Forever 21’s recovery after its bankruptcy in 2019, has been a major challenge for CEO Winnie Park, as we recently reported.

While a big part of Park’s efforts have involved targeting Gen Z and tapping into the brand’s core millennial consumer, as Park previously told us, another aspect of it has been reinvesting in brick-and-mortar stores and integrating sustainability while keeping costs low.

In speaking with Retail Brew, Park broke it all down.

How are you revamping the physical stores for this new era at Forever 21?

The physical presence of the store really was about very large stores, where you fill them up with product and for us, you need to help the customer really navigate through storytelling. For instance, we’ve converted all the front of stores into what’s called a Now Trending Pad. And we like the term “now trending,” because it really is about your social feed. You want to look at what’s trending, and bring that experience to the front of the store in a physical format. And that Now Trending Pad literally turns every two weeks—the newest trend, the hottest looks, we drop it in, it evaporates, we move on to the next thing. It’s 360-degree storytelling where it’s not just ready to wear, but if it’s a festival moment, we’re going to have the amazing accessories, cosmetics, makeup, and color looks. We’re going to have amazing footwear to kind of dress you head to toe and engage one experience. So that’s one of the big changes.

Keep reading here.—JS

For their new Dreams Sunset perfume launch, Coach dreamed big. The goal: high engagement rates with a young, trendy audience. They knew they needed influencers to get them there, so they teamed up with the experts for influencer and creator programs at Studio by impact.com.

The results: a launch surpassing the industry benchmark by a whopping 18% .

To create an authentic relationship with their target audience, Coach partnered with influencers of different backgrounds, followings, and content styles. And their fresh approach paid off—the influencer campaign snagged Coach a reach of over 2.3m. With Studio by impact.com’s guidance, Coach’s campaign:

• boosted organic reach to 327k
• increased engagement by 4.5%
• generated 117 pieces of influencer content

Check out the full case study.

Retailers spent the month of May saying hello to new CEOs (and a few other C-suite roles, too). Here were May’s most notable retail executive hires and promotions:

• Trader Joe’s said its CEO Dan Bane is stepping down from his role in July after 25 years with the grocer. President and COO Bryan Palbaum is set to take over as chairman and CEO.
• Panera Brands promoted José Alberto Dueñas, Einstein Bros. Bagels’s president and CEO to the CEO role at Panera Bread, effective July 1, as the company readies to go public. Its current CEO, Niren Chaudhary, will shift to board chair.
• Pacsun co-CEO Brie Olson is becoming the retailer’s sole CEO starting June 15, with fellow co-CEO Mike Relich retiring from the role and moving to the vice chair spot.
• The Vitamin Shoppe announced Lee A. Wright, its interim CEO since January, will take on the position permanently. It also promoted Muriel Gonzalez, EVP and chief merchandising and marketing officer, to the newly formed president position.
• Oatly named global president Jean-Christophe Flatin to the CEO role, while Toni Petersson, its CEO since 2012, will serve as co-chair. Flatin joined the oat-milk maker last year after 30+ years with candy giant Mars.
• Ben & Jerry’s CMO Dave Stever, who joined the company as a tour guide at its Vermont plant in 1988, was promoted to CEO of the ice cream giant. He fills the spot vacated by Matthew McCarthy, who retired after five years in the role.
• Joann president and CEO Wade Miquelon retired after seven years with the company, with Chief Customer Officer Chris DiTullio and CFO Scott Sekella leading in the interim.
• Allbirds co-founder Tim Brown transitioned from the co-CEO role to become the brand’s chief innovation officer.

Keep reading here.—EC

“Two’s a coincidence, three’s a trend,” or so the old saying goes.

Unfortunately for the retail industry, layoffs have been very much a trend dating back to the beginning of the year. In January alone, retailers cut 13,000 jobs, a 3,225% increase over the year prior.

As companies prepare for a potential recession, many retailers are opting to pare down their workforces, and in some instances, shut down brick-and-mortar operations entirely in an effort to cut costs.

Here’s a quick look at the most recent layoffs and their impact:

Last week, The Container Store announced a reduction to roughly 15% of its support center staff and 3% at distribution centers and stores. In its latest earnings report, annual net sales of $1 billion were down 4.3% YoY, and 15% in Q4 to $259.7 million.

At the end of April, Gap said it would lay off 1,800 workers across the company, particularly those who work for corporate and hold leadership positions at regional stores. The move is part of an operational streamlining of the business that looks to save $300 million.

Keep reading here.—KM

Today’s top retail reads.

Sky high: Prices for oil, raw materials, and transportation have fallen, but companies are still keeping their own prices high in an effort to cushion profits, which could continue to make inflation a major issue for consumers. (the New York Times)

Smooth ride: One of the worst things about going to amusement parks is the waiting, but Six Flags has recently become the first amusement park operator to pilot Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology, which could help with that problem. (Modern Retail)

Sick of it: On Wednesday, Amazon’s corporate workers staged a walkout to signal a lack of trust in the company’s leadership. Some employees say morale at the company has never been lower. (CNN)

Plan without pressure: The era of flying blind with business decisions is over. The Brew’s Quarterly Planning Sprint will change how you plan strategically and ensure your business runs smoother than ever. Sign up now.

A li’l luxury: From being sent entire product lines to sippin’ on bubbly while you browse, Retail Brew explores the varying luxury shopping experiences and expectations around the globe. Sponsored by Square.*

^{*This is sponsored advertising content.}

The numbers you need to know.

Graduation season is in full swing, summer’s basically here, and people are gearing up for…back-to-school shopping?

It may seem insane given it’s only the first day of June, but the back-to-school shopping season seems to start earlier and earlier every year, and 2023 should be no different.

• Inflation and high prices aren’t (and really can’t) drive consumers away from back-to-school shopping: 96% of consumers say they’ll shop this year, according to a recent survey from Cint.
• Nearly two-thirds (62%) of consumers are going to shop for clothes, while 72% said they’ll be shopping for school supplies.

Big-box retailers seem to be a little bit more popular for back-to-school shopping than online retailers: 59% of consumers said they’ll shop at stores such as Target and Walmart, while 39% said they’ll check out Amazon.

+1: Facebook appears to be where retailers should be putting their marketing dollars. It’s the leading social media platform for shoppers (34%) to notice back-to-school advertising.

Catch up on the Retail Brew stories you may have missed.

• How virtual beauty try-on tech has evolved, and where it’s going next
• Restaurants are seeing higher average lunchtime checks
• E-commerce price optimization is key to operating an online store