Workplace wellness programs have become popular with the promise that they encourage employees to adopt healthier lifestyles, but a new randomized clinical study is now raising questions as to whether wellness programs are worth the money. Do the JAMA study results cause you to question the investments employers are making in their wellness programs?
Hubert Joly, the architect of Best Buy’s turnaround, is stepping down as CEO and moving to the role of executive chairman of the board. Corie Barry, Best Buy’s current CFO and strategic transformation officer, will take over as CEO and also join the board. Do you expect Corie Barry to make any significant changes at Best Buy as the retailer’s new CEO?
Last week was a good one for Five Below. The youth-oriented discounter reported a strong holiday quarter, announced that it has accelerated its openings for the current year and reiterated its goal to triple its U.S. stores base. How would you describe Five Below’s formula and why is it clicking with consumers?
Think Stitch Fix’s fashion subscription service for kids without the stylist fees and four or five curated clothing items arriving in a box at about 50 percent off. That’s what you reportedly get with a newly announced subscription offer from Walmart.com and its partner, KIDBOX. What do you expect Walmart.com to gain from its partnership with KIDBOX?
Bed Bath & Beyond last week said it is taking a number of steps to reduce its reliance on coupons as a traffic driver in order to shore up profitability. What would be the best way for Bed Bath & Beyond to reduce its reliance on coupons?
Walmart announced another step last week to jumpstart its fledgling online advertising business with the acquisition of digital advertising start-up Polymorph Labs. What do you think of Walmart’s ambition to become a major player in the online advertising business?
At the ProMat materials handling conference in 2017, there was only one company talking about autonomous forklifts. This year, no less than 20 vendors were hyping autonomous lift trucks. And then there were the robots …. What technologies will have the biggest impact on the retail supply chain over the next five years?
In Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos’ annual letter to shareholders, nothing gained as much attention as his call for retail rivals to offer a higher minimum wage than the $15 an hour that Amazon began paying its entry-level workers last year. What do you think Jeff Bezos was looking to gain by challenging retail rivals to offer a higher minimum wage than Amazon?
A number of legacy retailers and classic consumer packaged goods brands are struggling — some exiting the marketplace — despite the pull of nostalgia that might have protected those brands in the past. Has access to online information and social media weakened the traditional bonds consumers have with legacy retailers or brands?
Since the debut of “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo” customers have donated so much clothing that many thrift stores put up limits. However, this doesn’t mean that there aren’t buyers for the influx of merch brought on by Kondomania. How can retailers who are paying wholesale prices compete with secondhand retailers who are getting inventory for cheap or for free?
