380 episodes

The Modern Retail Podcast is a podcast about the retail space, from legacy companies to the buzzy world of DTC startups. Every Thursday, Cale Weissman, editor of Modern Retail, interviews executives about their growth and marketing strategies. And every Saturday Gabi Barkho, senior reporter, sits down with the Modern Retail staff to chat about the latest headlines in the retail world.

The Modern Retail Podcast Digiday

    • Entrepreneurship

The Modern Retail Podcast is a podcast about the retail space, from legacy companies to the buzzy world of DTC startups. Every Thursday, Cale Weissman, editor of Modern Retail, interviews executives about their growth and marketing strategies. And every Saturday Gabi Barkho, senior reporter, sits down with the Modern Retail staff to chat about the latest headlines in the retail world.

    How Sunday is trying to shake up the yard and garden industry

    How Sunday is trying to shake up the yard and garden industry

    Sunday wants to be the DTC brand that powers everyone's backyard.
    The company first launched in 2019 with lawn care products, but has since expanded to pest control and garden products. While it's available in major retailers like Costco, Walmart, Lowe's and Target, Sunday's business is still 75% direct-to-consumer.
    "To be the outdoor home platform that we want to be, we really need to be able to be across these categories," founder and CEO Coulter Lewis said on the Modern Retail Podcast.
    He joined and spoke about how the company has grown over the last five years -- as well as what its plans are for the future.
    One way Sunday is able to keep such a large DTC base is by tailoring its online experience. For example, it has people send in soil samples, which then creates a report on the types of products they need for their outdoor spaces.
    "We actually now have the largest soil database ever created," Lewis said.
    And that type of program can't be replicated in a store like Walmart. And even the store experience itself isn't ideal -- especially the garden sections filled with 15-pound sacks of dirt and fertilizer where Sunday is usually sold. "When you walk in that part of the store, you smell it from 20 feet away -- it is legacy brands, legacy branding and incredibly confusing and intimidating."
    With this, Sunday is trying to have its customers opt for a newer brand that looks different than the previous industry leaders. And, have them purchase differently than before. While the company has been growing every year, it still has ambitions to reach new heights.
    "We're still brand new," Lewis said. "Our category, there's been nothing new in half a century -- fifty years of the same. And so, we're growing every year, expanding quickly."
    Get more from Modern Retail with the daily newsletter, sent out each weekday morning. Visit modernretail.co/newsletters to sign up. 

    • 31 min
    Rundown: Nordstrom may go private, Unilever spins off ice cream biz & Shein's new revenue stream

    Rundown: Nordstrom may go private, Unilever spins off ice cream biz & Shein's new revenue stream

    This week’s Modern Retail Rundown includes a check-in on Nordstrom, with news of the founding family allegedly looking to take the department store private. We also delve into Unilever's ice cream division -- which includes the Ben & Jerry's and Magnum brands -- which may be spun off into a separate company. Lastly, we discuss reports of Shein pivoting into supply chain services.

    • 29 min
    Ridge CEO Sean Frank on trying to build a $1B accessory brand

    Ridge CEO Sean Frank on trying to build a $1B accessory brand

    Accessory brand Ridge, best known for its wallets, is getting closer and closer to a $1 billion exit.
    CEO Sean Frank has been saying this for years but thinks the option may come sooner rather than later. "If I want to sell for $1 billion, you need $100 million in adjusted EBITA, or we need roughly $50 million in net income," he said. "I think next year, we'll probably get to $50 million in net income."
    Frank joined the Modern Retail Podcast and spoke about the company's growth as well as the state of consumer brands. Frank thinks Ridge's trajectory has been different from that of many other direct-to-consumer brands. For one, it never took on venture capital and instead grew every year while remaining profitable. What's more, while Ridge does sell via its website, it's long been available in other channels like Amazon, Nordstrom and Best Buy.
    "We've never touted a DTC flag. We were never like, we're not going to sell on Amazon," he said.
    What's more, Ridge -- which just added YouTuber Marques Brownlee as a board member and chief creative partner -- figured out early on that it couldn't just rely on a hero product as a means to scale. "I don't want to pick on anybody, but if you look at, like, an Away -- they still sell luggage, and they've sold luggage for 15 years at this point," he said. "It's more or less the same piece of luggage." Conversely, Ridge has expanded into new products like phone cases and men's wedding bands.
    "We have these cohorts that are like, 'Yeah, I love the product, it's great. But I don't need another wallet.' There's nothing we can do to get them to buy another wallet," he said. "So we were like, OK, let's figure out what other people want."
    With all of this, Frank is trying to continue to grow the company while looking at future prospects. While Ridge may reach its goal for a billion-dollar valuation, he's still waiting and seeing.
    "It's just if we want to sell or not, right?" he said. "Does it make sense for the brand with what's going on?"

