The Modern Retail Podcast

On this week’s Modern Retail Podcast, senior reporters Melissa Daniels and Gabriela Barkho Barkho kick things off with a look at Constellation Brands’ declining beer sales. The Modelo and Corona owner is facing tariffs and weaker demand from its large Hispanic consumer base, which makes up half of its U.S. sales. Later in the episode (9:27), Modern Retail’s e-commerce platforms reporter, Allison S...

On this week's Modern Retail Podcast, senior reporters Melissa Daniels and Gabriela Barkho begin with a rundown of this week's news. Kicking things off is an analysis of Unilever's $1.5 billion acquisition of men's personal care brand Dr. Squatch. Next is a look at DTC bedding brand Parachute closing the majority of its stores to refocus on e-commerce and core products. Finally, a roundup of all t...

On this week’s episode of the Modern Retail Podcast, senior reporters Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels break down the latest May retail sales data and explain what it signals about consumer sentiment heading into summer. They also get into announcements from big CPG corporations like Kraft Heinz and General Mills about eliminating artificial dyes in U.S. products amid the "Make America Healthy...

On this week’s episode, Modern Retail’s senior reporters Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels discuss two major topics shaking up the retail world. First, they dive into Labubu dolls, which suddenly seem to be everywhere. They explore how the viral phenomenon started and why it is driving big-ticket resale purchases. Then, they dive into recent news around the state of employment in the retail indu...

On this week’s episode, Modern Retail reporters Gabriela Barkho and Julia Waldow discuss several retail headlines from the past week. First up is the steep drop in Temu’s U.S. user base, prompted by the end of the de minimis loophole. Meanwhile, this year supply chain challenges are plaguing Spirit Halloween, which have caused it to cancel its annual grand opening event for the spooky season. Last...

This week's podcast starts with senior reporters Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels getting into the news of the week. First they look at the changes unfolding at Nike, which is returning to Amazon after six years off the marketplace. It's part of the brand's larger strategy to get back into more wholesale channels, while it is also rolling out price hikes on some of its higher-end items. Then th...

This week's podcast kicks off with senior reporters Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels discussing Klarna's latest earnings, which showed that a growing number of the BNPL service's users defaulting on their loans. In other news, Dockers and The Vitamin Shoppe were both acquired by respective companies. Levi Strauss announced the sale of khakis maker Dockers to Authentic Brands Group for $311 mill...

On this week’s Modern Retail Podcast, senior reporters Melissa Daniels and Gabriela Barkho discuss the acquisition of sanitizer brand Touchland. The startup was bought by Church & Dwight, the personal care group that owns Nair and Arm & Hammer, in an $880 million deal. The staff also discusses the rise and fall of Target in the past couple of years, with the retailer marred by pullback in consumer...

On this week’s Modern Retail podcast, senior reporters Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels discuss the rising challenges toy companies are facing in planning for inventory under Trump’s China tariffs. As Mattel executives said in the company’s quarterly earnings this week, the Barbie maker is trying to future-proof its supply chain to minimize potential price increases. In M&A news, DoorDash annou...

On this week’s episode, senior reporters Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels get into the shakeup hitting telehealth platforms following the FDA’s crackdown on compounded GLP-1 medications — and what new deals between pharmaceutical companies and platforms like Hims & Hers mean for the future of weight-loss prescriptions. Plus, we unpack how Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter tour is driving a spike in Weste...

This week on the Modern Retail Podcast, senior reporters Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels kick things off with a discussion about how mergers and acquisitions in the retail space are going on pause amid widespread uncertainty. Industry watchers are closely monitoring the situation, and some consumer brand investors tell Modern Retail they're “taking a beat” before pulling the trigger on new dea...

On this week's Modern Retail podcast, senior reporters Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels dive into the ins and outs of LVMH's earnings that showed first-quarter sales in the U.S. dropped by 3%. And they discuss how brands and consumers are responding to the rash of videos from alleged Chinese manufacturing hubs that have taken over TikTok feeds. Then, the pair are joined by executive editor Anna...

On this week's episode of the Modern Retail Podcast, the staff is going deep into modern marketing strategies. First up, executive editor Anna Hensel and senior reporter Gabriela Barkho talk about what was top of mind for executives at the Modern Retail Marketing Summit. Tariffs -- and how to respond to them -- were a hot topic of discussion. Marketers batted around ideas like adding a tariff surc...

