Qurate, NRF Expand Small Business Spotlight
The Qurate Retail Group and the National Retail Federation Foundation announced they are expanding their Small Business Spotlight program to support 100 entrepreneurs of diverse backgrounds in 2021.
Web Briefs
Southeastern Grocers Launches IPO
Southeastern Grocers, parent of BI-LO, Fresco y Más, Harveys and Winn-Dixie supermarkets, has launched an initial public offering of 8.9 million shares.
Lenox Designed, Gifted Inaugural Vases
Lenox Corporation designed and gifted the official inaugural crystal vases presented to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at a ceremony in the U.S. Capitol after Wednesday’s inauguration.
IHA Slates Updated Digital Marketplace, New Virtual Events
With The Inspired Home Show 2021 postponed to August, the International Housewares Association is launching several new initiatives — including an updated online marketplace and two virtual events— this winter and spring.
Beverage Industry Expert Hickman Joins Keurig Dr Pepper Board
Keurig Dr Pepper has named former investment analyst and veteran beverage industry strategist Juliette Hickman to its board.
Lori’s Kitchen Store Helps Shift State Fees
Lori Peifer, owner of Lori’s Kitchen Store in Washington, IL, recently helped score a big win for local businesses in her area.
Sycamore Negotiates To Keep Belk Out Of Chapter 11
KKR & Co., Blackstone Group Inc. and other big lenders to department store chain are in talks with the retailer and Sycamore to avoid bankruptcy after the Chapter 11 process proved hard to manage for other retailers during the pandemic, the Journal stated, attributing the information to people in the know.
Kroger Testing KroGO Smart Cart
The Kroger Co. is testing the KroGO, a smart cart with a built-in scale and camera that offers what the company characterized as an easier shopping experience with less contact and faster checkout.
IHA Shares Lessons Learned In Adapting During Pandemic
If 2020 was a year that put flexibility and adaptability at the forefront of retailer and supplier considerations, the International Housewares Association has observed that anyone participating in the home goods sector will face new and ongoing challenges, such as rising costs from many factors, as the COVID-19 pandemic fades.
Homer Laughlin’s Fiesta Adds Twilight To Color Lineup
Fiesta has released its latest color, a luminescent medium shade of blue dubbed Twilight, to its product lineup.
Nordic Ware Expands Cookie Stamp Line
Nordic Ware is adding to its cookie stamp line with the debut of its citrus cookie stamps inspired by fresh citrus imagery.
Office Depot Counters Staples, Open Only To Deal For Consumer Business
Staples recently sent the board of The ODP Corp., parent of Office Depot and OfficeMax, a letter proposing an acquisition and the recipient replied that it would proceed on its own terms, which might include a deal between the two companies covering the consumer-facing side of its business.
UPDATE: Buyers, Vendors Hail Productive Atlanta Market
The Winter Atlanta Market wrapped up yesterday after several days of resurgent buyer traffic, active ordering and an overall affirmation of the value of face-to-face trade shows, according to market officials.
Gourmet Store Tour: A Look Inside Prairie Kitchen Store
Take a virtual tour of Iowa City, IA-based Prairie Kitchen Store, which opened at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
GC Buying Group Marks 40th Anniversary
GC Buying Group is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The buying group works to ensure the success of independent gourmet housewares retailers.
Sigma Beauty Tools Launch As Sephora Exclusives
Sephora is launching a pair Sigma Beauty beauty care products, the Sigma x Sephora SigMagic Scrub and the Sigma x Sephora Brush Cleaning Set Brush Cleaning Set.
Bed, Bath & Beyond Completes Cost Plus Sale
Bed Bath & Beyond has completed the sale of Cost Plus World Market to Kingswood Capital Management, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm, the retailer announced.
Can Walmart, Walgreens Lure More Customers With Financial Services?
At a time when customer acquisition and retention are critical issues, Walmart and Walgreens demonstrate how retailers are looking at financial services as a way to boost customer engagement.
Lowe’s Ellison, Wayfair’s Shah Foretell Tech’s Surging Retail Impact
As part of a seminar at the National Retail Federation’s Big Show Chapter 1, an ongoing virtual event to be followed in June by a now virtual Chapter 2, Marvin Ellison, president and CEO of Lowe’s and Niraj Shah, co-founder and CEO of Wayfair, discussed the development of their companies before and through the COVID-19 pandemic. The retail executives then looked beyond at a future when the application of technology will improve and simplify the consumer shopping journeys and purchase decisions.
NRF Resets Chapter 2 Of Big Show As June Virtual Event
The National Retail Federation, which recently concluded the online first chapter of its 2021 Big Show, said it is shifting Chapter 2 of the show, originally set to be live at New York City’s’ Javits Center the first week of June, to an online event.