Alex Vuocolo

New York

Retail Reporter at Morning Brew

Retail Reporter @morningbrew. Formerly covered the Fed at @cheddarnews. Opinions are very much my own.

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Articles

Walmart CEO commits to keeping prices low

1 week ago | retailbrew.com | Alex Vuocolo

As the Trump administration’s worldwide tariffs took effect on Wednesday, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon told investors that it sees the situation as an opportunity to gain market share. “We see opportunities to accelerate share gains and are maintaining flexibility to invest in price as tariffs are applied to incoming goods,” he said.
Family Dollar needs investment. Will its new owners pay up?

1 week ago | retailbrew.com | Alex Vuocolo

When Dollar Tree purchased Family Dollar in 2015 for $9 billion, then-CEO Bob Sasser said the deal would expand the discount chain’s reach among low-income shoppers and diversify its assortment by adding a multi-price banner to its fixed-price business. A decade later, Dollar Tree divested from Family Dollar in a $1 billion deal announced in March that has placed the business in the hands of private equity firms Brigade Capital Management and Macellum Capital Management.
Retail Brew

1 week ago | retailbrew.com | Alex Vuocolo
Fierce competition forces retailers to consider alternatives to price increases

2 weeks ago | retailbrew.com | Alex Vuocolo

When Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last month that “access to cheap goods is not the essence of the American Dream,” making an argument for the Trump administration’s controversial tariff policy, the country’s biggest retailers had just made it abundantly clear cheap goods were still the essence of their business models.
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon takes retailers to task

2 weeks ago | retailbrew.com | Alex Vuocolo

In JPMorgan’s annual letter to shareholders, CEO Jamie Dimon took retailers to task for pushing for regulations that limit their share of transaction costs. “It is unfortunate that retailers and banks have been in a battle for years over who should bear the cost of processing money—and that retailers continue to use ‘lawfare’ to get their way,” he wrote. The regulation in question is the Durbin Amendment or Regulation II, which was enacted as part of the Dodd-Frank Act in 2010.
Easter spending estimated to hit $23.6 billion this year

2 weeks ago | retailbrew.com | Alex Vuocolo

It looks like tariffs won’t be scaring off the Easter bunny this year. A new survey from the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics estimates that consumers will spend $23.6 billion on the holiday—up from $22.5 billion last year and nearing the record $24 billion spent in 2023.
Fast fashion needs to slow down, says logistics CEO

2 weeks ago | retailbrew.com | Alex Vuocolo

The fast fashion industry is facing a triple threat from tariffs, the end of the de minimis loophole, and an ongoing shift by consumers to secondhand markets, according to LVK Logistics CEO Maggie Barnett.
This Week in Retail: March inflation data and Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders

2 weeks ago | retailbrew.com | Alex Vuocolo

It’s a big week for gamers. Pre-orders for the Nintendo Switch 2 open in North America on Wednesday. Next-gen systems only come along every so often, but when they do it’s a major retail event. The PlayStation 5 has experienced multiple supply chain hiccups since its release in November 2020, including feeling the brunt of a in 2023.
Walmart shakes up ‘buy now, pay later’ with Klarna partnership

3 weeks ago | retailbrew.com | Alex Vuocolo

Klarna shook up the fintech world in March with the announcement that it was becoming the exclusive buy now, pay later (BNPL) provider for Walmart, replacing its competitor Affirm in one of the most sought-after partnerships in the industry. “This is a game changer,” Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski said in a statement.
Private label portfolios expand in response to inflation

3 weeks ago | retailbrew.com | Alex Vuocolo

Nearly 60% of retailers are growing their private label portfolios to build loyalty and improve margins in response to inflation, according to a new survey from Relex. The supply chain platform’s report found that 16% of retailers are also shifting away from national brands, leaving manufacturers to compete on price rather than brands. CPG manufacturers are facing margin pressure, for example, with 70% relying on discounting to compete and 40% introducing “value-tier” products.