The Modern Retail Podcast

Liquid Death is masterful at going viral. But the man leading its marketing team doesn't like it described as such. "I hate the word viral," said Dan Murphy, svp of marketing at the canned beverage brand Liquid Death. In his mind, it's not precise enough. Liquid Death, by all accounts, is a viral product. Its very concept is meant to make people laugh and share. The company is best known for its c...

This week’s Modern Retail Rundown starts by unpacking why price cuts are drawing shoppers back to Target but not Macy's. Next, Peloton is slowly digging itself out of the red through price cuts and new revenue-generating initiatives. The company's latest strategy is to charge a $95 activation fee on pre-owned bikes and treadmills purchased through resale marketplaces. Finally, Chick-fil-A is repor...

Walmart is heavily investing in new technology and trying out new programs and processes to be more consumer-friendly. Helping lead this charge is Jon Alferness, the big-box retailer's chief product officer. What does Walmart's chief product officer do? In his words, he "[acts] as a nexus point to bring together [employees across teams] -- whether it's folks in design, engineering or business scie...

This week’s episode of the Modern Retail Rundown unpacks the latest retail sales in the U.S., which were better than expected. Next, beauty brands are self-funding their businesses and seeking government loans as venture capital dollars dry up. Finally, the team discusses takeaways from this year’s eTail East conference in Boston.

Nail salon and nail care brand MiniLuxe wants to make its employees "mani-millionaires" through franchising. MiniLuxe has been around since 2008, but in the last year has introduced a new model to open more locations via franchising. Right now, the company has a little over 20 locations around the U.S., but it has plans to increase that by the thousands via franchising. Its co-founder and CEO, Ton...

This week’s episode of the Modern Retail Rundown kicks off with a Reuters report of Mars allegedly looking to acquire Kellanova, the parent company of Cheez-It and Pop-Tarts. Over at resale platform ThredUp, the company has made the decision to pull out of the European markets and focus on its U.S. business. Finally, employees at an Apple store in Maryland receive their first union contract two ye...

Revo is not a new company, but it's now in the process of reintroducing itself to more people. The performance eyewear brand first launched in the '80s selling fashionable sunglasses with science-backed sun protection. Over the years, the brand got sold to many big players, including Ray-Ban and Essilor Luxxotica. But in 2018, an eyewear company called B. Robinson -- with the help of some outside...

On this week’s episode of the Modern Retail Rundown, the staff begins with a recap of some food establishment earnings, which include growing sales at Chipotle and Starbucks' continued slump. This week also saw Etsy’s announcing its first-ever membership program to incentivize shoppers with perks. Finally, a new report from Semafor outlines how former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is still indirect...

Nespresso's U.S. marketing strategy is about going beyond the coffee machine. "We, first and foremost, are a coffee brand," said Jessica Padula, Nespresso's vp of marketing. She joined the Modern Retail Podcast and spoke about the brand's growth plans in the U.S. Nespresso has had retail locations for years. But the brand -- best known for its pod-based coffee brewing system -- has always tinkered...

On this week's episode of the Modern Retail Rundown the staff starts out with an analysis of the pending Kroger and Albertsons merger, which is now on hold. This week also saw LVMH-backed L Catterton reportedly approaching toy maker Mattel for a potential acquisition. Finally, Amazon returns are overwhelming retail drop-off points like UPS and Staples -- so much so, the store employees now refer t...

Tecovas wants to be more than just about cowboy boots. The nine-year-old company has big plans to become a high-end Western wear lifestyle brand. "Initially, it sort of was known as the Warby Parker of cowboy boots, if you will," said CEO David Lafitte on the Modern Retail Podcast. "We've tried to sort of migrate the positioning of the brand into more of a premium lifestyle brand." Lafitte -- who...

On this week’s Modern Retail Rundown, the staff discusses the numbers behind this year's Prime Day, and what people bought during the two-day Amazon sales event. Following that, we’re talking about Limited Too’s comeback as it relaunches in Kohl's this week. Finally, mall-based retailer Pacsun is expanding further into activewear with a new men's athleisure line called ARC.

A little over a decade ago, energy drink brand Celsius was being delisted from many of its retail partners. Now, it's become one of the hottest beverage companies on the market. According to CEO John Fieldly, it took time and effort, but the company was able to rebrand itself as a lifestyle beverage associated with health and wellness. When it first launched, "it was positioned as a negative calor...

