Matt Fifer

Several own brands from Target and ALDI USA are among the fastest-growing private labels in 2025, according to new data from Numerator. ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gdJ4G_Qf #privatelabel #storebrands #ownbrands #retail #grocery

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Dollar General is updating its board of directors following the retirement of Chairman Michael M. Calbert. This week, the discount retailer appointed David Rowland to the leadership role. Full story: https://lnkd.in/e4QpWvvB #dollargeneral #retailnews #foodretail

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Retail spending bounced back in July as consumers sought out summer sales promotions to buy goods before more tariffs take effect, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor, powered by Affinity Solutions, released by the National Retail Federation. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gjdZCi9U

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Is “spray and pray” the best way to approach retailers with your product? Typically, no. I mean on one hand It sounds like a good idea. Just bombard retail buyers via email and hope somebody replies. The reality is, and this is just going by the rough numbers - 95% of the time it doesn’t work. Not very good odds! Methods like this are reserved for those that are getting nowhere with making contact and it’s a last ditch effort and occasionally it can work, but you can’t build a business on it. What DOES work? Cultivating relationships. This means spending the time to find out who the real decision makers are and then sending thoughtful emails. Those emails should not include language like this is the next billion dollar idea or this is better than anything you’ve ever seen before etc. etc. Worse is a retail buyer doesn’t have the time to read a three page backstory of your product and your personal situation. Stuff like that’s a dime a dozen. Perhaps saying to a retail buyer that you’ve built the product that can supplement or complement something they are already selling. That it’s a viable product because you’ve tested it by selling it locally or online and it has momentum. That it offers significant profit margin. That you’ve created a marketing plan to help drive traffic to that particular retailer. That’s the kind of thing they want to hear. And it still doesn’t mean they’re going to respond at least initially. But if you follow up every few weeks and you stay at it…the chances are you will eventually get people to respond. You’re building trust…and a possible relationship!

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As tariffs continue to weigh heavily on the footwear industry, Wolverine Worldwide’s namesake boot brand is leaning into made-in-America product. But according to Mike Maloney, chief product officer for Wolverine Worldwide’s Work Group, the program was planned before President Trump took office for his second term and ramped up tariffs again. “I started at Wolverine back in the fourth quarter and the plans for this program were already in the works,” Maloney told FN in an interview. “Making shoes in any new facility takes a long time, so we’ve been in development.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/eRu4xyXE

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Mark Quinn, Shifman Mattress senior vice president of sales and marketing, talks about the company’s new marketing focus designed to help consumers “feel us as a brand” and value the mattress differently. For more Bedding Insights: https://rebrand.ly/0cu8jxu (Video Series brought to you by #SouthBayInternational)

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Walmart’s release of its 2026 Annual Report and Proxy Statement ahead of its June Shareholders Meeting offers a clear view into how the company is positioning itself for the next chapter of retail. 👉 https://lnkd.in/gVNCVtUR 👉 https://lnkd.in/gsthnF_Z As I step into my new role with NielsenIQ, focused on supporting Sam's Club and its brand partners, this report is especially interesting — not just for what it says about Walmart overall, but for how Sam’s Club continues to contribute to that momentum. 📊 Strong, diversified performance, Walmart delivered: +4.7% revenue growth $150.4B in eCommerce sales +46% growth in advertising ~$42B in operating cash flow These results highlight the strength of a model that now extends well beyond traditional retail. 🏪 Sam’s Club’s role continues to expand With $93B in net sales and a growing membership-driven model, Sam’s Club is an increasingly important contributor to Walmart’s overall performance — particularly as it leans into: - Membership growth and engagement - Digital-first experiences (Scan & Go, curbside, delivery) - Retail media and data monetization 🤖 AI and omnichannel at the core CEO John Furner’s message is clear: 👉 “Artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping how customers shop and how associates work.” This is showing up across the business — from merchandising and supply chain to media and member experience. The bigger takeaway, in my view: 👉 Walmart is not just scaling retail 👉 It’s building a connected, data-driven ecosystem And Sam’s Club is playing a meaningful role in that evolution — particularly in how membership, data, and omnichannel experiences come together. From my perspective, this is exactly where the industry is heading: - Integrated ecosystems vs. standalone channels - Data-driven decisioning at scale - Membership and media as growth engines Looking forward to seeing how this continues to evolve — and to being part of that journey in my new role. #Retail #Walmart #SamsClub #NielsenIQ #RetailStrategy #Omnichannel #AI #RetailMedia #Ecommerce #FutureOfRetail

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Electronic shelf labels, digital screens that display the price of an item, are replacing traditional paper price tags in grocery stores across America https://lnkd.in/emnyh9yf Digital price tags may enable Kroger and other grocery chains to transition to ‘dynamic pricing,’ in which the price of basic household goods could surge based on the time of day, the weather, or other transitory events #retail CNBC

