The Modern Retail Podcast

On this week's Modern Retail Podcast, senior reporters Melissa Daniels and Gabriela Barkho begin with a rundown of this week's news. Kicking things off is an analysis of Unilever's $1.5 billion acquisition of men's personal care brand Dr. Squatch. Next is a look at DTC bedding brand Parachute closing the majority of its stores to refocus on e-commerce and core products. Finally, a roundup of all the sales retailers are launching to compete with Prime Day(s), including deals from Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Kohl's. Then for this week’s featured segment (20:58), they get into some of the biggest forces shaping retail this year. There's a number of external factors impacting brands, and so many changing consumer behaviors that have led to a challenging environment, with May spending figures showing a slowdown and declining consumer confidence. Daniels and Barkho get into the trends shaping this environment like the deal-hungry shoppers, boycotts and -- of course -- tariff policy.

Julia Waldow, a reporter at Modern Retail, dives into the burgeoning world of private labels, revealing how these store brands are transforming consumer shopping habits. Despite a slump in retail sales, nearly 70% of shoppers are attracted to private labels for better value. Waldow discusses Kraft Heinz’s initiative to eliminate artificial dyes by 2027, showcasing a broader shift towards cleaner products. The conversation also highlights how retailers are leveraging these brands to enhance profitability and attract trend-focused consumers.

Lee Mayer, Co-founder and CEO of Havenly Brands, Jiake Liu, Co-founder of Outer, and Nicole Chaloux-Pinette from Perigold join to discuss the Labubu doll craze and its impact on retail trends. They explore how viral collectibles are reshaping consumer behavior and driving resale markets. The conversation shifts to the retail employment landscape, highlighting significant job losses and challenges in the furniture sector amid a housing slump. Together, they share innovative strategies to adapt, engage customers, and thrive in today’s shifting market.

Julia Waldow, a reporter at Modern Retail, dives into the dramatic drop in Temu's U.S. user base and its implications for the e-commerce landscape. Graham Nearn and Kate Ridley from PMI Worldwide discuss Stanley 1913's evolution, focusing on their successful transition from outdoor gear to modern lifestyle products. They explore the impact of viral trends like Dubai chocolate on brand strategy and consumer engagement. The conversation emphasizes the importance of adaptability and fostering connections with consumers in today's retail challenges.

Anna Hensel, Executive Editor at Modern Retail, joins for an engaging discussion on the latest retail news. Nike is making a comeback on Amazon after six years, along with price hikes on its premium items. E.l.f. Beauty is also raising prices while acquiring Hailey Bieber's skincare line, Rhode, for a whopping $1 billion. Hensel debunks myths around recession indicators like the Lipstick and Men's Underwear Index, revealing how these quirky metrics reflect consumer behavior during economic uncertainty.

This week's podcast kicks off with senior reporters Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels discussing Klarna's latest earnings, which showed that a growing number of the BNPL service's users defaulting on their loans. In other news, Dockers and The Vitamin Shoppe were both acquired by respective companies. Levi Strauss announced the sale of khakis maker Dockers to Authentic Brands Group for $311 million. The Vitamin Shoppe was bought out by Kingswood Capital Management and Performance Investment Partners for an undisclosed amount. Both sales are examples of struggling retailers trying to find their footing with modern customers. Later in the episode (22:18), Daniels speaks with Liran Golan, the chief supply chain officer at Bansk Beauty that holds hair care brands Amika, Eva NYC and Ethique. They discuss how tariff policy changes can impact brands beyond the duties themselves, with a ripple effect on how brands make, manage and move their product.