On this week’s Modern Retail Rundown, the staff discusses the latest funding round raised by NA beer company Athletic Brewing in an effort to meet demand. Meanwhile, Nike announced it's bringing former executive Tom Peddie back to be vp of marketplace partnerships as the company refocuses on wholesale. Lastly, in September, Costco is raising its annual membership fee by $5 -- the first increase si...

Lucky Energy wants to take on the Red Bulls and C4s of the world. The company's drink line, Lucky F*ck, launched last year and has been slowly building out its distribution. It's now available in around 2,000 store doors in Texas and California and is also sold on Amazon. According to CMO Hamid Saify, the strategy of growing Lucky Energy has been to get people's attention. Thus, the name of its pr...

On this week’s Modern Retail Rundown, the staff discusses Amazon's next move to compete with cheap marketplaces like Temu and Shein. The Information reported this week that the e-commerce giant is planning to launch a program for sellers to ship cheap goods directly from China. This week, the Fancy Food Show also took place in New York City, and we review some of the buzziest trends from the event...

Babylist is making moves to be more than just a registry for soon-to-be parents. The company has been building a media business over the last four years, becoming its fastest-growing revenue stream. "The original business model was affiliate," said Lee Anne Grant, Babylist's chief growth officer. "So it was working with a ton of different retailers and getting paid a commission. And then, fast for...

On this week’s Modern Retail Rundown, the staff discusses what May's slowdown of U.S. retail sales could mean for consumer spending -- and, in turn, the economy. Meanwhile, Amazon aggregator Thrasio lays out its comeback plan after filing for bankruptcy. Lastly, the team talks about updates at the subscription vitamin brand Care/of, which was acquired by Bayer in 2020.

Venture studio Squared Circles has lofty plans to launch the next big health, wellness and food products. The project first began a little over three years ago when Lukas Derksen, who hailed from the creative firm Sid Lee, began angel investing in brands alongside entrepreneurs Alexander Gilkes and Osman Khan. One of its early investments was in the hair wellness brand Nutrafol. They decided to fo...

On this week’s Modern Retail Rundown, the staff starts off discussing Shein's strategy to quietly raise its prices ahead of its anticipated IPO. Meanwhile, TikTok Shop is beginning to compete with Google and other platforms by testing a new image search. Finally, a new report by The Vitamin Shoppe shows a spike in sales of nutritional supplements like protein and meal replacements thanks to the ri...

Most people don't think about the brand behind their disposable plates, but Repurpose is trying to change that. The company, which is now sold in major retailers like Kroger and Costco, makes eco-friendly disposable products like plates, cups napkins, trash bags and toilet paper. While its prices are competitive, they still are at a slight premium to foam and plastic players. "It just felt like, w...

On this week’s Modern Retail Rundown, the staff discusses the latest changes at Shopify, including the reported sunsetting of Shopify Plus branding. Meanwhile, after five years of trying to grow Walmart Health, the retailer shut down the health-focused business after reportedly losing nearly a quarter of a billion dollars. Lastly, better-for-you soda brand Poppi is facing a class action lawsuit in...

Online resale may be a hot retail buzzword now, but ThredUp has been around for over a decade building out its business. This week on the Modern Retail Podcast, ThredUp CEO and co-founder James Reinhart spoke about rising demand for resale and how the platform has expanded its offerings. Not only does ThredUp have its own marketplace business, but the company has been building out its resale-as-a-...

On this week’s Modern Retail Rundown, the staff discusses how Hoka went mainstream in the last few years and how the company's roadmap will cater to this newfound customer base. Meanwhile, Amazon Prime is facing pressure from memberships like Walmart+, prompting the company to constantly expand its included perks. Lastly, store brands and private labels continue to see growth as Americans trade do...

Century 21 was an iconic New York off-price store that is now trying to return to its former glory. After filing for bankruptcy and shutting down all 13 of its locations, Century 21 reopened its lower Manhattan locations. "We are, in fact, an iconic legacy piece of New York, and we're happy to be back," Larry Mentzer, the retailer's chief operating officer, said on the Modern Retail Podcast. Mentz...