Howard Ruben

Los Angeles

WHAT'S YOUR STORY? Founder of Howard Ruben PR / Chief Storyteller for The Other Agency. Sports, travel, hospitality, food, fashion, music, nonprofit. 😎

Articles

Church & Dwight acquires Touchland for $880M

1 day ago | retaildive.com | Howard Ruben

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Church & Dwight on Monday announced it has agreed to acquire hand sanitizer brand Touchland in a deal worth $880 million. The deal agreement consists of $700 million in cash and Church & Dwight stock plus $180 million dependent on Touchland reaching its net sales goals, according to a news release. The agreement between the two companies is expected to close in the second quarter.
Consumers plan to curb footwear spending due to price hikes

1 day ago | fashiondive.com | Howard Ruben

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Consumers worried over inflation and tariff-related price hikes may be stepping back from shoe purchases over the next six months, according to the Spring 2025 AlixPartners U.S. Footwear Consumer Survey. The survey of 1,006 U.S. footwear consumers found that work and dress shoes could see spending decline 29% and 26%, respectively, this spring and summer.
Michaels deepens assortment of baking and entertaining products

3 days ago | retaildive.com | Howard Ruben

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. As it works to capture share left from the bankruptcies of major craft and party retailers, Michaels has launched over 700 cooking, baking and entertaining items, according to a company press release Thursday.
Michaels deepens assortment of baking and entertaining products

3 days ago | finance.yahoo.com | Howard Ruben

This story was originally published on Retail Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Retail Dive newsletter. As it works to capture share left from the bankruptcies of major craft and party retailers, Michaels has launched over 700 cooking, baking and entertaining items, according to a company press release Thursday.
Purple sales down 13% in Q1, citing softness in wholesale, e-commerce channels

6 days ago | retaildive.com | Howard Ruben

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. A softness in both its wholesale and e-commerce channels led to Purple’s Q1 net revenue falling 13.2% year over year to $104.2 million, according to a press release. The brand’s wholesale business fell 24%while e-commerce dropped by 8%. Purple’s gross margin was 39.4%, an improvement of 460 basis points compared to 2024. Net loss for the quarter was $19.1 million compared to $50.2 million last year.
Purple sales down 13% in Q1, citing softness in wholesale, e-commerce channels

6 days ago | finance.yahoo.com | Howard Ruben

This story was originally published on Retail Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Retail Dive newsletter. A softness in both its wholesale and e-commerce channels led to Purple’s Q1 net revenue falling 13.2% year over year to $104.2 million, according to a press release. The brand’s wholesale business fell 24% while e-commerce dropped by 8%. Purple’s gross margin was 39.4%, an improvement of 460 basis points compared to 2024.
Helen of Troy CEO out after 14 months

1 week ago | retaildive.com | Howard Ruben

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. After about one year on the job, Helen of Troy CEO Noel Geoffroy has left the company and resigned from its board of directors, effective immediately, according to a press release. Geoffroy has been replaced on an interim basis by the brand’s CFO Brian Grass. A search is underway for a permanent successor, per the release. Grass is a veteran of the company, having first joined in 2006.
Retail job cuts up nearly 80% in April

1 week ago | finance.yahoo.com | Howard Ruben

Unlock stock picks and a broker-level newsfeed that powers Wall Street. Howard Ruben Mon, May 5, 2025, 5:06 AM 2 min read This story was originally published on Retail Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Retail Dive newsletter. U.S. retailers eliminated over 64,000 jobs during the first four months of 2025, the second most of any industry, according to a new report released Thursday by consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
Retail job cuts up nearly 80% in April

1 week ago | retaildive.com | Howard Ruben

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. U.S. retailers eliminated over 64,000 jobs during the first four months of 2025, the second most of any industry, according to a new report released Thursday by consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The four-month total represented a 296% increase from the year-ago period. A total of 7,235 retail jobs were lost in April, up 77% from April 2024, according to the report.
Target refreshes Boots & Barkley pet brand

1 week ago | retaildive.com | Howard Ruben

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Timed to coincide with National Pet Month in May, Target on Wednesday said it had refreshed its long-running Boots & Barkley pet accessories private label, part of a series of merchandising changes the retailer has made in recent months.