Dave Kimbell

𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞... A recent RetailWire discussion ponders whether Walmart can take on Trader Joe's with its latest private brand launch, bettergoods. My take was that the brand seemed more Target-esque (shades of Good & Gather) and that it was about time Walmart upped the ante with a "better" private brand in grocery. This weekend, I headed to the freezer to grab my new favorite plant-based ice cream only to find I was out of it. Keep in mind that 1. I'm plant-based but wasn't always. I know the standards analogs need to meet. 2. I've been hitting this ice cream several times per week. It's rich, not too sweet, with a perfect consistency, even after days in the home freezer. 😋 I started backtracking to remember where I bought it. Was it Whole Foods? Fresh Market? I remembered the bright green packaging...very "Target" - that must be it (my more frequent jaunts to Target for plant-based goods still surprise me). I wasn't completely sure so I headed to the recycle bin. Mystery solved. It was - Walmart's "bettergoods" plant-based ice cream. 😯 Well played, Walmart. Well played! ✅ 👏

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#HotTake: Retail stores aren’t a shortcut to success. Retail offers bigger POs, visibility, and cash flow Yet, it doesn’t ensure brand sustainability Case in point: JLo Beauty Despite celeb status and prime placement at Sephora, She faced challenges resulting in a US exit Retail alone doesn’t secure loyalty or repeat sales Placement isn’t guaranteed forever For lasting success, think beyond the retail PO Some markers of a sustainable brand include: Authenticity, community, differentiated formulas, and true fans Building a lasting brand legacy requires more than a retail presence – 👋🏾 Hi, I’m Monique, a former retail buyer turned beauty industry advisor who helps emerging brands ready to scale at big retail. If you are ready to scale and invest, book a discovery call, and let’s see if we can work together.

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For CPG’s selling through national chains is easy but investing in local independent businesses is a better way to create a new generation of loyal local customers. Since these merchants know their customers (and their kids) they can create a real world personalized experience that transcend the digital world. #phygital #personalization

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As we enter Q2 of 2024, I have been asked about key trends relative to the current strength of the consumer in the U.S. Despite headlines showing endless resiliency, we have seen some softness in purchasing behavior on the consumer front, especially in January and February, with a rebound since March.   Q1 also brought dynamic changes in the consumer goods sector's M&A landscape. Key highlights include:   Health Focus: Significant deals like Medbase's acquisition of Zur Rose Group reflect a growing emphasis on health and wellness. Luxury and Efficiency: Firms like Tapestry are strategically acquiring to enhance luxury portfolios and operational efficiency. Tech Integration: Investments in AI and digital capabilities are driving better consumer engagement and operational agility. Strategic Consolidations: Companies are optimizing their portfolios by focusing on core areas and divesting non-core assets. Global Investments: Cross-border M&A remains strong, targeting regions with high growth potential.   Despite economic uncertainties, these trends show the sector's resilience and strategic focus on long-term growth.   #ConsumerGoods #MnA #BusinessStrategy #HealthAndWellness #DigitalTransformation

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Kohl’s Corp. has partnered with Instacart to offer same-day delivery from all of its 1,172 U.S. stores. Customers can now receive Kohl’s merchandise in as little as an hour through Instacart, with pricing matching in-store prices and the ability to accumulate Kohl’s Rewards. Kohl’s is categorized as an Apparel & Accessories retailer by Digital Commerce 360 and offers a variety of products, including home decor, skin care, and pet items, all available through Instacart. Kohl’s is No. 23 in the Top 1000. The database is Digital Commerce 360’s ranking of the largest North American online retailers Kohl’s Corp. reported net sales declined in both its fourth quarter and fiscal 2023 ended Feb. 3, 2024. Q4 net sales declined 1.1% to $5.7 billion, despite an extra week of trading this year compared to Q4 2022. Kohl’s saw growth in net income. Online sales declined 10% in the quarter but improved as the quarter progressed, with December and January sales only down "mid-single digits" year over year. Instacart's partnership with Kohl’s is part of a series of agreements with retailers, including Hy-Vee and Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. (AWG), to offer same-day delivery and expand delivery capacity. Additionally, Instacart announced a partnership with Uber to deliver Uber Eats orders to Instacart customers. #kohl's #instacart #samedaydelivery

