Kathy Le

““We’re in unprecedented times where everything’s going to be more expensive because of these tariffs that are so broad-based,” Footwear Distributors and Retailers Association president and CEO Matt Priest said in a conference call on Monday.” “Priest said companies from importers to wholesalers and retailers have pulled “tricks out of their bags to try to hold off” on hitting consumers with price increases. They’ve also front-loaded some shipments to get ahead of some tariff increases. But most of those shipments for women’s fashion shoes have sold, while there’s still some items left in men’s as that category has a lower turnover rate. That means anything coming in now will see price increases due to tariffs.” ““We’ve had two months of increases prices for footwear under the CPI (consumer price index). And if those trends continue, as prices go up, [demand] will go down. It’s inevitable,” Priest concluded. He added that if the unemployment rate ticks up, the softening labor market will see consumers pull back on spending just as groceries and other items get priced higher across the board.” “Among the data points cited by Priest, the ability for the industry to source product is critical as 99 percent of shoes sold in the U.S. is brought it from overseas. And in a typical year, that’s nearly two-and-a-half billion pairs of shoes, or seven pairs of shoes for each person in the U.S.” “Pat Mooney, CEO of Footwear Unlimited, described the tariff rates as “brutal,” noting that the average 10 percent duty rate is now closer on average to 25 or 30 percent. And because the rates change so quickly, one doesn’t always know what the rate will be. For now, the three biggest countries of origin are China, India and Mexico, where there is no trade deal.” - Vicki M. Young

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Developing talent is not a moment, it’s a pattern. It shows up in consistent performance, readiness to take on more, and the ability to lead as the business grows. Bobbie Nichols, Laura Gore, and Alpana Deshpande each reflect that in different ways. Strong operators, trusted partners, and leaders who bring others along with them. This is how you build a pipeline that lasts. Congratulations to all three on the well-earned promotions.

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The Merchandising Org Chart That Actually Scales to $500M Most apparel brands stall not because of strategy, but because of how merchandising is organized. I have seen this repeatedly inside large corporate retail teams and again as a fractional merchandising leader advising growth-stage brands. Titles stay the same while responsibilities expand and decision speed collapses. The difference between a $20M org and a $200M org is not talent. It is complexity. At $20M, one team often handles line planning, buying, and forecasting. Speed matters more than precision, and hero products can hide system gaps. This approach works early. I have built teams this way. At $200M, complexity multiplies. Channels diverge, localization matters, and inventory risk compounds. Many brands keep the same structure anyway. That is where growth breaks. What scalable brands do differently is simple but difficult. They do not just add headcount. They separate mandates. The most effective merchandising organizations I work with clearly divide accountability into three lanes: strategy and line architecture, commercial planning and open-to-buy governance, and execution with in-season optimization. The result is not more people. It is clear ownership. A real-world example is Bombas. The brand scaled to several hundred million in revenue by staying disciplined in how merchandising decisions were structured. As categories & channels expanded, assortment complexity did not outrun decision clarity. Product architecture, planning governance, and in-season execution were treated as distinct responsibilities, not blended roles. That separation supported scale without margin erosion. This matters for CMOs & growth leaders because when merchandising owns both creative ambition & financial outcomes, & both long-range planning and daily in-season reaction, the result is predictable. ~Over-assortment increases ~ Decisions slow ~ Buying becomes defensive ~ Margin comes under pressure. This is not a talent problem. It is an operating model problem. The $500M test is straightforward. If your merchandising team cannot explain what happens if demand shifts ten percent in six weeks, or identify which fifteen percent of SKUs drive eighty percent of margin, you do not have a people problem. You have a structure problem.

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Nike just sent a signal to the retail industry. Moving a Chief Supply Chain Officer into a CTO/COO role isn’t a title change — it’s a reality check. Supply chain now drives customer experience, margin, and growth. Technology no longer “supports” operations — it is operations. Omnichannel only works when product, data, and execution are owned by one leader. This move works because it puts someone in charge who understands flow: product, data, cash, and decisions — end to end. Will other retailers follow? Yes. Especially brands fighting inventory risk, fulfillment speed, and shrinking margins. The future leader isn’t tech-first or ops-first. They’re systems-first. Nike just made that clear.

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Today on This Week in Retail we break down what a more disciplined consumer means for 2026, why retailers can no longer rely on pricing power, and how tariffs continue to quietly push costs onto shoppers. We also cover restructuring moves at Target, the opening of SKIMS first Chicago flagship, and a confidence-reset product drop from lululemon. On the logistics and commerce front, FedEx is shrinking its network, social commerce via TikTok is driving DTC gains, and brand protection tensions are rising between Estée Lauder and Walmart. We wrap with a look at retail theft enforcement in California and the looming store closures tied to Eddie Bauer’s Chapter 11 filing.

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Great news for Macy’s Inc. — returning to comp sales growth across Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, and Bluemercury is no small feat in this retail climate. The focus on reimagined stores, stronger brand relevance, and strategic clarity is clearly resonating. Encouraging momentum heading into 2026.

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Target’s latest leadership reshuffle signals more than an org chart change — it’s a clear bet that merchandising will once again sit at the center of the company’s strategy. With new CEO Michael Fiddelke consolidating merchandising authority and elevating leaders like Cara Sylvester to Chief Merchandising Officer and Lisa Roath to Chief Operating Officer, the intent seems clear: simplify decision-making, strengthen product authority, and improve the guest experience through sharper execution. As someone who has watched Target evolve over the years, I’m hopeful this renewed focus will reinvigorate what has historically made the brand special—innovative products, distinctive assortments, and storytelling that felt uniquely “Target.” Leadership changes alone don’t transform a retailer, but aligning merchandising, operations, and customer experience under a clearer vision is often where meaningful turnarounds begin. The opportunity now is to reconnect operational discipline with creative merchandising — blending style, value, and discovery in a way that re-energizes both the store environment and the digital shelf. #Retail #Target #Merchandising #RetailLeadership #Omnichannel #RetailStrategy #DigitalMerchandising #FutureOfRetail #CustomerExperience

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Predictive Analytics and Retention Here’s what’s keeping apparel retailers up at night: knowing which loyalty members are about to churn before they actually do. Enter AI-powered predictive analytics. Sophisticated machine learning models can now identify at-risk members weeks or even months before they disengage, giving brands a critical window to intervene. These systems analyze patterns that humans simply can’t spot at scale: declining engagement rates, changes in browsing behavior, increased time between purchases, or shifts in the types of products viewed. implementing predictive churn modeling and reduced member attrition by triggering personalized retention campaigns with targeted incentives for members showing early warning signs and reduce attrition. But AI isn’t just about preventing losses. It’s also identifying your highest-potential members, those on the verge of moving from casual shoppers to brand advocates. These insights allow you to strategically invest in relationships that will drive the most value. The apparel industry operates on thin margins. Every retained member represents significant CLV. AI gives you the intelligence to protect that value proactively rather than reactively. Smart loyalty isn’t just about rewards anymore. It’s about using data to build relationships that last. #PredictiveAnalytics #CustomerRetention #RetailTech #FashionRetail #DataDriven

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