WWD Voices

Last year, Macy’s unveiled its Bold New Chapter initiative with the goal of challenging the status quo. Balancing the art and science of retail, the strategy was informed by comprehensive customer research, and had three distinct tiers: strengthen the Macy’s nameplate, accelerate luxury growth, and simplify and modernize end-to-end operations.  In this episode, which falls during Women's History Month, Lauren Parker, director of Fairchild Studio, chats with Nata Dvir, Macy’s chief merchandising officer Nata Dvir, who is leading the company’s merchandising strategy. Dvir discusses her career trajectory at Macy's, from executive trainee to C-Suite, and how she is helping Macy's challenge the status quo with its Bold New Chapter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whether it be container prices, warehouse demand, port congestion or the automation conversation, the year ahead for retail logistics has plenty of question marks. In this episode, Lauren Parker, director, Fairchild Studio, chats with Glenn Taylor, logistics editor, Sourcing Journal, to get some answers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week’s episode of WWD Voices, Nicole Wegman, founder and chief executive officer of Ring Concierge, a fine jewelry company, joins host Arthur Zaczkiewicz to discuss how her engagement ring shopping experience in New York's Diamond District led to the inception of her business in 2013. Frustrated by the antiquated and high-pressure sales environment, she saw an opportunity to leverage her e-commerce experience to modernize the engagement ring and fine jewelry buying experience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Independent boutiques have always had a place in retail, but the “shop around the corner” can’t always compete against Big Box stores or online retailers like Amazon. But there’s a backlash brewing, and guides to helping consumer shop small are increasing.In this episode, Lauren Parker, director of Fairchild Studio, chats with Caroline Weaver, small business expert and founder of The Locavore Guide on the growing trend of online directories and content platforms powering the shop local movement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of WWD Voices, Arthur Zaczkiewicz, executive editor of strategic content development, welcomes Roger Mayerson, senior vice president and industry principal of apparel and soft goods at Logility — which offers AI-powered forecasting solutions.Mayerson discussed Logility's role in pioneering computerized logistics and demand planning, which has evolved over 40 years. Mayerson explained the concept of demand planning, which involves interpreting “demand signals” to create accurate forecasts and financial plans for retail and wholesale operations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s an inherent problem with much of traditional retail: The more you sell, the more you waste, especially when it comes to beauty, wellness and home items packaged in single-use plastic. In this episode for business hub Retail Rx, Fairchild Studio Director Lauren Parker chats with Jeff Yurcisin, CEO of Grove Collaborative. This purpose-driven retailer has a unique mission: it not only sells eco-friendly items, but under its Beyond Plastic initiative, for every order sold containing single-use plastic, the company scoops up that ocean-bound plastic equivalent from the environment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anthropologie's eclectic mix of fashion and home items, curated around the store for personal discovery, has created a fiercely loyal customer base, with earnings reports to back this up. Now, Anthropologie is taking its consumers on vacation, with the launch of Celandine. In this episode of WWD Voices, Lauren Parker, director of Fairchild Studio, chats with Anu Narayanan, president, women's & home at Anthropologie Group, about Anthropologie’s customer and how she defines and embraces vacation time. "We've been seeing double-digit growth within our swimwear business, and we had also been noticing that the customer was really looking for more vacation lifestyle product from us," said Narayanan. "And this concept really taps into those demands."  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of WWD Voices host Arthur Zaczkiewicz chats with Jeanette Duke, director of marketing at Sky IT Group, about innovations in retail technology. She explains the limitations of traditional Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), particularly EDI 852, which has not adapted to modern retail needs such as detailed insights into sales trends, markdowns, and promotional activities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of WWD Voices, host Arthur Zaczkiewicz met with Rick Strauss and Rich Johnson, principals at Odyssey Retail Advisors, who the current retail landscape and the future of luxury retailing, leveraging the rich experience the duo brings from working extensively in the retail advisory space. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As long as there have been brands and retailers. There's been the need to evaluate their worth, whether for a sale, asset backed loan licensing deal, brand spin off, or in the worst case scenario, liquidation.In this episode of business hub Retail Rx, Lauren Parker, director, Fairchild Studio, chats with Ben Nortman, co-chief commercial officer at Hilco Global, and former CEO of Hilco Merchant Resources LLC about how the landscape for valuations and loans has shifted over the years, and what this has meant for the industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices