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 Lush’s early Halloween launch to the sectors that helped boost June sales, here’s our closeout for the week.
What you may have missed
RadioShack makes comeback moves
RadioShack appointed Kevin Hamann as the managing director of RadioShack USA, according to a company announcement sent to Retail Dive. The appointment marks “a new chapter in its ongoing return to the American market,” per the company.
The electronics retailer was acquired in 2023 by Unicomer Group and has been rebuilding its brand presence. Some products can currently be found online at Macy’s and Target.
Wayfair, QVC get a head start on the holidays
While summer is in full force — with the latest heat wave serving as a brutal reminder — Wayfair and QVC already have the holidays on their minds.
The two retailers this week announced July sales events geared around the holidays. QVC has tapped NSYNC band member Lance Bass and Danielle Fishel, aka “Boy Meets World’s” Topanga, to serve as co-chief cheer officers for the company’s Christmas in July sales event. Throughout the month, QVC will offer hundreds of “specially priced” items across various categories like holiday decor, toys, beauty and more. Items will be available to shop across QVC’s channel, app, website, TikTok and Instagram, as well as the QVC+ and HSN+ streaming apps.
Meanwhile, Wayfair is kicking off its Black Friday in July event from July 23 through July 27. The event will bring “holiday-level savings” across home categories and feature 24-hour flash deals, doorbsuters and additional ways to save in Wayfair’s stores. The company’s rewards members and app users will also receive early access to deals, the company said.
"This event pairs incredible value with a great selection, making it easy and affordable for everyone to refresh their homes and businesses just in time for the busy fall season and return to school,” Jon Blotner, president of commercial and operations at Wayfair, said in a statement.
Retail therapy
Lush kicks off Summerween
Bath and body cosmetics brand Lush kicked off Halloween early this year with the debut of its new seasonal collection Tuesday, per a company press release. The company’s Halloween offerings include ghost and pumpkin-themed bath bombs, a witchy bubble bar and more.
The festive offerings also feature two gift sets. One is priced at $23 with Lush’s Boo Shower Gel and its Ghost In The Dark Soap, while the other set costs $67 and includes six limited-edition bath and shower products.
The collection became available on Lush’s app Tuesday and in stores and online Thursday.
What we’re still thinking about
18%
Sporting goods and e-commerce sales both increased by that amount in June. It was just one aspect of a solid performance across the retail sector, with all the categories tracked by Retail Dive seeing sales increases. Electronics and home, two categories that have struggled in recent years, also notched sales gains.
Even so, analysts warned that there are ongoing signs of consumer weariness. “People are trying to stretch every dollar they can,” Navy Federal Credit Union Chief Economist Heather Long said in emailed comments. “The outlook for the rest of the year is likely to be more of this modest spending growth.”
What we’re watching
Consumers get relief, but for how long?
Thanks mostly to fallen gas prices in June, the macroeconomic picture in the U.S. looked a little rosier last month. Inflation cooled and retail sales surged due to the relief at the pump. In the segments followed by Retail Dive’s tracker, retail sales were up more than 11% compared to a year ago, with growth across categories.
It wasn’t just fuel that declined: Prices on apparel and some services – including medical care – also fell in June, and that’s encouraging, according to Navy Federal Credit Union’s Long.
But uncertainty rules, especially as the renewed Iran war heats gas prices back up. Shoppers remain choosy, although they’re opening their wallets more easily for minor splurges, especially on their hobbies, Long said in emailed comments. According to Wells Fargo economists led by Tom Porcelli, “the U.S. economy remains resilient but is unlikely to accelerate in the second half of the year.”
This puts everyone in wait-and-see mode, and despite the June dip, inflation remains a challenge, Long said.
“Inflation is currently wiping out wage gains and tax refunds have largely been spent down, so there’s not much of an income lift coming for the remainder of the year,” she said.