On this week’s Modern Retail Podcast, senior reporters Melissa Daniels and Gabriela Barkho discuss the acquisition of sanitizer brand Touchland. The startup was bought by Church & Dwight, the personal care group that owns Nair and Arm & Hammer, in an $880 million deal. The staff also discusses the rise and fall of Target in the past couple of years, with the retailer marred by pullback in consumer spending and boycotts. In this episode, Daniels and Barkho also welcome Michelle Gabe (18:40), the director of marketing and partnerships at IFG, the parent company of King's Hawaiian, Grillo's Pickles, and Killer Brownie. Gabe joins the show to discuss what goes into brands’ collaborations with entertainment franchises and other pop culture moments, especially in film and television. The trend was kicked into high gear during 2023’s summer of “Barbie,” when brands of all sizes went pink. Last year, a similar wave was brought on by the “Wicked” movie. Even prestige TV series are getting in on product tie-ins through brand collaborations, as this past season of “White Lotus” showed. During her previous role at truffle sauce startup Truff, Gabe helped bring these types of partnerships to life, such as a collectibles collaboration with the “Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which garnered a waitlist of 20,000. Here is what she had to say about the best way to approach major IP tie-ins.

On this week’s Modern Retail podcast, senior reporters Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels discuss the rising challenges toy companies are facing in planning for inventory under Trump’s China tariffs. As Mattel executives said in the company’s quarterly earnings this week, the Barbie maker is trying to future-proof its supply chain to minimize potential price increases. In M&A news, DoorDash announced it acquired reservation platform Seven Rooms and delivery service Deliveroo, for $1.2 billion and $3.86 billion, respectively. In other acquisition news, Skechers was taken private by 3G Capital in a $9.42 billion deal, which is said to be the biggest footwear buyout to date. In this episode, Daniels also speaks with John Tabis (19:30), co-founder and chairman of flower delivery company Bouqs on how the floral industry is dealing with tariffs, with Mother's Day right around the corner. They get into the source of florals, and how Bouqs uses its internal technology to navigate high-demand times. Tabis, who is also a venture partner with M13, also got into best practices for companies with global supply chains at a moment of uncertainty.

On this week’s episode, senior reporters Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels get into the shakeup hitting telehealth platforms following the FDA’s crackdown on compounded GLP-1 medications — and what new deals between pharmaceutical companies and platforms like Hims & Hers mean for the future of weight-loss prescriptions. Plus, we unpack how Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter tour is driving a spike in Western fashion and fueling brand tie-ins with Queen Bey's Cécred. Then the team dives into a discussion on how the avian flu outbreak is scrambling the retail landscape. While egg prices are hitting record highs, some shoppers are rethinking their breakfast habits. And companies like Tractor Supply Company and Wayfair are also getting a boost thanks to an influx of interest in backyard chicken coops. Then, Barkho interviews Russell Breuer, co-founder of pet food brand Spot & Tango about how "eggflation" is impacting its supply chain and operations.

This week on the Modern Retail Podcast, senior reporters Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels kick things off with a discussion about how mergers and acquisitions in the retail space are going on pause amid widespread uncertainty. Industry watchers are closely monitoring the situation, and some consumer brand investors tell Modern Retail they're “taking a beat” before pulling the trigger on new deals. The pair also analyzes Walmart's announcement that it's testing out beauty bars in some stores as part of its spring beauty sales event. While a bid to compete with the likes Target and Ulta, it's also a continuation of a strategy to up its a beauty game. It's added more than 40 premium brands in the past year, expanded assortment in our core business, and launched a beauty accelerator program. Then (17:03), in honor of Earth Month, sees Daniels sits down with Rachel Kibbe, the founder and CEO of Circular Services Group (CSG) and American Circular Textiles (ACT) for this week's featured segment. Tariff policy changes are throwing sourcing and supply chain into the spotlight, souring conversations about American manufacturing and near shoring. Advocates for circular manufacturing, or systems that can help material be reused, recycled or remade, see the potential shift to more U.S. factories as an opportunity to stand up this infrastructure. Daniels and Kibbe discuss the promise and pitfalls of circular manufacturing and what it would take to get more infrastructure and industry in place here in the U.S. And Kibbe discusses the advocacy efforts ACT is undertaking in Washington, D.C. They also lay of land of domestic manufacturing, and the challenges that businesses face if they're looking to nearshore their supply chain in an effort to avoid tariffs.