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Retail 2021: The Five Things Retailers Should Be Talking About At NRF This Week

PYMNTS

Every year for the last 110 years , members of the retail trade group, known as the National Retail Federation (NRF), have assembled to discuss the slate of issues pertinent to its members. COVID-19, of course, didn’t cause physical retail’s steep decline — it just accelerated it. Retail is now about logistics and the last mile.

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Why Does The Path To Retail Innovation Go Through So Many Labs?

PYMNTS

It’s not enough to be a retailer these days, not if a merchant intends to survive in a world of commerce dominated by the likes of Amazon and other tech-focused competitors. PYMNTS readers can be forgiven if they view innovation labs (no matter the label) as something that verges on retail fad. New Efforts. Lab Changes.

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Retail Vacancies Spike In New York City

PYMNTS

As New York City ’s vacancy rate has skyrocketed by nearly 50 percent, a report released by City Comptroller Scott Stringer showed that the amount of empty retail space in the city has doubled in the last 10 years or so. percent in 2017, up from 4 percent in 2007, according to Retail Dive. The vacancy rate reached a high of 5.8

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Retail Pulse: 7-Eleven Tests Cashierless Tech; Staples Debuts Connect Store Concept

PYMNTS

Brick-and-mortar retailers are testing convenience store designs that let consumers skip the checkout line and pay for their purchases with their mobile phones. 7-Eleven President and CEO Joe DePinto said in an announcement , “Retail technology is evolving at a rapid pace, and customer expectations are driving the evolution.

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As Retail Tech Advances, Associates Become More Important

PYMNTS

Retail is about more than the products being sold or the technology being used. That change is being reflected at the NRF annual event commonly called “Retail’s Big Show,” which ends on Tuesday (Jan. We built all of these mobile commerce things, but retailers still had all these physical stores,” Levene told NRF. Teen Workers.

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Physical Retail Isn’t Dead – The Physical Store Model Is

PYMNTS

It looks like we can finally have a serious conversation about the impending collapse of physical retail in the U.S. All it took was a 160-year old retailer and a $34 billion kick in the stomach to the retail sector to get everyone’s attention. retailer, Sears, which found itself standing at Chapter 7’s front door.

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The Many Pivots On The Path To A Multi-Million Dollar Skincare Brand

PYMNTS

One might assume the hardest part of building a product to disrupt the traditional sunscreen industry would be actually formulating a new brand of sunscreen. The problem, it turned out, was that in 2007 when this project was first lifting off the ground, regulations in most states made this model basically illegal.

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