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Here are some interesting stories from the world of retail for Wednesday, March 11: 🏬 Kohl's signaled improvement in its apparel category in the first quarter, but it warned of another year of declining sales overall. For Q4, total sales fell 3.9% and comparable sales were down by 2.8%. 👖 Fabletics is launching its first denim collection, signaling a shift in consumer preferences away from athleisure. The collection, priced between $79.95 and $174.95, will be available online and in select stores. 🤖 OpenAI has scaled back its plans to turn ChatGPT into a fully integrated shopping destination. The company will now abandon processing purchases inside the chatbot. 🧱 Lego has published its full-year 2025 results, with revenues rising 12% to DKr83.5bn ($12.9bn) and operating profit increasing 18% to DKr22bn, while consumer sales grew 16%. 🧴 Olaplex stock has plummeted nearly 95% since its 2021 IPO due to weakened demand, regulatory challenges, and a lawsuit alleging harmful ingredients. Olaplex is now focusing on product innovation. 🥩 Around 3,800 workers at JBS’s beef processing plant in Greeley, Colorado, plan to strike from March 16th, potentially disrupting production at one of the largest US beef facilities. 💰 Amazon has drawn about $126 billion of peak demand for its US bond sale, one of the largest ever for a corporate offering. The demand underscores how investor appetite for hyperscaler debt remains strong. 👔 Hugo Boss reported an annual operating profit of €391m, surpassing forecasts. It confirmed its 2026 outlook and plans to realign its brand and channels, focusing on high-growth categories. 🍧 Costco Canada has introduced a new dessert to its food court menu, the Caramel Brownie Sundae, expanding its lineup of sweet treats that already includes ice cream cones and various sundaes. 🍫 Shares in Swiss chocolatier Lindt & Sprüngli fell yesterday, after the company lowered its 2026 organic sales growth guidance to 4%–6%, down from its previous medium-term target of 6%–8%. 📱 Apple produced about 25% of its global iPhones in India in 2025, assembling around 55m devices, up 53% from 36m in 2024, as it accelerates efforts to reduce reliance on China and avoid US tariffs. 📦 Amazon’s e-commerce business summoned a large group of engineers to a meeting for a deep dive into a spate of outages, including incidents linked to AI coding tools. 🇬🇧 British consumer spending grew slowly in February as households grew more pessimistic about the outlook for the economy with the Middle East conflict raising concerns about a fresh ‌rise in inflation. 🚫 Perplexity AI must for now stop using its Comet web browser agent to make purchases on behalf of shoppers from Amazon's online marketplace, a court has ruled. 🛋️ The Brand House Collective COO, James Schisler, is resigning to pursue other opportunities. Schisler joined the company nine months ago. #retail #retailnews #economy #DailyRetailNews

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AAFA's Executive Vice President, Nate Herman, joins footwear market leaders sharing #SmartTrade perspectives and a clear reminder that, "What the industry needs most in 2026 is greater predictability, including new, non-stacking trade agreements and exemptions for products that qualify under existing U.S. free trade agreements to avoid compounding already high tariff rates." https://lnkd.in/ewnT-_4n

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Paper catalogues may be having a moment. Again! Walmart recently distributed paper catalogues for a number of key categories and they can drive positive ROI. “Paper catalogues are expensive but can be effective if they are extremely targeted by customers based on demographics and category,” says retail analyst Bruce Winder. “Some categories respond better with paper catalogues such as toys where the consumer purchase process involves sitting with kids to review.” Winder notes that Amazon has used this strategy effectively for several years, and so has Target . He also points out that catalogs can be more effective than emails because they sit out in plain sight, whereas emails tend to get deleted, filed away, or ignored. Thanks to Maurie Backman for including my comments in her recent story for TheStreet & Yahoo Finance - see link to the story in the comments.

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NRF: Consumers to return almost $850 billion in merchandise in 2025 The rate that consumers return merchandise to retailers in 2025 will decrease compared to 2024, as will the total dollar value of returned products, according to a report from the National Retail Federation. Data from the NRF and Happy Returns indicates retailers expect consumers to return 15.8% of their purchases in 2025. That’s lower than 2024’s 16.9% returns rate. NRF anticipates consumers returning $849.9 billion in merchandise throughout 2025. #NRF #retail #ecommerce #return #cost #margin #loyalty #merchandise #customerexperience https://lnkd.in/dtTxtd8p

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According to National Retail Federation, May retail sales picked up +4.2% YOY. That compared with increases of 0.9% month over month and +7.11% year over year in April. National Retail Federation's Matthew Shay stated "“The data for May indicates that the pull-forward in consumer demand ahead of tariffs is likely dissipating.” Read on below for insights into what categories won the month: https://lnkd.in/g3CuvTHn

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📈 Kroger’s private label sales rise: https://lnkd.in/gztAtszQ Kroger's Simple Truth and Private Selection own brands continue to outpace national brands. The retailer’s private label growth in its recently closed fiscal year was a factor in its sales growing 2.1% to $34.7 billion in Q4. #Kroger #privatelabel #retail

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