By Salvador Rodriguez@SAL19

Sunny Yen isn’t a big sports fan.

She’s always happy to attend Super Bowl parties, but that’s about it. And yet, Yen is the director of product design at a 16-person San Francisco fantasy football start-up called Sleeper.

“I look at Yahoo and ESPN, and I realized that even though I don’t know about it, this is for hardcore fans only,” Yen said. “I feel like they build a wall to keep the woman, female audience out.”

That’s why Nan Wang, the CEO of Sleeper, hired Yen and her all-female team to design the look and feel of his company’s website and app. Appealing to women, casual fans and first-time fantasy players is critical to Sleeper’s strategy. (READ MORE)

Angus Whitley Bloomberg August 23, 2019 (Bloomberg) -- Amazon.com Inc. struck a deal that gives it the right to eventually buy a stake in India’s Future Retail Ltd., as the U.S. giant seeks to bolster its presence in one of the world’s fastest-growing retail markets. Amazon.Com NV Investment Holdings LLC agreed to buy 49% of Future Coupons Ltd., Future Retail said in a filing Thursday. The deal gives Amazon the option to buy all or part of Future Coupons’ shareholding in Future Retail, though that won’t be exercisable until between three and 10 years. The terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed. The Indian company said earlier this month that Future Coupons held warrants that would give it a 7.3% stake in the listed entity. People familiar with the matter said last week that Amazon was in late-stage talks to acquire as much as 10% of Future Retail, with the Indian company seeking a valuation of about 20 billion rupees ($278 million) for the stake. “Amazon has agreed to invest in Future Coupons Limited, which is engaged in developing innovative value-added payment products and solutions such as corporate gift cards, loyalty cards, and reward cards primarily for corporate and institutional customers,” the Seattle-based company said in an emailed response to Bloomberg. “This investment will enhance Amazon’s existing portfolio of investments in the payments landscape in India.” Shares of Future Retail fell 4.6% in Mumbai on Friday while the main S&P BSE Sensex index gained. (READ MORE)

PUBLISHED THU, AUG 22 2019  4:43 PM EDT By Keris Lahiff@KERISALISON

Retail has had a rip-roaring week.

Better-than-expected earnings from Nordstrom, Home Depot, Lowe’s and Target have set the retail space ablaze, and soothed any concerns over the strength of the consumer. The XRT retail ETF is up 4% since Monday, nearly quadruple the gains of the S&P 500.

Five experts weigh in on what comes next for big-winner Nordstrom and the rest of the group.

Oliver Chen, senior retail analyst at Cowen, said the top retailers are betting on the future. (READ MORE)

Cally Russell Contributor Retail

Trainers are big business, the global athletic shoe market was worth $58 billion in 2018 and is predicted to rise to $88 billion by 2024. With such a market size it’s a lucrative market for sports brands and is keenly contested for market share. (READ MORE)

  Daniel Laboe Zacks August 21, 2019 US retail sales appear to be picking up steam since the beginning of 2019, with the last 5-months demonstrating month-over-month growth. Q2 earnings in the retail sector have been mixed thus far with a consumer trend beginning to reveal itself. The big-box discount retailers are thriving, while higher-end department stores couldn’t hold on to foot-traffic in the Amazon AMZN driven retail apocalypse. Which firms will survive this epic consumer shift that is likely going to reshape the retail market as we know today? Value centric firms like Target TGT, Walmart WMT, and TJ Maxx TJX illustrated favorable results provoking a positive price movement following their earnings releases. These stocks have all outperformed not only the retail sector but the broader market. (READ MORE)

By Tom Buiocchi Forbes Councils Member Forbes Technology Council

COUNCIL POST | Paid Program Innovation

In case you haven’t noticed, fascinating things are happening in the retail world. The rules have changed, and it’s no longer about who can offer the lowest prices or the widest selection of products. Customer experience is king, and smart brands are adapting to attract more shoppers and entice them to stay longer.

While retailers like Payless and Sears have been shuttering stores, big names like Macy’s and Restoration Hardware are increasing investment in their physical spaces — and getting results. A growing list of digital natives, including Away, Adore Me and Casper also see a need to openphysical stores where customers can experience their brand in person. Who said there’s a “retail apocalypse?"

The fact is, people enjoy going out to shop. Despite continued growth in e-commerce, about 90% of goods are still purchased in physical stores. That means folks are getting off the couch, heading into town and buying stuff in person — even though they could easily click a button for same-day delivery. It turns out we like to get out of the house and handle goods before we purchase them, and perhaps mingle with our fellow species a bit, too.

But that doesn’t mean retail isn’t changing in important ways. Everlane, Ikea and Story (now part of Macy’s) are among a wave of businesses setting a new bar for customer experience, with polished physical spaces for shoppers. Others are putting technology to work in creative ways, not to invade privacy but to improve facilities, cut costs and make shopping fun again. Forward-looking brands are also diversifying with new locations, products and partnerships. This revival isn’t limited to stores, either: Banks, restaurants and theaters are also in on the act. (READ MORE)

By Suzanne Kapner - Aug. 21, 2019 7:00 am ET

Retailers offering deals from bargains on brand-name goods to conveniences such as free shipping are gaining share at the expense of peers that have been slow to innovate. (READ MORE)

By  Avi Salzman Aug. 19, 2019 6:30 am ET

The government reported last week that U.S. retail sales rose 0.7% in July, a sign of strength in the sector. But with other recession predictors flashing red, it’s worth considering what investors should do with retail stocks in the event of a recession.

Loop Capital Markets analyst Anthony Chukumba looked back to the last recession in 2008 for answers. In that downturn, the top performers tended to be companies that catered to people who had fallen on hard times. Dollar stores outperformed, as did rent-to-own retailers. Fewer people had access to credit, so they depended more on companies allowing them to pay for things in installments.

Among the group he covers, Dollar General stock (ticker: DG) saw the largest gains in same-store sales in 2008, though Chukumba attributes that in part to the fact that the company was going through a reorganization under private ownership at the time. Dollar Tree stock (DLTR) also saw its same-store sales accelerate during the downturn. (READ MORE)

By Diana Pearl

Walmart is bidding adieu to its CMO.

Barbara Messing, who has held the top marketing job at Walmart since August of last year, is leaving her post to “return to the Bay Area with her family,” according to an internal memo announcing her departure. Her last day will be August 30.

“During her time at Walmart, she’s led both memorable and effective creative campaigns that reached our customers in new and unexpected ways,” wrote Janey Whiteside, chief customer officer, in the memo. “She’s been an advocate for our customers, encouraging our teams to think differently about how to reach them outside of traditional advertising avenues to truly tell one holistic Walmart story.” (READ MORE)

By  Benjamin Romano Seattle Times business reporter Aug. 18, 2019 at 6:00 am

Rob Whitten had fled corporate life west of the Cascades and was working in construction in Chelan County when he got to know the owners of the small hardware store in Plain.

One day, they offered to sell. He took the plunge into retail 21 years ago, just as it began a massive transformation with the blossoming of e-commerce.

From the start, Whitten knew that Plain Hardware, buoyed as it is by a building boom in the surrounding vacation communities, would have to adapt to compete in the Amazon era, with its bottomless selection, always-on availability and ever-faster delivery speeds. (READ MORE)