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 the product Spam launched for summer to the latest on tariff refunds, here’s our closeout for the week.
What you may have missed
Gap Inc. hires another Paramount exec as it pushes 'fashiontainment'
Gap Inc. named Lourdes Arocho as its senior vice president and head of licensing, the company announced Thursday.
Arocho, who most recently was the senior vice president of global consumer products and franchise management at Paramount Global, starts the role on Friday and will work out of the company’s Los Angeles office. Arocho will lead licensing across Gap Inc.’s portfolio of brands and will focus on partnerships, brand extensions and direct-to-retail opportunities to connect the retailer to entertainment, sports and cultural moments as part of its “fashiontainment” strategy.
The company recently created the role of chief entertainment officer and named former Paramount executive Pam Kaufman to that position.
“Licensing is both a meaningful growth driver and a powerful way to keep our brands in the cultural conversation,” Kaufman said in a statement. “We see our stores as stages — places where stories come to life, major moments are amplified, and customers can engage with great product and experiences in new ways.”
Guitar Center taps new president of school music division
Guitar Center named Jennifer Hatton as its president of music and arts, which oversees the company’s school music division. The appointment will help “accelerate growth across its school music, rental, and lessons businesses,” the company said Wednesday.
The division focuses on connecting families and school educators with instruments and musical lessons.
“Music and Arts is the largest provider of K–12 band and orchestra rentals and equipment in the United States, and we currently have great momentum in the business,” Guitar Center CEO Gabe Dalporto said in a statement. “Jennifer has spent her career serving the education sector while building scalable operations, and that’s exactly what Music & Arts needs to keep growing.”
Retail therapy
Spam declares ‘there’s a new dog in town’
Spam — the brand most have come to associate with canned meat — is branching out.
The brand this week announced it is launching a Spam hot dog just in time for summer. The product is designed for food service operators, per the announcement, aiming to add “variety to roller grills at restaurants, convenience stores, and arenas.”
"It's a fresh new take on a hot dog with the unmistakable flavor that Spam fans know and love,” Haley Eggum, brand manager of the Spam brand, said in a statement.
The fact that it took until now to launch a product like this is something hot dog aficionados have been asking. In a two-year-old post in the hot dogs sub-Reddit (yes, it exists), a user pondered the question, “Why is there no Spam brand hot dog?”
Looks like our prayers have finally been answered.
What we’re still thinking about
3M
That’s the number of garments Eileen Fisher’s take-back program has received to date, a company spokesperson told Retail Dive. Eileen Fisher Renew, the brand’s resale program, was launched in 2009 and is poised for more expansion this year. The Renew business will be integrated into Eileen Fisher’s website this summer to make the process more seamless.
In addition to advancing circularity, Eileen Fisher Renew has also created the Mended Collections — pieces that display visible mending — and the Indigo Overdye Collections, a partnership with Botanical Colors aimed at giving garments new life.
What we’re watching
Even as tariff refunds trickle in, US trade policy remains a headache
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has established a portal to apply for tariff refunds, following the Supreme Court’s decision in February striking down some levies established by President Trump last year. Billions have already been approved, sister publication Supply Chain Dive reports.
Some retailers are adding funds to financial statements before they’re in hand. This week, Under Armour based profit expectations for the current fiscal year assuming it will get back $70 million and Carter’s said it has filed for about $130 million.
More are in line. Earlier this year many retailers and brands – including Kohl’s., Pacsun, J. Crew, Abercrombie and Fitch Trading Co., Lululemon, Reebok, Tarte and E.l.f. Cosmetics, Dollar General and Family Dollar – sued the government for relief from certain levies.
But refunds apply only to the president’s claims of tariff authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which the court rejected in its 6-3 decision. Nearly 70% of business leaders say U.S. trade policy is still unpredictable despite the IEEPA reversal, according to a recent survey from Doss, a firm that provides enterprise resource planning and other operational platforms.
