The Modern Retail Podcast Ikea teams up with Best Buy, Claire's Chapter 11 and how ChatGPT is upending the customer journey
Aug 9, 2025
Julia Waldow, a reporter at Modern Retail, discusses the revolutionary moves in retail. She highlights Ikea's pilot partnership with Best Buy, aimed at enhancing customer acquisition. The conversation also dives into Claire's second Chapter 11 filing and the pressures legacy brands face today. A key focus is on how AI tools like ChatGPT are transforming the shopping experience, potentially allowing for immediate product checkouts, and shifting the traditional consumer journey in exciting ways. Brands must adapt quickly to stay relevant.
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Ikea's First Third-Party Retail Move
- Ikea's Best Buy shop-in-shop pilot opens a new third-party acquisition channel for the first time.
- The partnership leverages Best Buy's footprint to boost IKEA pickup and in-store discovery.
Mutual Benefits, Different Stakes
- Best Buy likely benefits more immediately from the partnership as it gains fresh in-store offerings during a sales downturn.
- Ikea gains potential customer acquisition and last-mile pickup advantages from Best Buy's national footprint.
Claire's Second Bankruptcy Filing
- Claire's filed for Chapter 11 for the second time in seven years, citing heavy debt and operational issues.
- The company faces liabilities between $1 billion and $10 billion and a coming $500 million payment.