The Labubu craze, retail employment shifts and headwinds in the home goods sector

On this week’s episode of the Modern Retail Podcast, senior reporters Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels break down the latest May retail sales data and explain what it signals about consumer sentiment heading into summer. They also get into announcements from big CPG corporations like Kraft Heinz and General Mills about eliminating artificial dyes in U.S. products amid the "Make America Healthy Again" movement.During the featured segment, they're joined by reporter Julia Waldow for a deep dive segment on the rise of private labels. These days, store brands are not just cheaper alternatives to name brands but trendy and even viral products in their own right. About 40% of shoppers say they buy private labels to save money, and 60% say it's because it's a better value, per a Numerator survey.

On this week’s episode, Modern Retail’s senior reporters Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels discuss two major topics shaking up the retail world. First, they dive into Labubu dolls, which suddenly seem to be everywhere. They explore how the viral phenomenon started and why it is driving big-ticket resale purchases. Then, they dive into recent news around the state of employment in the retail industry, as almost 11,500 retail jobs were cut in May, per Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Then (13:30), this week's featured segment brings together three expert furniture executives to discuss how a historic housing slump is affecting the sector. Daniels leads a discussion featuring Nicole Chaloux-Pinette, head of category management and business development at Perigold; Jiake Liu, co-founder of direct-to-consumer outdoor furniture brand Outer; and Lee Mayer, co-founder and CEO of Havenly Brands. Mortgage rates are at 6.89%, and the National Association of Retailers says April saw month-over-month transaction losses in all U.S. regions. This is a major headwind for furniture companies that typically rely on new home sales to help drive business. While the panelists all run very different businesses, they shared similar strategies around how to serve existing customers, create acquisition opportunities, and invest in opportunities that will lead to growth.

On this week’s episode, Modern Retail reporters Gabriela Barkho and Julia Waldow discuss several retail headlines from the past week. First up is the steep drop in Temu’s U.S. user base, prompted by the end of the de minimis loophole. Meanwhile, this year supply chain challenges are plaguing Spirit Halloween, which have caused it to cancel its annual grand opening event for the spooky season. Last, we look at how the viral dessert Dubai chocolate has infiltrated retailers, brands, and restaurant chains. Later in the episode (18:30), Modern Retail executive editor Anna Hensel speaks with Graham Nearn and Kate Ridley, who respectively are the chief product and sustainability officer and chief brand officer at PMI Worldwide Brands, the parent company of Stanley 1913. Known for its huge insulated Stanley tumblers, Stanley 1913 has appealed to many different types of people throughout its 112-year-history: construction workers, hikers, new moms and more.

This week's podcast starts with senior reporters Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels getting into the news of the week. First they look at the changes unfolding at Nike, which is returning to Amazon after six years off the marketplace. It's part of the brand's larger strategy to get back into more wholesale channels, while it is also rolling out price hikes on some of its higher-end items. Then they look at E.l.f which also is raising some prices and announced plans to acquire Hailey Bieber's skincare and cosmetics brand Rhode, a deal reportedly worth $1 billion. Later in this episode, Barkho and Daniels are joined by executive editor Anna Hensel for a roundtable discussion about the memes and myths around retail recession indicators. They unpack the Lipstick Index and the Men's Underwear Index and whether these informal indexes have any basis in reality as recession indicators. Then they get into some sectors and trends to watch as economic challenges continue to change consumer behavior.

This week's podcast kicks off with senior reporters Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels discussing Klarna's latest earnings, which showed that a growing number of the BNPL service's users defaulting on their loans. In other news, Dockers and The Vitamin Shoppe were both acquired by respective companies. Levi Strauss announced the sale of khakis maker Dockers to Authentic Brands Group for $311 million. The Vitamin Shoppe was bought out by Kingswood Capital Management and Performance Investment Partners for an undisclosed amount. Both sales are examples of struggling retailers trying to find their footing with modern customers. Later in the episode (22:18), Daniels speaks with Liran Golan, the chief supply chain officer at Bansk Beauty that holds hair care brands Amika, Eva NYC and Ethique. They discuss how tariff policy changes can impact brands beyond the duties themselves, with a ripple effect on how brands make, manage and move their product.

