I am so excited to be back at it today, so let’s dive in. Below are some of the noteworthy retail headlines you may have missed this past week…
H&M is launching it’s eighth fashion brand this Fall titled Arket. The first location will makes its debut in London, with an assortment that is “simple, timeless, and functional.” Clothing for men, women, and children will be available- as well as household products. Pricing will be slightly higher compared to H&M, and the overall experience of the store is a priority. Which means the addition of external brands and a café have already been discussed as expansion opportunities. I don’t know the international market, so it’s hard for me to speak to this one- but I am excited to see what a more grown-up, timeless aesthetic looks like come Fall.
Honest Co. partnered with MLB to launch “Born a Fan” team diapers- which I am obsessed with! There are currently 6 teams on Target’s website: Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants, and St. Louis Cardinals. Come May 1st the entire collection will be available via the Honest website and select retailers nationwide. A too-cute marketing image is below for reference.
I should also mention that the Honest Co. has a new CEO, Nick Vlahos. He has been with Clorox the past 22 years and is focused on helping the company with innovation, expansion, and distribution. Basically moving Honest Co. into the future as an omni-channel retailer (alongside co-founder Jessica Alba). My hope for the brand is that they remain transparent in terms of their non-toxic, eco-friendly products as they move forward. Building trust for Vlahos will be essential in order to sustain their pricing model and gain market share with new moms.
Crocs launched a new ad campaign today featuring celebrities such as John Cena and Drew Barrymore. I mention this because although the company saw initial success 15 years ago, their financials have been tough as of late. Their most recent fourth quarter sales were down 10% and the company is planning on closing 160 of their 500 stores later this year. So to see the brand trying something new to boost engagement is exciting to me. The actual campaign is titled “come as you are”, and I am pretty sure Crocs is talking directly to their customers and anyone else who ever worried about the brands cool factor. I personally like the sentiment behind it, couldn't love DB more, and I hope it makes Crocs a bit more relevant again. Clearly it caught my attention.
Lastly, in a 2017 survey conducted by Temkin Experience Ratings, Publix Super Markets and H-E-B received the highest scores within the industry for overall customer experience. They came in first and second out of 331 companies, which is a huge accomplishment. So congratulations to these two retailers and your teams. After living in your stores throughout Georgia and now Texas, I am not least bit surprised by this survey!
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Okay, so those are my top 5 headlines for the week, and if I missed anything please let me know. As always, I hope you have a great day and an amazing week ahead…
Born a Fan photo credit: Honest Co. & MLB
