STORES

Lulus

For a brand that made its name selling dresses directly to customers online, Lulus has discovered that there’s value in meeting shoppers somewhere decidedly more old school: the department store.

The 30-year-old brand recently expanded into Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s, adding to its already burgeoning wholesale footprint that includes Nordstrom, Dillard’s, and Amazon. Lulus will initially operate in 30 Macy’s stores, as well as online, with a collection spanning everyday and special occasion dresses. At Bloomingdale’s, the brand will launch in 16 stores and online, beginning with homecoming, before expanding into resort and other occasion categories.

For CEO Crystal Landsem, the push into wholesale isn’t as much a departure from Lulus’s DTC foundation as it is a response to how its customers now shop.

Keep reading here.—JS

      

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CONSUMER BEHAVIOR & TRENDS

Morning Brew Inc, Photo: Adobe Stock

US retail sales jumped 1.2% to $773.9 billion in August, the Commerce Department reported this week, a higher-than-expected rebound from a 0.5% decline in July.

Most retail segments saw sales upticks, with gas stations helping to pull up the overall gain, climbing 3.1% month-over-month amid continually elevated gas prices.

Nonstore retailers, made up largely by e-commerce sales, secured a 2.6% sales increase.

Other sales gains included miscellaneous store retailers (1.9%), electronics and appliance stores (1.6%), restaurants and bars (1.2%), sporting goods, hobby, and book stores (1.2%), furniture and home stores (0.9%), and health and personal care stores (0.9%). Clothing and accessories stores sales rose 0.7%, while sales at food and beverage stores rose 0.4%, with grocery stores up 0.5%.

Keep reading here.—EC

      

Sponsored By Verizon

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TECH

Morning Brew Inc, Photo: Adobe Stock

White Castle may be known for its miniature sliders, but its digital transformation plans are anything but tiny.

For the past six years, the fast food burger chain has cooked up automation initiatives across its stores to help employees better serve customers.

Part of White Castle’s digital transformation efforts have revolved around Julia, a drive-thru AI voice assistant. White Castle CIO Susan Carroll-Boser told IT Brew that Julia helps drive-thru employees “be a little bit less of an octopus.”

Keep reading here on IT Brew.—BM

      

Sponsored By Roku Ads Manager

Are you on CTV? Most folks know streaming is booming. But what about the brands advertising on these platforms? In our recent article with Roku Ads Manager, we uncover survey data about how brands are leveraging this channel. Take a look at what we learned.

swapping skus

Today’s top retail reads.

Pay day: Amazon is increasing the starting hourly wage for its full-time operations workers by $1 increase to $20. (Associated Press)

Join the club: Costco is expanding its partnership with Uber Eats from 17 to 47 states, with Costco members across nearly 600 locations able to use the delivery service. (CNBC)

Money moves: Former Saks Global CEO Marc Metrick, who stepped down from this role in January, has joined BRG Corporate Finance as a managing director. (WWD)

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Jobs

Tired of one-size-fits-all job boards? CollabWORK highlights roles that reflect your interests and goals—delivered through communities like Retail Brew. Click here to explore the full job board.

• Market Development Manager at Constellation Brands
• Digital Sales Performance Manager at Mazda
• Retail Event Marketing Manager at LeafHome
• Category Manager at Uline, Inc.
• Retail Merchandiser at SAS Retail Services