Kroger’s private labels resonate with shoppers: Growth outpaced national brands during the quarter and helped the retailer stand out.
In November, retailers made strategic moves across grocery, apparel, and beauty. Amazon turned Black Friday into a weeklong event and launched its Shein competitor, Haul. Meanwhile, e.l.f. Beauty strengthened its value proposition through a new Dollar General partnership, while Kroger announced plans for specialized Asian experience stores in North Texas. Here are our eight unofficial picks for the most interesting retailers in November.
Coca-Cola narrows its sustainability ambitions: The change dovetails with several other companies backing away from DEI initiatives amid shifting political winds.
Key stat: Price inclination for food away from home was up 3.8% YoY in October 2024, higher than the 1.1% increase in inflation for food at home, according to data from the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
McDonald’s will focus on “McValue” in 2025: The fast-food chain plans to extend its $5 value menu and add deals as the QSR price war rages on.
Target had a rough Q3: The retailer is struggling to adjust to the macroeconomic environment, and its challenges aren’t going to get easier anytime soon.
7-Eleven plans to open 115 larger-store formats by year-end, offering customers an expanded assortment of food options. The retailer also plans to add 51 new fresh food SKUs by the end of 2025.
McDonald’s earmarks $100 million to undo damage from the E. coli outbreak: The fast-food chain will spend big on marketing and offer franchisees more support to win back customer trust and sales.
Yum Brands uses AI to drive marketing for KFC, Taco Bell: The technology helps target audiences and write copy.
Tensions between Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever reach a boiling point: The ice cream brand sued its parent company for breaking its promise to allow the subsidiary to set its own social mission.
Wonder buys Grubhub for $650 million: The Marc Lore-owned company snapped up the delivery service at a steep discount, seeking to develop a meal-time super app.
Cava’s brand positioning resonates with consumers: It stands in stark contrast with Sweetgreen, which is adding new proteins and testing fries to broaden its appeal.
Home Depot’s sales rose 6.6% in Q3: Those better-than-expected results stemmed from severe weather and warm temperatures in many parts of the US boosting demand.
US beauty demand is normalizing as price sensitivities creep into purchasing behavior: That’s good news for e.l.f. Beauty but an added struggle for Coty and Estée Lauder, for which China remains a hurdle.
84% of US adults believe private label foods are more affordable, according to an August 2024 survey from Ipsos. Nearly as many say private label quality is just as good as, or better than, name brands.
The phrase “retail apocalypse” once dominated industry conversation, Ethan Chernofsky, senior vice president of marketing at Placer.ai said during the EMARKETER Summit on November 1. “We were convinced [that] the store was dying,” Chernofsky said. “It was a thing of the past, and we were going to move to this fully online environment.”
Yum China bucks difficult retail environment thanks to more promotions, rapid store expansion, and durian pizza: The KFC and Pizza Hut operator’s efforts to offer more value and reach consumers in lower-tier cities drove sales and transaction growth in Q3.
For October’s Unofficial Most Interesting Retailers list, we’re looking at eight retailers hoping to escape the ghastly realm of spooky deserted shopping centers and zombie malls. Gap, Amazon Fresh, and Victoria’s Secret lead our trick-or-treat bag of comeback brands.
Grocers experiment with new formats and products to target Asian, Hispanic consumers: Kroger, Walmart, and Save A Lot are among the retailers looking to attract a more diverse audience.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss why mega-pharmacies are struggling, why 7-Eleven is closing and opening a lot of stores, and what the new model of convenience will look like. Tune in to the discussion with Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson and Senior Analysts Blake Droesch and Rajiv Leventhal.