Neiman Marcus grand opening, Hudson Yards, NYC - Photo: Neiman Marcus
Which retailer has the brightest business prospects at the start of the new year? Will it be one from the list of retailers that made positive headlines in 2019 or a completely different business that finds the key to consumers’ mobile wallets in 2020?
The past year was a good one for a number of retailers and executives who earned accolades from the press and, in some cases, investors.
Walmart was selected as “2019 Retailer of the Year” by Progressive Grocer. The grocery trade pub honored Aldi the prior year. Jim Dudlicek, editorial director of Progressive Grocer, said in a statement, “Among retailers that sell groceries, Walmart over the past year has been head and shoulders above the pack in the reinvention of routine buying and selling.”
In September, Supermarket News named Giant Foods as “Retailer of the Year” and called out the launch of its new Giant Heirloom Market concept store. Supermarket News’ editors wrote, “Heirloom Market epitomizes that customer-centric approach and gives Giant a vehicle to expand deeper into population-dense, lucrative urban areas.”
Dick's Sporting Goods was named Footwear News' “Retailer Of The Year” as its “move to pull guns from its shelves took a positive turn for business."
Neiman Marcus beat out Selfridges and Bloomingdale’s to be named “Retailer of the Year” by Luxury Daily. The chain earned this distinction for bold moves, including opening its first New York City store, expanding into new categories such as clean and CBD beauty, launching curated collections based on emerging consumer trends, and embracing retail’s evolution with an investment in secondhand retailer Fashionphile.
Target's Brian Cornell was honored as “Top CEO of the Year” by CNN Business for leading a company that was able to manage pressure from Amazon.com and Walmart and find “the right balance between physical stores and digital commerce.”
Kohl's Michelle Gass earned “2019 Executive of the Year” from Retail Dive as well as “CEO of the Year” from BizTimes, the business journal focused on Kohl's home market of Milwaukee. BizTimes praised Ms. Gass’ “outside-the-box approach to an ever-changing retail landscape.”
- Target's Brian Cornell is the top CEO of 2019 – CNN
- Walmart is Progressive Grocer's 2019 Retailer of the Year – Progressive Grocer
- Giant Food Stores named SN Retailer of the Year – Supermarket News
- CEO of the Year: Michelle Gass – Biztimes
- Executive of the Year: Michelle Gass, Kohl's – Retail Dive
- How Dick’s Sporting Goods’ Controversial Move to Ban Guns Proved Positive for Business – Footwear News
- Luxury Daily Awards announced by industry sector – Luxury Daily