week of 6/29/2020 Squaring the Circle of Retail Sales Gains and Massive Job Loss As consumer spending dwindles, retail chains struggle and bankruptcy filings mount up. Yet retail and food sales rose a record 17.7% in May, and discount chains are flourishing. How do we account for this? Brett Rose, founder and CEO of United National Consumer Suppliers, shares his thoughts in this MCM CommerceChat podcast. Amazon’s Anti-Counterfeit Crimes Unit Includes Former Prosecutors Amazon is taking a serious run at counterfeit sellers on its marketplace, with the creation of a Counterfeit Crimes Unit that includes former federal prosecutors, investigators and data analysts. The company said it has limited counterfeit complaints to 0.1% of items listed, but legislators and media investigations have still taken it to task. Marketplaces Give Brands a Greater Shot at DTC Success Brands are challenged with finding a way forward even when traditional DTC models threaten to crack—and thinking outside the box to find the post-coronavirus formula for success. Fortunately, DTC doesn’t just mean selling on your own site. Here are some of the strong benefits of adding marketplaces to your DTC channel mix. Ascena Paying Millions in Executive Bonuses While Weighing Bankruptcy Following in the footsteps of JC Penney and others, struggling rollup Ascena Retail Group said it plans to pay up to $5.5 million in retention awards and performance bonuses and undo pay cuts to top executives, as it reportedly weighs a bankruptcy filing in the face of its debt and declining sales. Ecommerce Fulfillment Space Demand Shows Strong Rebound in May Digital Payments in 2020: Remote Ordering and Managing Risk May Retail, Food Sales Up a Record 17.7%; Ecommerce Jumps 30% What Ecommerce Sellers Should Know About Third-Party Services See open jobs for ecommerce, marketing, and fulfillment operations View Jobs