The Week in Retail: July 19, 2024 edition

Welcome to The Week in Retail, a weekly roundup for marketers from Quad Insights that covers the latest must-know news surrounding the retail space.

Sephora just announced the return of its largest event of the year, SEPHORiA, which will take place Sept. 27-28 at Atlanta’s Pullman Yards. Centered around a “Beauty Funhouse” theme meant to celebrate “a spirit of joy, surprise and discovery in beauty,” per a company statement, the event will feature more than 30 brands — from Rare Beauty to Yves Saint Laurent — as well as more than 50 brand activations, including classes, social content opportunities, access to beauty experts and more. General admission tickets are currently $135, while VIP tickets — which include access to a VIP lounge, early entry and other perks — are $420. (Prices are set to increase beginning Aug. 15.) SEPHORiA will be followed by global activations in Paris, Shanghai, Rio de Janeiro and Dubai in the fall.

Walmart has launched a new campaign designed to create awareness of its supply chain, with a focus on the farmers behind its produce offerings, Progressive Grocer’s Bridget Goldschmidt reports. The retailer’s “American Farmers” initiative tells the stories of growers such as “America’s Apple Queen,” Kait Thornton, from Washington state and Sarah Frey of Frey Farms (which grows watermelon and pumpkins) in Keenes, Illinois. The retail giant has plans to expand the campaign, which appears on Walmart.com product pages, to cover meat and seafood suppliers as well, Goldschmidt reports.

Previously: “Walmart creates new crowdsourcing program to spur sustainable packaging innovation,” from the June 7 edition of this column.

See also: “Walmart adding Mr Gatti’s Pizza in stores” (Grocery Dive)

Nestlé’s Nespresso brand is in the process of opening boutiques across the U.S. to attract consumers seeking an immersive coffee experience, Food Dive’s Christopher Doering reports. Created to be more experiential than the brand’s existing retail locations — of which it has 36 — the new stores, Doering reports, include a “taste and discovery area,” a theater for hosting master classes, a recycling center and more. The first boutique opened July 5 in Austin, Texas, with additional locations planned for later this year and 2025. The move is meant to be a brand differentiator: “It’s a vehicle to really bring to life that competitive difference,” Nespresso North America CEO Alfonso Gonzalez Loeschen told Doering.

Whole Foods just announced plans to expand the presence of its small-format Daily Shop concept ahead of the opening of its first location in New York City’s Upper East Side neighborhood this fall, Grocery Dive’s Peyton Bigora reports. The first Whole Foods Market Daily Shop will feature “a variety of fresh, seasonal produce, prepared foods and essential grocery items,” as well as a Juice & Java café, in a space a quarter to half the size of a traditional Whole Foods location, which average 40,000 square feet, per a company statement. The Amazon-owned grocer noted that it will add two additional New York City locations — one in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood and another to be announced later — before taking the concept nationwide, Bigora reports.

See also: “Too Good To Go teams up with Whole Foods” (Modern Retail)

With the back-to-school shopping season upon us, Old Navy has announced that, for the second year in a row, it is offering a one-year guarantee on all school uniform apparel, per Chain Store Age. The Gap Inc. retailer will offer a full refund (with receipt) on any designated products that “don’t stand up to the wear and tear of a school year.” Old Navy is also offering teachers a 10% discount on purchases made between July 5 and Sept. 9.

See also: “Deloitte: Back-to-school shoppers focused on value over retailer loyalty” (Chain Store Age)

Retail trends:

• “Survey: Consumers heading to stores for back-to-school shopping” (Chain Store Age)
• “Holiday Shopping Heats Up Early, According to Bazaarvoice Report” (Sourcing Journal)

Retail launches and partnerships:

• “Family Dollar, IBG Team To Launch New Haircare Line” (Store Brands)
• “‘Cherished’ tween brand from the early 2000s comes back at Kohl’s after 15 years – fans call it a ‘dream come true’” (The U.S. Sun)

Retail operations and expansions:

• “Dollar Tree rotacart deliveries reach 600 stores” (Retail Dive)
• “Target’s New Store Openings in July” (Progressive Grocer)
• “Amazon AI chatbot Rufus is now live for all US customers” (TechCrunch)
• “Ace Hardware reaches 5,000 U.S. locations; will open 200 new stores in 2024” (Chain Store Age)
• “Amazon Fresh to open new store in suburban Chicago” (Supermarket News)
• “Macy’s ends buyout talks with investor group, shares slump” (Reuters)
• “Indochino set to open 5 new stores this summer” (Retail Dive)
• “Hallmark to Debut Upgraded Streaming Service with Retail Store Tie-ins” (Retail TouchPoints)
• “Walgreens Expands Nice! Private Label Assortment” (Store Brands)
• “Meijer Takes Tech-Forward Approach to Back-to-School Shopping” (Progressive Grocer)

Retail launches and partnerships:

• “Pacsun steps into men’s activewear category” (Fashion Dive)
• “iHerb partners with The Vitamin Shoppe” (Drug Store News)
• “New Balance partners with the WNBA as the brand looks to grow in women’s sports” (CNBC)
• “Macy’s relaunches Epic Threads private label” (Retail Dive)

Retail campaigns and promotions:

• “Athleta goes big for its Olympics campaign with first national linear TV ad” (Marketing Brew)
• “Apparel, footwear retailer taps athletes for ‘Sport for Life’ ad campaign” (Chain Store Age)
• “FreshDirect Rolling Out ‘Fresh Week’” (Progressive Grocer)

Retail performance:

• “Walmart builds wide lead among US retail media networks, report finds” (Retail Dive)
• “Apparel sales strong heading into the back-to-school season” (Retail Brew)
• “Walmart, Instacart promotions boost delivery sales” (Supermarket News)
• “Online grocery sales rise in June fueled by delivery and ship-to-home” (Chain Store Age)