Modern Retail Weekly Download

Hello! Introducing the Modern Retail Weekly Download. I’m Cale Guthrie Weissman , the editor-in-chief here at Modern Retail . In this weekly LinkedIn newsletter, I will round up the four biggest stories of the week and explain why they matter and what they mean for the retail industry as a whole.?

There does seem to be a common theme among this week’s stories: retailers are trying to shake things up to stay relevant. Two of our most popular pieces focused on legacy players like 沃尔玛 and Macy's making big changes to attract new customers.?

Here are this week’s top stories.

Macy’s Inc. is opening its fourth Bloomie’s location in New Jersey this fall

It’s no secret that the Macy’s company has been dealing with a myriad of headwinds. At its most recent earnings, revenue fell by 2% year over year and it’s reportedly considering a buyout offer from investment firms ARKHOUSE and Brigade Capital Management, LP .

But even with this in the background, the company behind legacy department stores like Macy’s and Bloomingdale's is focused on opening up new concepts to reenergize growth. One such project is Bloomie’s, the small-scale retail store that’s a more curated version of Bloomingdale’s. Currently, there are three Bloomie’s locations in areas like Fairfax, Virginia, Skokie, Illinois and Seattle. Now, it’s opening up a fourth one this fall in New Jersey.?

It points to the changes Bloomingdale’s – as well as its parent company Macy’s Inc. – is making to try and prove it can reinvent itself while department stores continue to suffer.

You can read the story here.

Hilma enters Walmart as part of the retailer’s new focus on gut health assortment

Even the retailers doing just fine are shaking things up. Walmart, for example, is bringing in hip new startups to upgrade its wellness aisle. Hilma , which makes digestive supplements, is expanding into Walmart. It currently already sells in major stores like 塔吉特百货 and Walgreens .?

On the one hand, it may not seem like a huge deal that Walmart is working with a digestive aid brand. But it points to the big-box retailer increasingly realizing that it needs to refresh its health-care offerings. Major stores like Target have been wooing smaller health and wellness brands in the hopes of making their aisles more compelling than an array of Tylenol and Tums.

And this new partnership with Hilma shows that Walmart is embarking on a similar strategy.

You can read the story here .

Why Ace Hardware is selling its own private-label line of barbecue sauces and seasonings

You don’t think of ACE Hardware as a destination for food. But the retailer may be trying to change that. The company recently unveiled a new line of private-label sauces and seasonings, but they keep with the Ace vibe by being focused on barbecuing.?

It’s another example of retailers doubling down on private labels. They have better margins and present a way for companies to sell products in a more controllable fashion. For Ace specifically, it was a way to upsell customers who were already in the store purchasing gear for outdoor cooking.?

This isn’t a huge strategic shift – don’t expect to see Ace suddenly become a grocery store. But it’s an example of retailers trying to find ways to expand assortment to customers while also keeping ever-precious profitability in mind.?

You can read the story here.

After a Taylor Swift viral lift, Popflex faces off against AI-enabled counterfeits on Amazon & TikTok

Every brand wants Taylor Swift to use its products. But what happens after that can be a nightmare.?

That was the case for POPFLEX , the activewear line founded by influencer Cassey Ho . After Taylor Swift wore one of Ho’s brand’s skorts, counterfeit listings began popping up on 亚马逊 and TikTok . What’s more, the imagery in these listings was eerie and AI-generated. Some of them stole stills from Ho’s posts but took her face out. Others contained twisted and morphed hands – a signature problem of AI images.

But getting these product listings taken down is a game of whack-a-mole. And the moment some get suspended, others pop up. Ho is now speaking out and trying to get the ears of platforms like Amazon and TikTok to crack down on this issue. It’s not only about counterfeits, which have long been an issue on marketplaces. It’s also about IP infringement, as more sellers are using digital tools to alter creators’ photos and videos.?

You can read the story here.