It’s been another week with far more retail news than there is time in the day. Below, we break down some things you may have missed during the week, and what we’re still thinking about.
From a former Iconix Brands Group executive receiving an 18-month sentence to period care brands teaming up to fight the “tampon tax,” here’s our closeout for the week.
What you may have missed
Former HR leader returns to Nordstrom
Nordstrom this week announced the appointment of Lisa Price as chief human resources officer, effective Nov. 6.
In that capacity, Price will support all aspects of human resources, including recruitment and succession planning; learning and development; recognition and retention; and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
This is Price’s second stint at the retailer. She served as Nordstrom’s senior vice president of HR from 2015 to 2019. During her earlier stint with the company, Price supported human resources teams for key corporate functions like technology, finance, legal, supply chain and store operations before leaving to be chief of human resources at Domino’s Pizza. She also previously worked in senior leadership HR roles at Starbucks.
"I am thrilled to be rejoining the talented team at Nordstrom," said Price. "Nordstrom has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to creating an innovative and inclusive workforce and culture, and I look forward to building on that critical work."
Period care brands unite to battle tampon taxes
A group of menstrual care brands – including Saalt, Diva, August and more – have formed The Tampon Tax Back Coalition to combat taxation on tampons and pads, according to a press release shared with Retail Dive on Wednesday.
Taxation on such products exists in 21 states across the U.S. and consumers who purchase from any brands in the coalition either online or in stores will be reimbursed for the tax starting Oct. 11.
“With this coalition, we are fostering a new ethos where industry competitors are becoming unlikely allies, joining forces not for profit, but for equality,” Nadya Okamoto, co-founder of August, said in a statement.“By locking arms with our period care competitors, this coalition is a powerful next step to hopefully abolish the tampon tax across the country and provide educational resources for menstruators.”
The coalition also includes brands Rael, Here We Flo, The Honey Pot, Lola and Cora.
Standard Dose’s website appears to have shut down
Standard Dose, which curates a selection of beauty and wellness products online, appears to have shut down, as first reported by Beauty Independent.
As of Friday, Standard Dose’s website is no longer up and running. The company’s social media has been quiet in recent weeks, last posting to Instagram on Sept. 13.
The company in 2019 opened a store in New York City, but that store appears to be closed, according to Yelp.
The company reportedly owed several brands thousands of dollars for inventory the company purchased, according to a March report in Beauty Independent.
One small business owner posted to the Standard Dose Yelp page in March that they had not been paid. “Unfortunately they don't pay the vendors for the products they sell. I'm a small business owner, who ‘sold’ products to them that they still have listed on their website, yet they have not paid me for invoices from October or December 2022. Not the best look when they are a store that empowers women.”
Best Buy to offer continuous glucose monitoring systems
Best Buy will soon offer delivery of prescription continuous glucose monitoring systems to eligible customers, according to a Monday press release.
The company is working with Wheel, a virtual healthcare platform and HealthDyne, a pharmacy tech provider, to sell the continuous glucose monitoring systems. Best Buy is selling the devices through a new platform on its website, Wellness.BestBuyHealth.com.
This is the first time Best Buy will offer prescription-based medical devices. Best Buy will sell the Dexcom G7 Continuous Glucose Monitoring System to start and the retailer is set to offer more options later, according to the release.
Retail Therapy
Space invaders
Smart home security company Ring is ready for people to capture things that are out of this world. While people are able to snoop on their neighbors or unknowingly give video to police through their Ring devices, this year the company is offering a prize if E.T. is caught on camera. A $1 million grand prize will go to a U.S. resident who captures unaltered evidence of an extraterrestrial life-form on an indoor or outdoor Ring device now through Nov. 3.
For those who want to enter but are having trouble locating aliens, an “Out of this World” prize is still available. To enter and be in the running for a $500 Amazon gift card, capture and submit a creative interpretation of an extraterrestrial sighting via Ring.
M&M’s (and Gopuff) to the rescue
Afraid you will run out of candy on the biggest fright night of the year? M&M’s is here to help via its Halloween Rescue Squad. On Oct. 31 starting at 3 p.m. EDT, free Mars candy will be delivered to homes where Gopuff delivers in under one hour in partnership with delivery platform. While supplies last, of course.
"The Halloween season is expanding, and enthusiasm is driving consumers to shop earlier and more frequently," Tim LeBel, president of sales and chief Halloween officer at Mars Wrigley, said in a statement. "As the authority on Halloween, we plan for the season years in advance to ensure we satisfy shoppers' needs.”
What we’re still thinking about
51
That’s how many new stores Ross opened from September through this week.
The California-based apparel and home decor retailer opened 43 Ross Dress for Less stores and eight DD’s Discounts stores in new and existing markets in recent weeks. In an announcement, the company said the recent wave of openings is part of a larger, long-term push to grow its footprint to 3,600 stores under both banners.
Ross currently has 2,112 stores in 43 states, Washington, D.C., and Guam. The company this week also named Circuit City and Target veteran Stephen Brinkley to the newly created position of president of operations.
18 months
Former Iconix Brand Group CEO Neil Cole was sentenced to 18 months in prison in Manhattan federal court earlier this week, according to a Women’s Wear Daily Report.
The former executive was convicted last year of inflating the books at Iconix, whose brands include Danskin, Joe Boxer, Ed Hardy and Candies.
What we're watching
Reebok’s comeback
Reebok has been angling for a comeback ever since Adidas sold the company to Authentic Brands Group in 2021. This week, the brand made it clear that turnaround includes a reentry into team sports — specifically, basketball.
Reebok on Thursday revealed its big intentions in the basketball space by naming two longtime brand ambassadors to key management positions: Shaquille O’Neal, who signed with Reebok in 1992, was named president of Reebok Basketball; and Allen Iverson, who signed with the retailer four years later, was named vice president. The two former star basketball players will be responsible for Reebok’s overarching strategy in the sport, including player recruitment, athlete partnerships and community initiatives.
The move represents a renewed investment in basketball for Reebok. In the ’80s, Reebok competed closely with sportswear giants Nike and Adidas, and was the No. 1 sportswear brand for a time. The brand rose to fame on the back of footwear styles like The Freestyle and The Pump — the latter was a basketball shoe that you could physically pump up — and brought in Iverson and O’Neal to bolster its reputation in the sport.
Returning to basketball could signal that Reebok is prepared to expand its presence in many of the sports it once participated in.
