Last week, I weighed in on the potential deal between Walmart and Jet.com. Today, the companies officially announced the $3 billion deal with Walmart CEO Doug McMillon weighing in as follows: “We’re looking for ways to lower prices, broaden our assortment and offer the simplest,…
On the heels of Jet.com’s first birthday comes news that Walmart is reportedly in negotiations to acquire the online discount retailer. Sources close to the deal say it could be worth as much as $3 billion. While Walmart has struggled to translate its winning brick-and-mortar…
Innovation continues to see its way into new concepts and formats across the globe. There has been significant evolution within the eyewear industry that has caught our eye, pressuring us to ask the question, what will be next? Warby Parker has been the purveyor in…
For many retailers and brands, projects on the docket for the coming year are focused on tactics to support an omni-channel shopping experience. Often overlooked in this flurry of activity are big picture opportunities to leverage the direct to consumer channel as a platform for…
2016 has been quite the year for retail. Retailer share prices have taken a beating over the past 12 months. The S&P Retail Select Industry Index is down 16.57% since June 2015, and the decline is affecting retailers nationwide and across all categories. If you’re…
There’s no question that Southern California is the epicenter of food retail innovation right now. From the widely reported upon opening of Whole Foods’ 365 concept in Silver Lake to Aldi’s impressive West Coast push, Southern California seems the place to look for new ideas….
When news broke Friday that Walmart plans to test the delivery of groceries via Uber and Lyft, Forbes retail contributors had some sharp reactions. We decided to evolve our email debate into a round-robin of posts on the experiment and where it fits in Walmart’s…
It’s no secret that Target has been an e-commerce laggard. One of the main priorities of CEO Brian Cornell has been to significantly increase their investment in technology spend and work to re-accelerate their on-line momentum. The latest quarter suggests that they are beginning to…
After nearly a year of speculation, the first 365 by Whole Foods opened in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. This is a store, not even opened, that has garnered much discussion. The early consensus has been largely negative—this is a risky venture for…
With the relatively dismal retail performances that have been turned in over the past few weeks by companies such as Nordstrom, Kohl’s and Macy’s, Walmart’s strong performance stands in marked contrast. More critically, its arch competitor Target just announced disappointing results and guarded guidance moving…