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Great article by Siro! If you are in retail and have interest in private brands, this is a fabulous summary of recommendations for how to innovate and drive engagement with shoppers. #dunnhumby

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Getting into a retailer like SEPHORA is a huge accomplishment. Once small brands get that initial yes they quickly get hit with the reality that they are in direct competition with 100s of other companies. Some of that competition is going to be multi-national companies that spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to support their brand’s success in Sephora alone. Indie brands cannot compete with that kind of financial power. It’s one of the reasons I support the merchandising effort this retailer has done under The Next Big Thing. The section highlights many of the new entries coming into the retailer. It gives a collective nod to the underdogs. It also becomes a pivotal benchmark for how much product will be sold from those shelves. Products that do well in this section...stay in the store. Products that do not sell well in this section....get discontinued from the store. I encourage customers to seek out The Next Big Thing sections in Sephora. There are separate sections for skin care and hair care in each store nationwide. Black and brown founded brands are being highlighted here. They must be supported to survive. #IndieBeauty #BlackBeautyBrands #Sephora

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Ulta Beauty's recent Q1 earnings report highlights a significant shift in the beauty retail landscape, suggesting that the industry may be entering a period of moderation following years of explosive growth. While Ulta saw a modest 3.5% increase in net sales and a 1.6% rise in comparable store sales, these figures represent a slowdown compared to previous quarters. CEO Dave Kimbell attributed this deceleration to intensified competition and changing consumer preferences. Despite new brands and strong engagement with luxury products, Ulta experienced mid-single-digit declines in makeup sales, a sign that last year's growth surge is tapering off. This shift is not unique to Ulta; the broader beauty sector is grappling with similar challenges, as indicated by rising competition from online platforms like Amazon and successful in-store collaborations such as Sephora within Kohl's. Do the trends Ulta reference point to a potential industry-wide slowdown as inflation and economic pressures mount, impacting consumer spending habits even in the resilient beauty category? The phenomenon known as the "lipstick effect"—where consumers continue to purchase small luxuries during economic downturns—appears to be losing some of its protective power. Ulta's strategic adjustments, including lowering annual sales guidance and planning new brand collaborations, aim to regain momentum. However, these measures reflect a broader recalibration within the beauty industry, signaling that even this previously robust sector is not immune to the evolving economic landscape and competitive dynamics. #BeautyTrends #UltaBeauty #CosmeticsIndustry #MakeupSales #EconomicImpact #BeautyMarket #ConsumerTrends #RetailGrowth #InflationImpact #LipstickEffect

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An article in The Business of Fashion on "Fashion's Golden Opportunity With Older Shoppers"... Is total and complete BS. There is an opportunity across ALL shoppers. Dividing them up by descriptors that have been used for decades is just not going to cut it anymore. While teaching fashion marketing at Fashion Institute of Technology last Fall, there were modules on generations and how they spend, how they consume information, etc. I had to add caveats to each statement in the textbook because you can't make these types of assumptions anymore. This is an old school way of marketing. We can't put customers into these buckets anymore as there are so many other data points to consider. The affluent customer shops at Walmart, Target and Costco Wholesale. The tech boom will go through another cycle and you will have more younger customers with disposable income. Resale luxury is bought by Gen Z to the boomer. Generalizing is a wasted effort and it's what gets retailers in trouble with excess inventory to irrelevant product assortments. The customer has evolved across generations and we need to stop generalizing to avoid marketers look at the data in just 1 way. #retail #retailnews #fashion #fashionmarketing #bof

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Great insights from a recent article on Franchising.com! Contrary to common belief, consumers prioritize factors other than price when making purchases. According to the article, product/service quality (65%), convenience (58%), excellent customer service (53%), and brand reputation (45%) outweigh price for more than half of consumers. Interestingly, economically pessimistic Baby Boomers place even greater emphasis on these factors, with 77% prioritizing quality, 66% favoring convenience, 56% valuing customer service, and 54% considering brand reputation more important than price. You obviously need great quality food and/or products but most importantly the way you treat your GUEST, is the most important thing. How they feel when they are interacting with you and your team is paramount

