'Workcation Retreats': Tourist destinations offer remote-working packages including personal assistants, to attract visitors

Tourist destinations like the Maldives and Seychelles are promoting remote-working, featuring ocean views, discounts, strong WiFi and personal assistants to help with work admin.

Amazon Briefing: How rollup companies are turning themselves into brands

As the Amazon acquisition boom continues, a growing number of companies are beginning to consider how -- and whether -- to turn the products they acquire into recognizable brands even off of Amazon. But question of how present the actual name of the rollup company should be in the minds of consumers also remains up in the air. “At this point, we have delivered products to one out of every ten households in America, but they have no idea that we’ve done that,” said Josh Silberstein, founder and co-CEO of Thrasio.

Virtual event: Product detail pages — the next battleground for Amazon ads

After a wave of grant and mentorship programs, Black founders are looking for more longterm support

Last year, the death of George Floyd and subsequent Black Lives Matter protests created a call for brands and retailers to do more to support Black-owned business. The answer, for many, was to create mentorship and grant programs for Black-owned businesses last year, for the first time. A year later, five Black business owners offered their reflections on these programs to Modern Retail.

Pitch Deck: How Pattern Brands laid out its new holding company vision

This week Pattern Brands -- a holding company formed by the former members of branding agency Gin Lane -- announced that it was pivoting away from launching its own brands, and instead would look to acquire a number of smaller brands in the home goods space. It's a move that has been in the works for over a year. Modern Retail obtained a pitch deck that Pattern Brands sent around last summer, laying out its vision for the holding company it hoped to build.

Asutra CEO Stephanie Morimoto on growing a wellness brand with Venus Williams' help

Wellness brand Asutra has had a wild few years. CEO Stephanie Morimoto bought the company in 2018. It sold most of its products on Amazon, and she believed should could help transform it into a DTC wellness player. Part of that has been about rebranding the company as "active self-care," as she described it on the Modern Retail Podcast.

Why, after many failed attempts, Staples is determined to acquire Office Depot

On Friday, Staples made a fourth attempt to acquire ODP, home to the combined Office Depot and Office Max, via a billion dollar offer for the company's consumer-facing businesses. Staples and ODP's businesses have been declining for years. They have sought to grow their businesses by investing in partnerships, experiential stores, and e-commerce. However, in Staples' eyes, the quickest -- and most surefire way -- to grow its business is to acquire assets from its biggest competitor. As such, Staples continues to be hellbent on getting a deal done, though ODP keeps rejecting its offers -- and shows no signs of changing its mind. 

Why strategic inventory planning has become essential to retail success

Modern Retail Research: Half of brand and retail workers are concerned about their mental health

The last year has taken a significant toll on company culture across brands and retailers -- stores were shut down, people lost their jobs and teams were separated from one another. But new research from Glossy and Modern Retail shows that, while worries about mental health still remain, morale across these industries is improving.