KHD Buzz – Amazon Workers Go to the Polls, Small Retailers Lobby for Tougher Anti-Trust Enforcement and More

Amazon Warehouse Workers Vote on Unionization In an election open to over 5,800 workers at Amazon’s warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) received over 3,200 mail ballots. The workers are voting on whether or not to join the RWDSU, making their warehouse the first Amazon facility in the United States…
KHD Buzz – Report Predicts Growth For Home Decor and Beauty, Retail Workers Fear Maskless Consumers and More

Wells Fargo Report: Home Decor, Beauty Niches Will Continue to See Increased Sales in 2021 The past year’s enthusiasm around home goods and athleisure apparel will linger according to a new report from Wells Fargo. Though they may be returning to the office and otherwise getting out, people don’t appear to be finished fixing up — or…
KHD Buzz – New Plans for Post Office, More Stores Opening Than Closing in 2021 and More

New Plan for Post Office Not Exciting Retailers Longer first-class mail delivery times and cuts to post office hours across the country are among the changes controversial Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced last Tuesday as part of a 10-year plan for the centuries old agency. Retailers – and politicians – are angered at idea that…
KHD Buzz – Card Companies Delay Fee Hikes, Future’s Not Bright for US Malls and More

Visa and Mastercard Delay Merchant Fee Hikes After receiving criticism from members of Congress, Visa and Mastercard announced that they would delay their plans to increase interchange fees on card transactions. Both companies have agreed to stall any increase in the fees retailers pay until at least April 2022. Read More Nordstrom Launching Live Shopping…
KHD Buzz – GameStop Goes to the Dogs, Consumers Are Complaining at Record Levels and More

Consumers Swapping Yoga Pants for Dresses As More Return to Work According to a new report women are changing their shopping habits again, swapping the casual clothing and accessories they have been favoring for the past year while working remotely for more formal office attire. Read More Chewy Cofounder to Head GameStop Digital Push Gamestop…
KHD Buzz- Target’s Big Growth, Disney Store Downsizing, Amazon’s Warehouse Shopping Spree and More

Target Reports Record Setting Quarter Target ended 2020 with a bang as the company reported that during the fourth quarter revenue increased by 21% while profits soared 66%. The company attributed the growth to increased customer traffic both in store and online. Read More Amazon Has Been on an NYC Warehouse Shopping Spree Since the…
KHD Buzz – NRF Predicts More Retail Growth, Swipe Fees Increasing and More

NRF Report: Expect Retail to Keep Growing in 2021 Thanks in part to the COVID-19 vaccines and the probability of a US economic rebound, the National Retail Federation expects retail sales to grow between 6.5 percent and 8.2 percent this year, according to a report it released last week. Read More Swipe Fees Increase Despite…
KHD Buzz – January Retail Up 5.3%, NY Sues Amazon Over Worker Safety and More

January Retail Sales Boosted by Stimulus Check Spending In January, consumers flocked to spend their stimulus checks, sending retail sales up 5.3 per cent for the month, and getting the retail year off to a surprisingly good start. Read More New York State Suing Amazon over COVID-19 Worker Safety New York State Attorney General Letitia…
KHD Buzz – Jeff Bezos Steps Down, Barbie’s Big Sales Season, Who Won the Superbowl Ad War and More

Jeff Bezos Stepping Down as Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is stepping down from his role as CEO of the company he founded 25 years ago. The multi (multi) billionaire will be transitioning to a executive chairman role and will be replaced as CEO by Andy Jassy, who is currently the head of Amazon Web Services.…
KHD Buzz – UPS Posts Big Q4 Revenue Gain, Retailers Paying Employees to Get Covid-19 Vaccinations and More

UPS Posts 21% Revenue Increase for Q4 2020 The COVID-19 pandemic has led to consumers shopping online in record numbers. And as someone has to deliver all those packages it came as no surprise to most that UPS were able to report a 21% revenue increase for the fourth quarter of 2020. Read More Retailers…