Bagable Media

NEW: With a name that can fool you into thinking it’s a new type of candy, “Sticki Rolls” has caused a stir in the toy industry and a frenzy among tech-loving kids. Plot twist: It’s not a confectionery and there’s absolutely no tech in it. Read the full latest story on Bagable.com?? https://lnkd.in/e626YrAS #toys #innovation The Toy Association #smallbusiness Sky Castle Toys

With Joann going out of business, nimble local craft stores are ready to capture more business from the DIY generation, including handmade-loving GenZers. Amy Craft Ahrens, who runs her family's quilt and yarn business - The Busy Thimble - in Bowling Green, Ohio told me she isn’t surprised by Joann’s demise. “I think it’s emblematic of a situation in retail in general where some of these big box stores haven’t been able to make the adjustments they need to meet their customers where they are, and they’re struggling,” she said in an interview with Bagable.com. "It’s one thing that I love about small business, that we can be nimble and change on a dime,” she said Thank you to Neil Saunders and Julie Craig for sharing your insights. Read FULL story on Bagable.com?? https://lnkd.in/eV9sYe6e #joann #retail #bankruptcy #genz #clothes #diy #smallbusiness #smb

New from Bagable.com??China tariffs: An opportunity for this Idaho toymaker's 3D-printing setup Paul Young, who owns a small-scale toy business in Idaho with a wildly successful product — thanks to TikTok — has analyzed the potential impact China tariffs could have on his young business. He’s concluded that rather than being fearful, he should be excited. “For my company, tariffs could be an opportunity,” Young said in an interview with me for Bagable.com. Here’s why. Read the FULL story on Bagable.com ?? https://lnkd.in/eY4E3X4n #tariffs #china #madeinusa #manufacturing #toys #3dprinting

To its superfans, ALDI USA can do no wrong with whatever it sells — bottled beverages, canned vegetables, fresh produce, bags of snacks, or even toys. Aldi, the popular low-priced grocery chain that’s spreading across America’s neighborhoods at a furious pace, come out this month with a line of kids’ playsets inspired by its own store. There’s a pretend checkout lane with a toy cash register, plenty of toy grocery food sets, Aldi food crates and shopping bag, and even a mini Aldi shopping cart. The collection caused a stir across social media. But one item is especially coveted — the Aldi toy shopping cart. Read the FULL story ?? #toys #retail https://lnkd.in/eWMPPEea

Walmart, which has nearly 5,000 stores in the United States, has a new approach to reaching more shoppers. It just bought an entire mall. With this purchase, Walmart now becomes a first-time mall landlord. The retailer hasn’t divulged details about its plans for the mall, or why it made the purchase, but industry watchers are pegging it as a shrewd strategic move. Read the FULL story on Bagable.com ?? https://lnkd.in/eMxrD8rt #walmart #malls #retail ICSC Walter Holbrook Steven Cegielski Burt Flickinger

NEW: Easter is a very big deal for Curtis McGill and Scott Houdashell, inventors of the ‘Eggmazing Egg Decorator,’ a battery-operated toy with a unique spinning action that lets kids color eggs with markers in a mess-free way. “Over the past six years, we’ve been the No. 1 toy on Amazon leading into Easter,” McGill said in an interview with Bagable.com. “Last year, for three weeks ahead of Easter, we sold an Eggmazing Egg Decorator every six seconds on Amazon, 24 hours a day.” While this should be the most exciting time of the year for the toymaker, McGill is concerned and anxious for two reasons — the new 10% US tariffs on Chinese imports and the ongoing surge in egg prices. Both issues directly impact his business. Read full story ?? https://lnkd.in/e2tX52Yu #tariffs #toys #eggprices Hey Buddy Hey Pal

NEW from Bagable.com: The past couple of weeks have been harrowing for California resident, Thea Creasy, a devoted animal advocate and caretaker. As she personally tries to come to terms with the enormity of the destruction caused by the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, she can’t dwell too much on her own loss because so many other lives depend on her to stay strong. “January was quite the month for me,” said Creasy, who runs both a pet care business and a non-profit animal sanctuary that houses horses, goats, pigs, chickens, a donkey, guinea pigs, and a few foster dogs. Many of the animals are rescues in deep need of rehabilitation and love. What Creasy desperately craves is to catch a break. But the hits keep coming. Read the full story ?? https://lnkd.in/eADPJ4UH #californiawildfires #california #animalrescue #gofundme #wildfires Parija Kavilanz Paris Hilton

NEW: Broccoli + shrimp + chips are your best bets for keeping food costs down for this year's #SuperBowl party. If you’re hellbent on reining in your Super Bowl party food costs this year, be ready to mess with tradition, at your own risk. Prices for some must-have game day menu items — chicken wings, avocados, carrots, cherry tomatoes and beer — are up versus the same time a year ago. But, prices have dropped on several other popular snacking and drinks options. Hosts can try to keep a lid on the overall party budget if, for instance, they’re willing to sub out more wings for shrimp and avocados for plenty of broccoli. Read more on Bagable.com ?? https://lnkd.in/eZpHJwhy Wells Fargo #food #foodprices Parija Kavilanz

New from Bagable.com: While TikTok’s future in America has turned into a guessing game, there’s a US-based competitor nipping at its heels and gaining momentum. Whatnot, launched in 2019, has quickly grown into a leading live-streaming shopping marketplace in North America and Europe. Whatnot said two-thirds of its sellers earn more than $10,000 per month through livestream selling and that one in four sellers reported making more than $300,000 annually. In early January, Whatnot announced it raised $265 million in new funding, bringing its valuation to nearly $5 billion. We spoke with Armand Wilson, Whatnot’s vice president of categories and growth, about the future of livestream selling and Whatnot’s growth. Read the full story on bagable.com ?? https://lnkd.in/etcnzZZi #liveshopping #livestreaming #retail #tiktok

A thought: A new Coors Light ad flaunts an obvious typo. Legit error, or by design? Coors Light unveiled a new ad for the beer brand on Monday that promised the beverage — at first glance — would be a little bit different. How about some “Mountain Cold Refershment?” The ad was prominently displayed in New York City’s Times Square, on billboards in Toronto and featured in a full-page spread in The New York Times. But a glaring typo appeared in it, which the brand blamed on a case of the Monday blues. Given that “there is no such thing as bad publicity," was this typo really accidental, or by design? #marketing Read more ?? https://lnkd.in/evfbjfxu