The Weekly Closeout: REI to shut on Black Friday, Claire’s releases Roblox expertise merch

Listen to the article
8 min

This audio is auto-generated. Please tell us when you’ve got suggestions.

It’s been one other week with way more retail information than there may be time within the day. Below, we break down some issues you could have missed through the week, and what we’re nonetheless enthusiastic about.

From Simone Biles starring in a pet meals marketing campaign alongside her French bulldogs to the CFO of CVS taking a go away of absence, right here’s our closeout for the week.

What you could have missed

J.C. Penney salutes first responders with curated assortment

J.C. Penney is highlighting its curated assortment of sturdy males’s and girls’s style in what’s calls “The Workshop” in honor of first responders, the company announced Thursday in a press launch.

Just in time for National First Responder’s Day on Oct. 28, the division retailer chain is “celebrating the resilience” of the group by spotlighting its highest-rated and most sturdy merchandise impressed by the group, per the discharge. Easy-care denim and on-and-off-duty work boots are examples of the choices, the corporate mentioned in a press release.

A portion of the gross sales shall be matched by J.C. Penney with a donation to the American Red Cross from Oct. 27 to Nov. 2. Eligible first responders can obtain a ten% low cost in shops throughout the identical interval.

CVS’ CFO takes a go away of absence

Shawn Guertin, CVS’ chief monetary officer and president of well being companies, will take a leave of absence as a result of household well being causes. Guertin has been within the function of president of its well being companies section — which incorporates main care supplier Oak Street Health and home care firm Signify Health — for one month. CVS introduced a company-wide restructuring initiative in August after earnings fell 37% yr over yr within the second quarter. 

Senior Vice President of Corporate Finance, Tom Cowhey, will step into the function of interim CFO throughout Guertin’s absence. Mike Pykosz, CEO of lately acquired Oak Street, has been named interim president of well being companies. Pykosz will tackle the president function along with his present duties.

Foxtrot opens sixth D.C.-area retailer

Building out its footprint within the nation’s capital, Foxtrot this week opened a retailer in Washington, D.C.’s Logan Circle neighborhood, in response to particulars emailed to Retail Dive.

The location, which formally opened to the general public on Wednesday, marked the comfort retailer chain’s sixth within the District and ninth retailer within the DMV space, together with shops in Rosslyn and Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, and Bethesda, Maryland.

The firm presents a wide range of merchandise, together with ready meals, groceries, wine, private care merchandise and extra. In a separate announcement, Foxtrot mentioned it partnered with Ty Haney’s power drink model, Joggy, to deliver the model to shops for the primary time. Haney, the founding father of DTC activewear model Outdoor Voices, launched Joggy final yr.

Retail Therapy

Claire’s brings Roblox characters to actual life

Claire’s is releasing a limited-edition collection of plushies and merchandise primarily based on its digital Roblox expertise, ShimmerVille.

The assortment brings the corporate’s digital Roblox pets to life, that includes 5 mini ShimmerVille plushies and equipment akin to notebooks, a stationery set, a mini backpack and extra. The plushies include a particular QR code to access the digital model of every pet, per a Wednesday press launch.

“As now we have developed ShimmerVille, now we have taken it from one dimension within the lives of our customers and remodeled it into ownable IP that may exist in a number of dimensions,” Kristin Patrick, EVP and chief advertising officer of Claire’s, mentioned in a press release. “Through the launch of ShimmerVille bodily merchandise and pets, we’re increasing on this distinctive fairness with new methods to spark our customers’ imaginations and participation.”

Simone Biles companions with pet meals model

Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles has partnered with pet food brand Nulo for its first nationwide marketing campaign known as “Fuel Incredible,” in response to a Wednesday press launch. Nulo’s marketing campaign is concentrated on its product’s diet advantages by leveraging athletes as a strategy to promote the notion of “world-class fuel.”

The marketing campaign options Biles alongside along with her French Bulldogs, Lilo and Rambo. The content material shall be featured throughout channels together with social, digital, CTV, out-of-home and digital-out-of-home.

“Pets rely on us to make the best decisions for their health and happiness, including what we choose to put into their bowl every day,” Biles mentioned in a press release. “As an athlete, I’ve come to understand the significance of fueling my physique with the correct diet, and I really feel the identical means in the case of feeding my dogs, Lilo and Rambo.

What we’re nonetheless enthusiastic about

$3.5 billion

That’s how a lot pharmacy retailer Rite Aid is getting — $3.45 billion to be actual — in debtor-in-possession financing from a few of its lenders after submitting for Chapter 11 chapter Sunday. Rite Aid on Tuesday mentioned a chapter court docket decide authorised the financing.

Rite Aid can be seeking to promote practically 100 retailer leases and fee-owned properties in 12 states. The firm mentioned in court docket paperwork that unprofitable shops impede the corporate’s progress and turnaround initiatives.

The firm had about 45,000 staff, 2,111 shops in 17 states and 7 distribution facilities when it filed following weeks of hypothesis on how it could take care of over $3 billion in debt. 

See also  Humane Society of Elkhart County in requirement of cat providers

$250,000 

That’s how a lot Dollar General is donating this yr to the American Red Cross Disaster Responder Program, in response to a press launch. As an extension of their partnership, the retailer mentioned its donation will help restoration efforts after following pure disasters.

Dollar General has supported the Red Cross since 2001 with greater than $8 million in company donations and in-store collections following hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires and different disasters.

What we’re watching

REI tells staff to take a hike on Black Friday

For the eighth consecutive yr, REI plans to close on Thanksgiving and Black Friday and provides its 16,000 staff a while off to get pleasure from time outdoor whereas encouraging everybody to do the identical.

REI introduced final yr that its annual Opt Outside initiative would turn into an ongoing, everlasting, worker profit. Each yr on Black Friday, REI closes its shops, distribution facilities, exercise facilities, name facilities and headquarters. Customers can nonetheless place on-line orders however processing and success gained’t begin till the subsequent day.

REI can be utilizing the initiative to name consideration to assist cross the Outdoors for All Act. The pending federal laws would safe funding for inexperienced areas in underserved areas. “Eight years ago, we asked everyone to join us in ditching the chaos and mass consumerism of Black Friday and instead spend the day outside,” mentioned REI CEO Eric Artz. “But for tens of millions of individuals residing in America, the invitation to Opt Outside isn’t so easy. We’re dedicated to altering that.