Retail’s Mental Health Matters: Building a Culture of Trust
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Retail’s Mental Health Matters: Building a Culture of Trust

ByMary Beth Garcia

Retail has always been a people business. Every interpersonal interaction, connection, and relationship—whether externally with customers or internally among team members and with leaders—is a vital link in the chain that creates results. In today’s environment, though, where every department is being asked to do more with less and the pace of change feels relentless, this pivotal…

Navigating Tariffs: The Ripple Effect on Retail
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Navigating Tariffs: The Ripple Effect on Retail

ByMary Beth Garcia

As I began planning this month’s newsletter, one word kept flashing across headlines, economic reports, and retail roundtables: tariffs. Whether looming at 145% or fluctuating and retracting, the mere possibility of increased tariffs is already impacting the way retail teams are planning, pivoting, and preparing. From sourcing to sales, tariffs are top of mind. While…

Celebrating International Women’s Month: Women Leading the Way in Retail
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Celebrating International Women’s Month: Women Leading the Way in Retail

ByMary Beth Garcia

As International Women’s Month draws to a close, we are reflecting on and celebrating the remarkable contributions of women around the world—and in our own industry. I am an unusual retailer in the sense that I knew by the age of 13 that this was the career I wanted to be in. It was not…

retail skills training
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From Burnout to Skill Deficits, A Retail Leadership Check-Up as the Pandemic Enters a New Phase

ByMary Beth Garcia

From the retail store floor to the corporate office, leaders, managers, team leads, and supervisors are adapting their strategies and focusing on enhancing their retail leadership skills as the pandemic wears on. We recently reconvened our virtual Retail & Service Leadership Exchange Forum (RSLEF) to check in with some of the top retailers in North…

Brick-and-Mortar Retailers Share Covid-19 Lessons, Insights
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Brick-and-Mortar Retailers Share Covid-19 Lessons, Insights

ByMary Beth Garcia

Retailers are used to upheaval and constant change. Over the past decade alone, the “retail apocalypse” has dominated the news as traditional brick-and-mortar retailers have scrambled to adapt to the competitive threat of digital disruptors and changing consumer preferences. By the end of 2019, savvy retail businesses were gaining traction in their strategies with a…