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Albertsons Media Collective, the retail media arm for Albertsons Companies, has debuted Collective TV. According to the company, the solution unlocks the combined value of retail media and TV, providing advertisers with a modern currency for targeting, measuring and optimizing campaigns across streaming, digital video and soon linear TV. Despite the fast-paced growth of digital video ads, Albertsons Media Collective pointed out that the pathways for running connected TV (CTV) campaigns alone are varied and complex. Agencies, networks, streaming publishers, identity solutions and ad tech platforms have built silos for planning, executing and measuring CTV campaigns. | Progressive Grocer https://lnkd.in/giaREQN9 #retail #supermarkets #grocery #digital #retailmedia #video

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No two brands are the same, no two strategies will work for everyone. No theory or instrument of technology works for every brand the same. No merchandising, marketing, buying or supply chain principles can help a brand that is not properly connected with the market. If you had a dollar for very idea chased because it looks good, feels good you would have millions. The biggest hurdle for a brand is to simply belong and have a place in the minds and hearts of consumers. It’s not easy and that’s why so few occupy the number one, two or three market positions in all industries. But there is room for a lot of retailers the key is to being trusted and consistent in product, service and communication. However, if it’s number 1,2 or 3 you want to play in you will have to work a lot harder. However, we all need to be aware it is going to get much tougher to stay in business, the 50-60% that live paycheck to paycheck and debt, they are looking for value. Another 20% are fundamentally able to live a little bit better and can spend more. The other 20% can be broken down into financially sound, wealthy and wealthier the latter being the top 1%. The numbers will change but not how you think. That 60% may become 70% you see what this last run with inflation has done its created a bigger gap with affordability. And it is a global phenomenon. I am former C level executive, current board chair, advisor, investor and public speaker. I enjoy helping businesses and leaders improve their potential to win in the marketplace. I bring real world experience to the table. #retailing #strategy #ceo #technology #innovaiton #economy

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Here are some interesting stories from the world of retail for Tuesday, June 4: 👕 Consortium Brand Partners is nearing a deal to acquire Outdoor Voices, the maker of athletic apparel. The deal is occurring through an assignment for the benefit of creditors, known as an ABC. 🧑🏼‍🦽 Anthropologie will introduce its first foray into adaptive apparel via a collection of eight of its existing bestsellers reworked to better fit the lives and needs of members of the disabled community. 👩🏼‍⚖️ Washington state has agreed to pay law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP up to $2.5m for its work on the case to block Kroger's $25bn acquisition of rival grocer Albertsons. The state filed the lawsuit in January. 🥦 What many consumers don't usually associate with today's food co-ops are low prices. However, changing values and economic pressures have pushed natural food co-ops to focus much more on affordability. 🚚 Nordstrom has promoted Alexis DePree to chief operating officer. DePree joined Nordstrom four years ago as executive vice president and chief supply chain officer, after stints at Amazon and Target. 🍌 Banana Republic is debuting a more elevated look at its remodeled New York City flagship store. The 17,000-sq.-ft. two-story space has been redesigned in collaboration with architect and interior designer Noa Santos. 👨🏻‍💻 Retailers hate that you buy things on your laptop. People often prefer bigger screens and keyboards for pricier purchases���but merchants have more levers to pull on mobile, notes The Wall Street Journal. 🤖 Amazon is using artificial intelligence to scan items for defects before they are shipped. The tech uses a combination of generative AI and computer vision technologies to help uncover defects before products are dispatched. 🍞 Could that slice of Kroger brand carb-conscious bread really contain only 30 calories? The answer, according to a new lawsuit filed by a pair of California prosecutors, is no. 📉 SpartanNash sees weaker results as sales to Amazon plummet. The grocery wholesaler and retailer recorded declining net and comparable-store sales during Q1 for the second quarter in a row. 🇬🇧 The UK's retail sales inched higher in May, rising 0.7% according to the British Retail Consortium. Food sales boosted the headline improvement, while non-food sales were lower on year. 🎶 Spotify is testing the loyalty of its customer base by raising prices for the second time this year as it aims to become more consistently profitable, sending shares higher in early trading. 📈 Neel Kashkari, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, said consumers would rather see the economy fall into a recession than to continue to suffer the pain of soaring prices. 🍤 Rubio's Coastal Grill, citing rising business costs, abruptly shuts down 48 restaurants in California. The move came two months after the state’s $20 an hour minimum wage took effect for fast-food employees. #retail #retailnews #economy #DailyRetailNews