On this week's episode of the Modern Retail Rundown, the staff gives an overview of what tariffs were announced on April 2, which President Donald Trump called "Liberation Day," and how the retail industry reacted accordingly. Then, a look which companies are trying to throw their hats into the ring to acquire TikTok. And lastly, an M&A streak in the better-for-you space continues as Hershey annou...

Bea Dixon, founder and CEO of plant-derived feminine care brand The Honey Pot, got the idea for her startup in 2012 when she was suffering from bacterial vaginosis. Inspired by a visionary dream that centered around her grandmother sharing a list of ingredients, Dixon went on to start the Honey Pot, which now consists of washes, wipes, tampons pads and more, all containing straightforward, plant-d...

On this week's Modern Retail Rundown, the staff discusses Dollar Tree's decision to offload its struggling Family Dollar segment for $1 billion. Meanwhile, GameStop plans to close a "significant number" of stores as it ponders investments in cryptocurrency. Finally, H&M reported weaker-than-expected earnings this week, pointing to high markdowns and inflation woes.

When Perelel launched its first prenatal vitamin products in September 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic had upended the startup's fundraising plan. Co-founder Victoria Thain Gioia said that rather than launch with splashy campaigns or a big retail entry, Perelel decided to use organic social media posts to help spread the word. For the first year, Gioia answered every customer service ticket personally...

On this week's Modern Retail Rundown, the staff starts off discussing various news from buy-now, pay-later startup Klarna, including the deals with DoorDash and Walmart it struck as it prepares to go public. Meanwhile, Edible Arrangements’ parent company, Edible Brands, launched a marketplace for THC-infused products called Edibles.com. Finally, Nike gave an update on its turnaround plan in its ea...

PopSockets is the leader of what its CEO, Jiayu Lin, likes to call the phone grip category. The company is known for small, retractable circles that come in a  wide variety of prints and colors and attach to the back of someone’s phone, making it easier to grip. But, the company really wants to be known as a lifestyle brand. It’s an inflection point that many accessories brands reach at one point...

This week's Modern Retail Rundown kicks off with news of CVS opening mini pharmacies, as part of an overall plan to scale back its large footprint. Elsewhere, the beauty and skin-care segment is showing signs of slowing sales as brands like Futurewise shut down and Ulta reports weak growth, reflecting softness among U.S. beauty sales. Similarly, apparel retailers like American Eagle are forecastin...

Hair-care startup Crown Affair has had a big couple of years. After launching in January 2020, Crown Affair entered Sephora in 2022. The brand’s profile has grown as Crown Affair’s products have made the rounds on social media, most notably with Doja Cat donning the brand’s hair towel on the 2024 Met Gala red carpet.  This year, the brand aims to do around $30 million in revenue, up from $20 milli...

On this week’s Modern Retail Rundown, the staff discusses the drama surrounding a planned Neiman Marcus store closure in downtown Dallas. Elsewhere, reports swirl that Forever 21 is preparing for a possible bankruptcy, its second in six years. Lastly, Modern Retail looks at the battle that's brewing in the convenience store space as 7-Eleven’s parent company tries to fight off a takeover bid by Ci...

Cleaning company Dropps hit shelves in Target this week, hoping to capture market share in the competitive category by offering a "greener" alternative. And one of the first ways it's hoping to catch shoppers' eyes is with its paperboard, trapezoid-shaped container next to the plastic tubs of laundry and dish pods. "It is paperboard within a sea of plastic," said CEO Alastair Dorward, "and the uni...

On this week's Modern Retail Rundown, the staff discusses news from Target, which announced new partnerships with sportswear brand Champion and eyewear startup Warby Parker. Elsewhere, Starbucks’ latest turnaround move is to pare down its menu by 30% and get rid of complicated drinks. Lastly, we take a look at why one in five Americans are "doom spending" as worry over the economy and trade wars l...

When smoothie brand Bumpin’ Blends made its mass retail debut, it landed in the frozen food aisles of more than 3,100 Walmart, Target and Sprouts stores within a few weeks.  “We went from doing five figures a month to doing six figures a month and seven figures a quarter,” said co-founder and CEO Lisa Mastela. “It was very huge immediately, which was very cool, but also a huge learning curve.”  Ma...