Retail Leader Trend Talk

Serving shoppers in Spanish and English, Curacao is one of the largest Hispanic retailers in southern California and growing. The retailer offers a one-stop shop for all things in the home along with apparel, jewelry, toys, fragrances and other lines. In turn, shoppers enjoy Curacao for the treasure hunt through multiple departments, and the financial services the retail offers its consumers.

Retail Leader’s Chief Retail Analyst Elizabeth Lafontaine dives into the trends that emerged throughout the third quarter. Both consumers and the broader retail industry faced obstacles in the back half of the year including soaring debt levels, increased retail crime, M&A activity and consumer focus on value. The third quarter also represents a shift for the retail industry in many ways: the highly promotional back-to-school season comes to a close and retailers and consumers look ahead to the holidays and gifting.

This year, GoodwillFinds has sold nearly a half million one-of-a-kind items and grew its purpose-driven community to an impressive 650,000 weekly newsletter subscribers. The momentum seen in GoodwillFinds signals a larger theme the industry is seeing across the resale industry as a whole.

In July, JCPenney reopened its new corporate offices in Plano, Texas, in the same building where the retailer operated for 28 years prior to the pandemic. JCPenney’s return to its 320,000 sq. foot state-of-the-art facility marked a transformative moment for the retailer as it drives forward a new hybrid work strategy for associates. This month, JCPenney also announced a multi-year, $1 billion reinvestment plan to improve customer experience and operational efficiencies.

Chris Duncan, VP of Consumer Insights at Claire's, discusses the brand's partnership with Super League on Roblox to engage Gen Zalpha. Topics include Claire's marketing evolution, new strategies for ear piercing, the impact of Nicola for MacKety as Creative Director, and staying relevant with Gen Z through loyalty programs and digital integration.

While mass merchants and large grocery chains are always going to be critically important to Ferrero North America’s sales, the dollar channel offers a new avenue for the company to grow. Ferrero has taken on the challenge of showcasing value while also maintaining a premium brand.Retail Leader spoke with Noah Szporn, senior vice president of Nutella at Ferrero North America, about how premium products still can flourish during inflationary times.

In this episode of “Trend Talk,” Retail Leader chats with Adeela Hussain Johnson, the president of travel brand BÉIS. Johnson shares how Mitchell has been involved in the brand since its inception, and how her role has evolved as BÉIS has grown. She also answers key questions facing every DTC brand, including how to best leverage social media platforms and whether BÉIS is planning to open its own brick-and-mortar stores in the future. 

Retail Leader spoke with Tal Zvi Nathanel, the co-founder of Showfields, just after the opening of its latest location in Washington, D.C. The new store, called House of Showfields, is the fifth location for the department store that was founded in New York City in 2019. We dive into experiential retail, why most retail isn’t “democratized” and how in-store technology is key to Showfields’ strategy. 

In this episode of Retail Leader Trend Talk, we’re chatting with Carman Allison, the vice president of thought leadership for North America at NielsenIQ. We’re breaking down the economic pressures consumers are facing this holiday season and how retailers can overcome challenges to keep consumers coming back.