Thanksgiving festivities may have come to an end, but the holiday season is in full swing as we race toward Christmas.

For retailers, that of course means putting up the decor and grand window displays but also putting together key holiday strategies that will resonate with customers today as consumers cut back on spending and chase discounts faced with rising costs.

While luxury as a whole is also seeing the impact of rising prices and reduced consumer spending, luxury off-price department stores like Saks Off 5th are uniquely positioned to meet shoppers’ price-conscious needs.

In fact, when it came to furthering this understanding earlier this year, the company appointed a number of crucial new team members, including Kim Miller as chief marketing and analytics officer and Mara Sirhal as chief merchant and brand officer.

While Miller is focused on boosting the brand’s customer loyalty and personalization focus, Sirhal has been overseeing the buying, planning, and creative departments.

In an exclusive chat, we caught up with Sirhal to understand how Saks Off 5th is approaching the holiday season, its key strategies, and the changing customer.

Keep reading here.—JS

Ready for a quick history lesson? Five decades ago, the retail industry needed an identification system to efficiently move products through the checkout line. The solution was game-changing: barcode technology.

Today, GS1 US® is leading the charge to change the game again with new opportunities to make consumers’ lives easier via barcodes.

They’re working to facilitate the transition from UPC technology to advanced 2D barcodes (such as QR codes) on product packaging that can be accepted at checkout through an initiative called Sunrise 2027.

This transition eliminates the need to place multiple barcodes on product packaging while also improving information sharing between businesses and consumers. It’s a win-win for all.

Ready for the future of retail? Learn more.

As retailers head into the hectic holiday season, they weren’t too busy to switch up their C-suites, with major moves from Bed Bath & Beyond, Kohl’s, and Macy’s, to name a few. Here are the ones to know:

• Bed Bath & Beyond CEO Jonathan Johnson, who had led Overstock as CEO since 2019 and through Bed Bath & Beyond’s acquisition, stepped down from his role after activist firm JAT Capital blamed him for the retailer’s tough financial performance. Bed Bath & Beyond president David Nielsen will serve as chief exec in the interim.
• Kohl’s president and COO Dave Alves left his role after taking it on in April, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
• Macy’s named Sharon Otterman, former CMO at Caesars Entertainment, as its new CMO, filling the space open since May following Richard Lennox’s departure.
• Grocery chain Publix promoted president Kevin Murphy to the CEO role, replacing Todd Jones, who will shift to be executive chairman. Murphy first joined the company in 1984 as a front service clerk before working his way up to president in 2019.

Keep reading here.—EC

After months of speculation, e-comm giant Shein has confidentially filed for a US IPO, CNBC reported.

The company, which is valued at $66 billion, hired Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, and Morgan Stanley as lead underwriters, and while Shein has yet to officially confirm the news, it could start trading on public markets as early as 2024, according to CNBC’s sources.

Though adjustments are likely, as the company filed its IPO privately, it will make the filing public once all the adjustments with the SEC are final, per CNBC.

The news comes after months of industry rumors around Shein’s potential filing. The path to the IPO, however, has been challenging.

Keep reading here.—JS