The fast-fashion sector, which was built on low-priced, in-and-out collections that have been perceived almost as disposable, has been one of the most distressed in all of retail. Not only were many chains impacted, like the rest of the apparel industry, by consumers turning away from fashion during the COVID stay-at-home orders. They also face […]
Tag Archives | Walmart
Cooking Up Kitchen Collaborations
Most kitchen- and food-related housewares and appliance categories have experienced strong growth over the past year, thanks to consumers’ reenergized interest in cooking during the pandemic. Not surprisingly, a number of new and expanded licensed collections have come to light since the crisis began: This month, actress and talk show host Drew Barrymore and Walmart […]
An Extra Scary Halloween
Halloween, coming up this Saturday, is naturally forcing consumers, marketers, and retailers to adapt their approach for the COVID era. How will that impact sales of Halloween-related products? The National Retail Federation predicts overall spending for the holiday will fall 8%, from $8.8 billion in 2019 to $8 billion this year, although those who do […]
Resale Circles Back
When the pandemic first hit, many observers thought retailers’ resale initiatives, which offer quality second-hand and slightly imperfect apparel and home goods at a deeply discounted price and had been on the rise prior to the lockdown, would be placed on hold for safety reasons. Consumers, they thought, would potentially be concerned about the merchandise […]
Pandemic Products with Partnership Potential
The COVID-19 crisis, for all the disruption and challenges it has brought to the licensing business, has also given rise to some wholly new opportunities. Face coverings are a notable example, of course, with the category going from zero to ubiquitous almost instantaneously. As the pandemic has worn on, additional brand-new categories are springing up […]
A Little Help From Your Friends
A number of retailers have set up programs in which they assist their customers in supporting healthcare workers, their neighbors, or their broader communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. These initiatives are primarily charitable, but they bring marketing and sometimes sales benefits as well: Walmart teamed with NextDoor, a social networking app for neighborhoods, for a […]
To Promote, or Not To Promote
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, many companies put their plans on hold for product launches, marketing and media campaigns, publicity, and the like. But some have decided that an uninterrupted presence in consumers’ minds will help position them for success, or at least survival, once the peak of the crisis has passed. They have therefore […]
Bright Spots in Dark Times
The COVID-19 lockdown has caused steep global sales declines for most consumer products over the last six weeks or so. The impact has been evident across a wide swath of product categories, with the key licensed sectors of apparel, footwear, and accessories particularly hard-hit. There have been some exceptions to the rule, of course, notably […]
Playing to Win
With the holiday season coming up quickly, it seems like a good time to take a look at what toy industry players are doing to position themselves for success. In the midst of a changing retail landscape, evolving leisure time habits among kids, trade and tariff concerns, and other challenges, companies involved in the production […]
Gun Brand Licensing in a Polarized Landscape
By Karen Raugust on October 28, 2019 in Corporate brands, Licensing, Politics/social movements, Sporting goods
Last week, the U.S. government submitted a court filing that assigned responsibility to Academy Sports, a sporting goods discount chain with more than 250 stores in 16 states, for contributing to a church shooting in Texas in 2017. The retailer had sold the shooter the semi-automatic rifle and high-capacity magazine used in the shooting. The […]