Economic recovery and the prospect of strong retail sales growth were the headline topics at the National Retail Federation’s inaugural State of Retail and the Consumer event earlier this month. But a panel of retail leaders at the event also discussed how their companies intend to deal not just with the economic opportunity ahead, but
Walmart has been America’s largest retailer since 1990, when it surpassed Sears to take the top spot. Retail historians have described Sears as the Amazon of its day, since it pioneered shopping from home long before there was an internet, distributing its “Big Book” catalog by mail to millions of rural Americans with limited access
With the accelerating rollout of vaccines offering reason to hope that the COVID-19 pandemic may soon end and allow life to return to normal again, the question is, what will normal look like? For retailers and their suppliers, that question is normally framed around whether or not consumers will snap back to their pre-2020 shopping
The COVID-19 pandemic has been bad for America and bad for many American businesses, but the end finally appears to be in sight. President Biden has said all adults will be eligible for vaccination no later than May 1, and this month he signed a $1.9 billion COVID-19 relief bill that should give the economy
Although mostly filmed on a Hollywood sound stage, the ’90s sitcom “Mad About You” managed to convincingly evoke the New York City of that era. So it was shocking to watch it the other day and see the main characters bringing their groceries home in paper bags. Were New Yorkers really using paper grocery bags
The COVID-19 pandemic that upended life in 2020 shows no signs of relenting just because a new year and new vaccines have arrived. And while spring and summer are expected to move us in the direction of normal life, there remains the question of what that version of normal will look like. Two new reports
The arrival of a new year can be a time for hope, and that is especially true as the world puts 2020 in its rear view mirror. The approval of two COVID-19 vaccines, with more potentially on the way, will likely mark the beginning of the end for a pandemic that shook the U.S. economy,
Retailers have been among the essential businesses Americans have relied on to help them get through the COVID-19 pandemic, and much of the credit goes to the frontline employees working in the stores. Their efforts will be more important than ever in the coming weeks. Despite the encouraging news that vaccines are on the way,
Fixing the problem of global warming will require more than switching to electric cars and getting our electricity from solar cells and windmills. The entire food supply chain, from farms to supermarket shelves, has an important role to play in climate solutions as well. Recognizing that, FMI – The Food Industry Association has joined the
Tis the season for predictions about just how much consumers will spend on holiday gifts, food and decorations. So far the surveys mostly suggest that consumer spending will tick up, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, although how people will shop and what they will buy will be different this year. One change is that this year’s
The nightmare is that Halloween will prove scarier than usual this year, for retailers at least. Will the threat of a second wave of COVID-19 infections frighten away trick-or-treaters? If so, that could hurt sales of candy, of course, but also of costumes and home decorations. Especially if Halloween parties are another casualty of the
American shopping habits have changed in many ways during the COVID-19 pandemic. People who had not previously tried shopping for groceries online have embraced the practice, for example. And consumers worried about contracting the virus by touching things have helped drive the increased use of contactless payment methods. The big question for retailers is whether