On this week’s Modern Retail Podcast, senior reporters Melissa Daniels and Gabriela Barkho discuss the acquisition of sanitizer brand Touchland. The startup was bought by Church & Dwight, the personal care group that owns Nair and Arm & Hammer, in an $880 million deal. The staff also discusses the rise and fall of Target in the past couple of years, with the retailer marred by pullback in consumer spending and boycotts. In this episode, Daniels and Barkho also welcome Michelle Gabe (18:40), the director of marketing and partnerships at IFG, the parent company of King's Hawaiian, Grillo's Pickles, and Killer Brownie. Gabe joins the show to discuss what goes into brands’ collaborations with entertainment franchises and other pop culture moments, especially in film and television. The trend was kicked into high gear during 2023’s summer of “Barbie,” when brands of all sizes went pink. Last year, a similar wave was brought on by the “Wicked” movie. Even prestige TV series are getting in on product tie-ins through brand collaborations, as this past season of “White Lotus” showed. During her previous role at truffle sauce startup Truff, Gabe helped bring these types of partnerships to life, such as a collectibles collaboration with the “Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which garnered a waitlist of 20,000. Here is what she had to say about the best way to approach major IP tie-ins.

On this week’s Modern Retail podcast, senior reporters Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels discuss the rising challenges toy companies are facing in planning for inventory under Trump’s China tariffs. As Mattel executives said in the company’s quarterly earnings this week, the Barbie maker is trying to future-proof its supply chain to minimize potential price increases. In M&A news, DoorDash announced it acquired reservation platform Seven Rooms and delivery service Deliveroo, for $1.2 billion and $3.86 billion, respectively. In other acquisition news, Skechers was taken private by 3G Capital in a $9.42 billion deal, which is said to be the biggest footwear buyout to date. In this episode, Daniels also speaks with John Tabis (19:30), co-founder and chairman of flower delivery company Bouqs on how the floral industry is dealing with tariffs, with Mother's Day right around the corner. They get into the source of florals, and how Bouqs uses its internal technology to navigate high-demand times. Tabis, who is also a venture partner with M13, also got into best practices for companies with global supply chains at a moment of uncertainty.

On this week’s episode, senior reporters Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels get into the shakeup hitting telehealth platforms following the FDA’s crackdown on compounded GLP-1 medications — and what new deals between pharmaceutical companies and platforms like Hims & Hers mean for the future of weight-loss prescriptions. Plus, we unpack how Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter tour is driving a spike in Western fashion and fueling brand tie-ins with Queen Bey's Cécred. Then the team dives into a discussion on how the avian flu outbreak is scrambling the retail landscape. While egg prices are hitting record highs, some shoppers are rethinking their breakfast habits. And companies like Tractor Supply Company and Wayfair are also getting a boost thanks to an influx of interest in backyard chicken coops. Then, Barkho interviews Russell Breuer, co-founder of pet food brand Spot & Tango about how "eggflation" is impacting its supply chain and operations.

This week on the Modern Retail Podcast, senior reporters Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels kick things off with a discussion about how mergers and acquisitions in the retail space are going on pause amid widespread uncertainty. Industry watchers are closely monitoring the situation, and some consumer brand investors tell Modern Retail they're “taking a beat” before pulling the trigger on new deals. The pair also analyzes Walmart's announcement that it's testing out beauty bars in some stores as part of its spring beauty sales event. While a bid to compete with the likes Target and Ulta, it's also a continuation of a strategy to up its a beauty game. It's added more than 40 premium brands in the past year, expanded assortment in our core business, and launched a beauty accelerator program. Then (17:03), in honor of Earth Month, sees Daniels sits down with Rachel Kibbe, the founder and CEO of Circular Services Group (CSG) and American Circular Textiles (ACT) for this week's featured segment. Tariff policy changes are throwing sourcing and supply chain into the spotlight, souring conversations about American manufacturing and near shoring. Advocates for circular manufacturing, or systems that can help material be reused, recycled or remade, see the potential shift to more U.S. factories as an opportunity to stand up this infrastructure. Daniels and Kibbe discuss the promise and pitfalls of circular manufacturing and what it would take to get more infrastructure and industry in place here in the U.S. And Kibbe discusses the advocacy efforts ACT is undertaking in Washington, D.C. They also lay of land of domestic manufacturing, and the challenges that businesses face if they're looking to nearshore their supply chain in an effort to avoid tariffs.

On this week's Modern Retail podcast, senior reporters Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels dive into the ins and outs of LVMH's earnings that showed first-quarter sales in the U.S. dropped by 3%. And they discuss how brands and consumers are responding to the rash of videos from alleged Chinese manufacturing hubs that have taken over TikTok feeds. Then, the pair are joined by executive editor Anna Hensel for a roundtable discussion about how tariffs are affecting some unexpected and disparate categories (18:50). They chat about what they're been hearing from business leaders about how their costs, sourcing and operations are changing -- and so far, it seems no one is spared.