Tariffs hit Mattel, M&A news from Skechers and DoorDash and a look at Mother's Day flower delivery with Bouqs
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.
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48:52
GLP-1 shakeups, the 'Cowboy Carter' effect and the fallout of bird flu
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.
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45:17
M&A slowdown, Walmart's beauty play and how a U.S. manufacturing boom could create a more circular economy
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.
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41:05
Luxury earnings, behind-the-scenes at Chinese factories, and the unexpected industries that tariffs are hitting hard
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.
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56:01
Marketers sound off on tariffs and retail strategies, plus how Hanna Andersson built its loyalty program
On this week's episode of the Modern Retail Podcast, the staff is going deep into modern marketing strategies.
First up, executive editor Anna Hensel and senior reporter Gabriela Barkho talk about what was top of mind for executives at the Modern Retail Marketing Summit. Tariffs -- and how to respond to them -- were a hot topic of discussion. Marketers batted around ideas like adding a tariff surcharge to orders, pressing pause on some collaborations to save resources and taking a surgical approach to cutting SKUs. In some cases, they are still pushing forward on marketing spend while competitors pull back.
Speakers from brands like Oura, Chobani and Bark also talked about their approach to growing their retail businesses, as they use insights from their DTC business to inform their pitch to retailers, and use their wholesale businesses to introduce themselves to new types of customers.
Then, in this week's featured segment (19:42), Hanna Andersson's chief customer officer, Lisa Perlmutter, talks about how the premium children's apparel brand built its first-ever loyalty program.
The Modern Retail Podcast is a podcast about all the ways the retail industry is changing and modernizing. Every Saturday, senior reporters Gabi Barkho and Melissa Daniels break down the latest retail headlines and interview executives about what it takes to keep up in today’s retail landscape, diving deep into growth strategies, brand autopsies, economic changes and more
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