    • 43 min
    Rundown: The Body Shop shuts down U.S. business, Outdoor Voices closes stores & apparel C-suite shakeups

    Rundown: The Body Shop shuts down U.S. business, Outdoor Voices closes stores & apparel C-suite shakeups

    This week on the Modern Retail Rundown: The Body Shop filed for bankruptcy and announced it's closing down all U.S. operations. In a surprise move, Outdoor Voices is also closing all its stores -- with plans to remain an online-only DTC brand. This week also saw a number of C-suite shakeups across apparel and footwear, including Allbirds and Under Armour announcing new CEOs.

    • 27 min
    Rocco co-founder Alyse Borkan on making mini-fridges a conversation piece

    Rocco co-founder Alyse Borkan on making mini-fridges a conversation piece

    Rocco is a DTC mini-fridge company that wants to make people care about the big hunks of steel electronics they have in their homes.
    "Appliance brands don't actually have a brand," said Alyse Borkan, co-founder of Rocco. "I really saw an opportunity to do things differently than [what] the rest of the category was doing."
    Borkan joined this week's Modern Retail Podcast and spoke about her new brand and how she's hoping to compete with the big players like Frigidaire.
    Rocco launched last November with one product: a colorful fridge meant to showcase beverages. It works for both wine bottles and cans, and Borkan said the intention is to have an appliance that could complement a home's aesthetic. "People really kind of think about it as a little bar in their living room," she said.
    It's still early days, but the product does seem to be resonating. Rocco sold out of inventory two weeks after launching. Ever since, the company has been playing catch up with fulfilling orders, but plans to be fully stocked and ready for more expansion in the next few months.
    But Rocco isn't only direct-to-consumer. The brand launched in Nordstrom shortly after going live. "We really think this is something that people are going to want to experience in real life before they purchase," Borkan said. Rather than being one of hundreds in an appliance store, Rocco opted to be the only fridge in Nordstrom's furniture section.
    The plan now is to continue growing -- ideally adding more wholesale partners over the next year. That could mean launching in an appliance store, but it could also mean partnerships with other brands -- especially drinks brands.
    "We're hoping to grow pretty quickly just based on the initial interest," she said.
    Get more from Modern Retail with the daily newsletter, sent out each weekday morning. Visit modernretail.co/newsletters to sign up. 

    • 30 min
    Rundown: Harry's reported IPO, Ashley acquires DTC mattress group & Abercrombie eyes global growth

    Rundown: Harry's reported IPO, Ashley acquires DTC mattress group & Abercrombie eyes global growth

    This week's Modern Retail Rundown show kicks off with a breakdown of Harry's long road to IPO, with the company reportedly filing to go public years after previous acquisition plans fell through. Meanwhile, furniture retailer Ashley announced it's acquiring Resident Home, a mattress group whose brands include DTC companies Nectar, DreamCloud, Awara and Siena. Abercrombie & Fitch, on the other hand, is projected to bring in $5 billion in annual revenue by growing its young customer base internationally.
    Get more from Modern Retail with the daily newsletter, sent out each weekday morning. Visit modernretail.co/newsletters to sign up. 

    • 28 min

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