‘Tenants have more flexibility’: Construction firm founder Todd Sachse on how building stores has changed

Brick-and-mortar retail has transformed over the past decade, with less emphasis on in-store sales and more focus on customer experience. Todd Sachse, the founder of retail construction company Sachse Construction, explains how retailers are rethinking how they build out their physical footprint.

‘We really honed our focus’: How Overstock responded to the home goods boom

In the first quarter of 2021, online-only retailer Overstock’s revenue rose 94% year-over-year and active customers nearly doubled. In 2020, the retailers' full-year revenue rose 75%, to$ 2.5 billion. Overstock CEO Jonathan Johnson talked to Modern Retail about Overstock’s unique ability to navigate furniture supply chain issues, the company's expansion to Canada and the longevity of the patio furniture boom.

‘The food world is shifting’: Honest Tea founder Seth Goldman on the state of plant-based products

Thanks to consumers' changing tastes and eating habits, the plant-based trend has been growing for years. The success of brands like Oatly and Beyond Meat helped prove the trend's staying power. Seth Goldman, founder of Honest Tea and new plant-based jerky brand Eat the Change, explains why the pandemic helped further popularize the category.

Hoka One One’s Wendy Yang on how the footwear brand approaches fashion partnerships

While other footwear brands struggled in 2021, Hoka One One managed to grow sales. Hoka (which ended its fiscal year in March 2021) reported a full-year revenue increase of 62% to $571 million, outpacing performance footwear peers like Nike or Adidas. Now, the brand is continuing global expansion, partnering with fashion brands and driving sales on and offline.

‘A place to express your brand’: Shopify’s Vanessa Lee on adding more customization tools for merchants

After a record-year of sales for its merchants, Shopify is overhauling its merchant platform, dubbing it Online Store 2.0. In an interview, Vanessa Lee, Shopify’s director of product for storefronts, spoke to Modern Retail about the e-commerce company's updated storefront tools and how it hopes to give brands more room for customization.

‘The goal is to make it accessible’: Godiva’s president of the Americas on new wholesale direction

After taking a stab at standalone cafes and boutiques, Godiva has pivoted to growing its CPG and e-commerce businesses. In the past year, the chocolate maker has closed all its North America shops and launched new partnerships with retailers, including Target and Walgreens. In an interview with Modern Retail, Godiva’s president of the Americas, Caroline Le Roch discussed how these changes are paying off.

How Christie’s is preparing for art auctions of the future with digital investments

Auction house Christie’s says its pre-pandemic investment in digital marketing as well as a willingness to experiment with high-production livestream auctions and virtual reality product merchandizing during the pandemic helped it navigate uncertainty. Over 90% of Christie's tradition client base started "engaging with us digitally" over the past year, Christie’s global head of corporate and digital marketing, Matt Rubinger, told Modern Retail.

How Hodinkee plans to dominate the watch resale space

Hodinkee launched in 2008 as a watch-focused blog, but has since grown into a full-fledged e-commerce site. To further its growth, the brand named a new CEO, Toby Bateman at the end of 2020. Bateman spoke with Modern Retail about the company's plans.

‘We’re still big believers in physical retail’: Warby Parker’s Dave Gilboa on the brand’s updated store strategy

Like other DTC brands, Warby Parker relied on its e-commerce channel while its stores were shut down during the pandemic. However, the company also found the period to be an opportunity to build out its telemedicine services, including optometrist appointments and prescription renewals. In an interview, Warby Parker co-founder and co-CEO Dave Gilboa spoke to Modern Retail about the brand's latest services and future role of the stores.

Hu Kitchen co-founder Jason Karp: There are ‘too many options’ in CPG

Jason Karp is quickly becoming the driving force behind a lot of brands trying to create a healthier spin on CPG staples. Along with his wife Jessica and brother Jordan, Jason launched Hu Kitchens in 2012. Karp spoke with Modern Retail about why he's getting into the frozen foods space, and how he thinks "greenwashing" is overtaking the health foods category.

Box Clever founder Bret Recor on how to design products with staying power

As competition among DTC brands grows, so does the need to stand out with unique and legacy-building products. It's why the approach to design is changing, explains Bret Recor, founder of Clever Box -- the design studio behind Away and Caraway.

Sephora e-commerce exec Carolyn Bojanowski on the growing importance of same-day fulfillment in beauty

As more beauty sales are moving online, retailers like Sephora have had to up their e-commerce game. Carolyn Bojanowski, senior vice president and general manager of e-commerce at Sephora, said that a big focus for the retailer over the past year has been adding more e-commerce services, like a same-day delivery partnership with Instacart, as well as more ways for customers to chat with Sephora employees online. Bojanowski spoke more with Modern Retail about how Sephora's e-commerce experiences have evolved over the past year.

Creator-led brands are prioritizing content and community for commerce growth