Spieckerman Speaks Retail Podcast
Comparing Walmart and Target No Longer Makes Sense (But I’m Doing It Anyway)
Carol Spieckerman parses Walmart and Target’s Q2 2023 earnings reports and the growing differences that set them apart.
April Retail Heat Map and Clickbait Clap-Back
Walmart’s Windy City wind-down and portfolio purges, Bed Bath & Beyond going bust, retail returns resets, “free” shipping surges…It’s been a newsy couple of weeks in retail to say the least! In this lightning-round episode, Carol claps back at the clickbait and sets the record straight on retail’s buzziest stories.
2023 Will be the Year of the Store
After years of investing in digital and E-commerce capabilities, retailers and brands are swinging attention back to their bricks. A wave of innovation and diversification is set to crest in 2023 and stores will be hubs for much of the action.
Next Chapter or Last Gasp? What Aging Rock Bands and Brands Now Have in Common
Mark Tritton’s tenure as CEO of Bed Bath & Beyond has pundits proclaiming that Target’s strategies don’t always translate. Yet the big moves Tritton made didn’t mimic Target so much as follow the industry standard. Either way, the hurricane-force headwinds hitting Bed Bath & Beyond during its turnaround timeline intensified its business model challenges. In this cautionary tale of category killing and brand building, Carol Spieckerman deconstructs key decisions and explores whether hybrid hookups are the answer. She shares updates on her top retail trajectories that signal where retail goes next.