The Modern Retail Podcast

On this week's Modern Retail Rundown: Ulta's latest performance shows that beauty sales may finally be decelerating. Retailers like Express, Peloton and Saks have reportedly been late on paying their vendors -- indicating cash flow issues. Finally, there was drama in the food startup space as Momofuku gets litigious with competitors.

Pattern Brands' Suze Dowling discusses the company's successful roll-up strategy focusing on a core consumer named 'Mia'. By prioritizing quality over quantity, Pattern Brands differentiates itself from other roll-up players. Dowling emphasizes the importance of finding synergies within the brand portfolio and remaining grounded in consumer needs. The discussion touches on growth strategies, brand acquisitions, and future retail partnerships.

This podcast explores H&M's journey towards profitability with new cost-cutting strategies, the impact of Wirecutter reviews on small businesses, and Dollar Tree's shift in pricing to attract high-income customers.

Sunday wants to be the DTC brand that powers everyone's backyard.The company first launched in 2019 with lawn care products, but has since expanded to pest control and garden products. While it's available in major retailers like Costco, Walmart, Lowe's and Target, Sunday's business is still 75% direct-to-consumer."To be the outdoor home platform that we want to be, we really need to be able to be across these categories," founder and CEO Coulter Lewis said on the Modern Retail Podcast.He joined and spoke about how the company has grown over the last five years -- as well as what its plans are for the future.One way Sunday is able to keep such a large DTC base is by tailoring its online experience. For example, it has people send in soil samples, which then creates a report on the types of products they need for their outdoor spaces."We actually now have the largest soil database ever created," Lewis said.And that type of program can't be replicated in a store like Walmart. And even the store experience itself isn't ideal -- especially the garden sections filled with 15-pound sacks of dirt and fertilizer where Sunday is usually sold. "When you walk in that part of the store, you smell it from 20 feet away -- it is legacy brands, legacy branding and incredibly confusing and intimidating."With this, Sunday is trying to have its customers opt for a newer brand that looks different than the previous industry leaders. And, have them purchase differently than before. While the company has been growing every year, it still has ambitions to reach new heights."We're still brand new," Lewis said. "Our category, there's been nothing new in half a century -- fifty years of the same. And so, we're growing every year, expanding quickly."Get more from Modern Retail with the daily newsletter, sent out each weekday morning. Visit modernretail.co/newsletters to sign up. 

This week’s Modern Retail Rundown includes a check-in on Nordstrom, with news of the founding family allegedly looking to take the department store private. We also delve into Unilever's ice cream division -- which includes the Ben & Jerry's and Magnum brands -- which may be spun off into a separate company. Lastly, we discuss reports of Shein pivoting into supply chain services.

Ridge CEO Sean Frank shares insights on building a $1 billion brand without VC funding. Discusses product diversification beyond wallets, retail partnerships, and the importance of profitability. Explores challenges of scaling, marketing strategies, and plans for international expansion.

This week on the Modern Retail Rundown: The Body Shop filed for bankruptcy and announced it's closing down all U.S. operations. In a surprise move, Outdoor Voices is also closing all its stores -- with plans to remain an online-only DTC brand. This week also saw a number of C-suite shakeups across apparel and footwear, including Allbirds and Under Armour announcing new CEOs.

Rocco is a DTC mini-fridge company that wants to make people care about the big hunks of steel electronics they have in their homes."Appliance brands don't actually have a brand," said Alyse Borkan, co-founder of Rocco. "I really saw an opportunity to do things differently than [what] the rest of the category was doing."Borkan joined this week's Modern Retail Podcast and spoke about her new brand and how she's hoping to compete with the big players like Frigidaire.Rocco launched last November with one product: a colorful fridge meant to showcase beverages. It works for both wine bottles and cans, and Borkan said the intention is to have an appliance that could complement a home's aesthetic. "People really kind of think about it as a little bar in their living room," she said.It's still early days, but the product does seem to be resonating. Rocco sold out of inventory two weeks after launching. Ever since, the company has been playing catch up with fulfilling orders, but plans to be fully stocked and ready for more expansion in the next few months.But Rocco isn't only direct-to-consumer. The brand launched in Nordstrom shortly after going live. "We really think this is something that people are going to want to experience in real life before they purchase," Borkan said. Rather than being one of hundreds in an appliance store, Rocco opted to be the only fridge in Nordstrom's furniture section.The plan now is to continue growing -- ideally adding more wholesale partners over the next year. That could mean launching in an appliance store, but it could also mean partnerships with other brands -- especially drinks brands."We're hoping to grow pretty quickly just based on the initial interest," she said.Get more from Modern Retail with the daily newsletter, sent out each weekday morning. Visit modernretail.co/newsletters to sign up. 

This podcast discusses Harry's reported IPO after years of failed acquisition plans, Ashley's acquisition of DTC mattress group Resident Home, and Abercrombie's global growth strategy targeting young customers. The episode delves into the challenges and opportunities in the beauty, grooming, and retail industries, highlighting trends in revenue diversification and the evolution of brands to appeal to new consumer generations.

Sustainability has become such a big buzzword in retail, but Époque Evolution co-founder Nancy Taylor thinks there's a better word for the work that needs to be done."I was truly passionate about trying to do things in the responsible way," she said. "So we took the word sustainable out of it and we used the word responsible."That word has guided the Époque Evolution business since it launched in 2018 as a direct-to-consumer fashion brand. Her company was acquired by the Montreal-based Lolë, best known for its athleisure products.Now, Taylor is the vp of design over the entire umbrella company Lolë brands, which involves having all the various lines -- Lolë, Époque as well as Lolë's mass-market apparel line -- work together.Taylor joined this week's Modern Retail Podcast and spoke about the transition from DTC startup to living under a bigger brand, as well as the perks of working with more resources.Get more from Modern Retail with the daily newsletter, sent out each weekday morning. Visit modernretail.co/newsletters to sign up.