Stores Weekly

First Edition

Chip and Joanna Gaines deliver down-home charm

It was a feat many would have deemed impossible: Chip and Joanna Gaines, the powerhouse duo behind home and lifestyle brand Magnolia, delivered the closing session of NRF 2019: Retail’s Big Show — and the word “shiplap” was never mentioned. Charm, however, was in full supply from the start. The couple regaled the audience with the story of a business built on gut instinct, hard work, a desire to instill hope in others and no small amount of luck.

Visit https://stores.org/2019/02/12/magnolia-founders-deliver-down-home-charm/?utm_medium=STORES%20Weekly&utm_source=Email&utm_campaign=NRF2019&utm_content=Chip%20and%20Jo to view the full article online.

The importance of being human

In 1910, J.C. Hall arrived in Kansas City, Mo., with just an entrepreneurial spirit and a pioneer’s charisma. Since then, Hallmark has built a legacy of authentically celebrating human connections and helping people connect and enrich each other’s lives. During the Student Program’s closing keynote at NRF 2019: Retail's Big Show, Lindsey Roy, chief marketing officer of Hallmark Greetings, took the stage for a session on “Leveraging the Human Connection.”

Visit https://stores.org/2019/01/13/the-importance-of-being-human/?utm_medium=STORES%20Weekly&utm_source=Email&utm_campaign=NRF2019&utm_content=Hallmark to view the full article online.

Conversations about inclusion can't just be 'between women about women'

In 2008, when Diane Dietz was in negotiations with Safeway for the role of executive vice president and chief marketing officer — filling a position previously held by Brian Cornell, now chairman and CEO of Target Corp. — she found herself rationalizing that her pay would be lower than his, probably because she had less experience. This is something women often do — negotiate against themselves — but without a shift in thinking, among both women and the men who support them, not much is going to change.

Visit https://stores.org/2019/01/14/conversations-about-inclusion-cant-just-be-between-women-about-women/?utm_medium=STORES%20Weekly&utm_source=Email&utm_campaign=NRF2019&utm_content=Power%20of%20the%20pack to view the full article online.

Entrepreneurial journeys focus on learning growth

Just as no two companies are precisely the same, neither are two entrepreneurs. At NRF 2019: Retail's Big Show, attendees heard from two completely different personalities during the session “Featured Founders: Entrepreneurial Journeys into Innovation and Commerce.” The thread unifying the diversity of Tim Brown, co-founder of Allbirds, and Michael Rubin, founder and executive chairman of Fanatics? A focus on continuing to learn — and grow.

Visit https://stores.org/2019/01/15/entrepreneurial-journeys-focus-on-learning-growth/?utm_medium=STORES%20Weekly&utm_source=Email&utm_campaign=NRF2019&utm_content=Featured%20founders to view the full article online.

Top of the world

Ian McGarrigle, chair of the World Retail Congress, moderated a pair of back-to-back interviews at NRF 2019: Retail's Big Show in “On Top Of The World: Commanding Today’s International Retail Markets.” Speaking with him were J. Michael Evans, president of Alibaba Group, and Alex Gourlay, co-COO of Walgreens Boots Alliance.

Visit https://stores.org/2019/01/15/top-of-the-world/?utm_medium=STORES%20Weekly&utm_source=Email&utm_campaign=NRF2019&utm_content=Top%20of%20the%20world to view the full article online.

Retail reinvention

In a lively session on the last day of NRF 2019: Retail’s Big Show, Warby Parker co-founder and co-CEO Neil Blumenthal and Tina Sharkey, co-founder and CEO of Brandless, talked about reinventing retail for a new age. The session was moderated by Nicholas Goad, partner and managing director at Boston Consulting Group.

Visit https://stores.org/2019/02/12/retail-reinvention/?utm_medium=STORES%20Weekly&utm_source=Email&utm_campaign=NRF2019&utm_content=Retail%20reinvention to view the full article online.

To see the future, look east

On the final day of NRF 2019: Retail’s Big Show, Harlan Bratcher, global business development head for fashion with JD.com, and Rod Sides, vice chairman and U.S. leader of the retail, wholesale and distribution practice at Deloitte, gave a joint presentation. Sides began by offering some statistics to explain to his listeners just how large, and how rapidly growing, the Chinese retail industry is.

Visit https://stores.org/2019/02/11/to-see-the-future-look-east/?utm_medium=STORES%20Weekly&utm_source=Email&utm_campaign=NRF2019&utm_content=Look%20east to view the full article online.

NRF is proud to provide our members with the online Retail Buying Guide to search for trusted vendors, products and services in the retail industry. Our guide is a user-friendly forum designed to bring suppliers and purchasers together. You can search by keyword, location, company name or category. Available whenever you need it, the Retail Buying Guide makes it easy to locate products and professional services geared to the retail industry. Click here to visit the online Retail Buying Guide! To advertise, please contact Sarah Allen for more information.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/nrf-nwl/articles/index.asp?aid=544748&issueID=64441 to view the full article online.

Trends

Heads up for blockchain

Clothing brand Arketis is trialing a system that uses blockchain to allow customers to track product origins before purchase. The H&M subsidiary is working with blockchain startup VeChain to bring it to life and has made an auspicious start with a wool beanie.

Visit https://stores.org/2019/02/13/heads-up-for-blockchain/ to view the full article online.

The digital edition of STORES includes must-read pieces, including the articles featured here. Read the current issue and browse the archives for issues you may have missed.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/nrf-nwl/articles/index.asp?aid=544749&issueID=64441 to view the full article online.

NRF News

Investing in creativity: Perfume maker Jo Malone is changing the fragrance world again

English “scent maverick” Jo Malone discusses her Jo Loves brand and how she is changing the world of fragrance for a second time on this episode of NRF’s Retail Gets Real podcast.

Visit https://nrf.com/blog/investing-creativity?utm_medium=STORES%20Weekly&utm_source=Email&utm_campaign=Retail%20Gets%20Real&utm_content=Ep%20105%20Jo%20Malone to view the full article online.

Insights into retail’s evolving future

As retail’s re-imagination continues, NRF 2019: Retail’s Big Show served as a barometer of where the industry is headed next, NRF CEO Matthew Shay writes on LinkedIn. Shay outlines trends retail CEOs are watching and how are they adapting to better meet their customers’ needs.

Visit https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ceos-insights-retails-evolving-future-matthew-shay/ to view the full article online.

Retail’s premier tech summit

Held in San Francisco, the heart of tech innovation, NRFtech brings together executives from across the industry for discussions on innovating the customer experience at every touchpoint. Register before Feb. 22 for the lowest rates.

Visit https://nrftech.nrf.com/register?utm_medium=STORES%20Weekly&utm_source=Email&utm_campaign=NRFtech&utm_content=register to view the full article online.

National Retail Federation