Mike O'Brien
Mike O’Brien has worked in journalism, marketing and public relations for … well, quite a while. At Multichannel Merchant he focuses on the world of direct-to-customer operations and fulfillment, editing MCM’s weekly O+F Advisor newsletter, and programs the annual Ecommerce Operations Summit conference. Previously Mike was a senior account executive for Marx Communications, a boutique public relations firm working with marketing and advertising technology companies. Other past work includes stints as a media relations consultant for a concert promoter, a marketing communications specialist for a pharma software firm, a research analyst covering corporate e-learning and a daily newspaper reporter on every beat imaginable – except sports.
For the second time in four-plus years, David’s Bridal has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy court protection, while planning to lay off more than 9,000 employees at stores and distribution centers nationwide and seeking a buyer for the distressed business. Stores will remain open, online and marketplace sales will continue, and loyalty points, gift cards, returns and exchanges will all be honored.
Wish, a once-popular online marketplace for a vast array of often bizarre, inexpensive goods that at one juncture proved to be phantom listings, has conducted a 1-for-30 reverse stock split, a move typically associated with distressed companies in danger of being delisted from an exchange. A 2022 expose found the company listed and sold items it knew didn’t exist.
Less than two months after selling off Moosejaw Mountaineering to a more appropriate home at Dick’s Sporting Goods, another of Walmart’s digital-first apparel brands is being sold. This time, menswear seller Bonobos is going to Express and WHP Global for $75 million, a $235 million discount to its $310 million acquisition in 2017.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy kept a positive tone while running down ways that Amazon has had to scale back its business to accommodate shifting conditions in his second annual shareholder letter, including reducing and reconfiguring its fulfillment network and dealing with a slowdown in cloud computing. The company is also trying to figure out a physical grocery model that works, Jassy said.
The Teamsters union stepped up its rhetoric ahead of the formal start of bargaining Monday for a new contract with UPS, accusing the major carrier of stalling and refusing to negotiate in good faith, while threatening to hold up the process until supplemental issues are settled. But there appears to be difference between the parties on the agreed-upon timetable for addressing them.
Grocers are increasingly concerned with the impact of the digital age on customer loyalty, as options have proliferated and made it easier for shoppers to cross over to competitors, according to a new report from Incisiv, The Food Industry Association (FMI) and Loyal Guru. About 75% of grocers said e-grocery has made shoppers less loyal, while 71% report that improving loyalty is a C-level issue.
No one questions the fact that ecommerce packaging waste is a major problem, clogging the planet with yet more plastic and cardboard. The twofold question then becomes, what is being done about it, and what more can be done? This Multichannel Merchant special feature discusses the scope of the issue, and steps that are being taken by retailers, suppliers and governments to reduce the amount of waste.
FedEx provided details on its plan to consolidate its Ground, Express and Service units by 2024, announced last year, with its less-than-truckload Freight unit remaining separate, projecting cost savings of $4 billion by 2025 and an additional $2 billion in network efficiencies by 2027. The consolidation, undoing the legacy of founder and executive chairman Fred Smith, will cost an estimated $2 billion, FedEx said.
Ryder System Inc. plans to purchase 4,000 light-duty electric vans for its rental, leasing and dedicated fleets from General Motors-owned BrightDrop by 2025, with its first order of 200 vehicles going into service this year, as it looks to meet customer EV demand and keep up with various state mandates.
Boxed, purveyor of bulk home products that likened itself to an online Costco, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after failing to find a buyer and enduring sustained weak revenue and earnings, a far cry from the promise of its SPAC IPO in December 2021. An affiliate of its main creditor may purchase its software service.