go Green” or Go Home
One storyline that was somewhat overlooked during the unfolding drama surrounding sleepy videogame retailer GameStop earlier this month – a David vs. Goliath story egged on by Elon Musk in which thousands of small retail day traders looked to deep-six hedge funds’ short bets on the stock – was where this so-called trend of ‘meme’ investing is likely to head next. In a recent research note, analysts at Bank of America said they are concerned that “ESG darlings” (Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance funds) might be affected by “the …
Corporate Social Justice Is Now a Permanent Feature of the Retail Landscape
Retail, like much of the rest of corporate America, is entering an era of corporate political activism. In the wake of last week’s seizure of the Capitol building in Washington, DC by pro-Trump supporters, Fortune 500 heavyweights are now weighing in. JP Morgan Chase and Goldman Sachs are pausing all political contributions to both Republicans and Democrats for the next six months while others, such as the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association are going a step further by are suspending political contributions to all lawmakers who objected to …
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