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As the landscape for financial solutions evolves, it’s crucial for #CPGbrands to find reliable and flexible funding options that align with their growth trajectories. With the recent news of Ampla facing some challenges, we want you to know, if your CPG brand is navigating through these changes and looking for funding, Kickfurther is here for you. At Kickfurther, we understand the unique challenges faced by growing CPG brands. And we offer an innovative financing solution that puts you in control of your brand with flexible payment options and funding when you need it. Reach out to us today to see how we can help. #kickfurther

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As a lifelong retail merchant, I'm going to potentially have a stroke if the retail media continues to report sequential month-over-month results as an indicator of anything. Year-over-year results are indicative of true performance, with the caveat of a shift in a key seasonal event like...I don't know, perhaps Easter...that will impact the natural trends in consumer purchase behavior. In good news, inflation appears to continue to be cooling...good news unless you are trying to convince your buyer that a price increase you took previously should not now be reversed. Good luck with that, by the way... #retailmerchandising #retailsales #inflation

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Are retailers moving fast enough as they build out retail media? Are they setting themselves up to be self-sufficient? Get ready for part 2 of our #RetailMedia series on the Middlemen...we talk about how retailers have begun the process of in-housing their technology, and their slow slide toward becoming digital publishers. Why is it happening slowly? Because display ads on retailers never really worked. We also cover Costco's launch of its Off-site retail media offering, and how (this part is a rant) unsophisticated press coverage is stuck treating all retail media capabilities as one monolithic thing, and holding back an understanding of the business. Some shout outs to Mark Williamson of Costco Wholesale and Michael Halverson of Albertsons Media Collective in this episode as well as a lot of talk about the rise, fall and dispersion of talent from Quotient to the rest of the retailers and vendors who are building out retail media. Spotify https://lnkd.in/esFZiWqY Youtube https://lnkd.in/eW_uHuKZ

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Putting yourself in the shoes of your dream retailer can yield an understanding for their priorities. Each year, major U.S. retailers open a crucial window to evaluate new and established brands. This is your golden opportunity to pitch to buying teams. Retail Insight: Product resets in retail are both time-consuming and costly for retailers. Store teams continue to do the things they always do: – Restocking shelves – Serving customers – Maintaining store cleanliness Buying teams are also inundated with extra work: – Creating new blueprints for stores to lay out the new items – Meeting with 100+ brands that all have exciting newness to share – Landing on a strategy that will yield growth Major resets also involve: – Printing new shelf labels – Rearranging product placements – Managing discontinued items – Communicating big bets and strategy from corporate to stores These resets can evoke mixed feelings among retail teams: • Excitement about new products and the potential growth they bring. • Anxieties over the additional workload. Why am I sharing this? Because timing is important, you get one window annually to pitch your brand at big retail. So when you approach the retailers treat it like this is your one shot. Prepare your pitch → Nail it. Share your brand purpose → Inspire them. Understand what it takes to be successful →  Make them believe in you. Take this opportunity to show buyers all of the things your brand has done. Shine bright. PS - Have you pitched to a retailer? Share your experience in the comments. – 👋🏾 Hi, I’m Monique, a former retail buyer turned beauty industry advisor who helps emerging brands ready to scale at big retail. If you are ready to scale and invest, book a discovery call, and let’s see if we can work together.

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After 25 incredible years consulting with giants like Kohl's, Walmart, and Scheels, I've genuinely appreciated the dynamic world of retail marketing. Every day presents a new challenge and a fresh opportunity to connect with consumers. In retail, marketing isn't just a part of the business—it's the heartbeat. The need for constant innovation keeps us on our toes, and if we don't adapt quickly, the consequences are immediate. This high-stakes environment is the ultimate training ground for any marketer looking to hone their skills and make a real impact. #RetailMarketing #MarketingLife #BusinessGrowth

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