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It is no secret that malls were struggling before the pandemic hit, with lockdowns and restrictions only making the issues worse. Recent data shows the extent to which this is the case, including for top-tier malls.

The Report

Green Street, a real estate analytics firm, estimates A-rated malls’ values. Around 250 malls of around 1,000 in the country fit this category. A-rated malls typically bring in about $750 of sales for each square foot. By comparison, B-rated malls bring in about $425, C-malls about $250, and A++ rated ones $1,100.

According to the company’s analytics, the value of these A-rated malls has dropped by about 45 percent since 2016.

Simon Property Group is the country’s largest mall owner. The company is the owner of a large portion of the country’s A-rated malls, so its growth or decline can provide industry insights, as well. In just the last 12 months, the company’s shares have dropped over 32 percent.

What

Wayfair and Dick’s Sporting Goods are both using real-time inventory data to appeal to customers, and they are reaping the rewards for doing so. The Strategy Both Wayfair and Dick’s improved the level of detail they provide to customers regarding real-time inventory and supply chain. This required them to use technological and operational agility to ensure customers get accurate data.

The Reasons

As the pandemic got underway, Dick’s Sporting Goods realized that customers were less willing to wait for products than they had been before. For example, they would be willing to drive an extra 10 minutes to get the set of dumbbells they wanted that day instead of having to wait. Or they would opt to drive and pick up an item that day instead of waiting for two-day shipping.

Dick’s Sporting Goods’ Solution

Based on this trend, Dick’s decided to make some adjustments to appeal to these preferences. The company had already taken

Petco recently had its IPO, which saw its shares surging by 63% during the first trading day. This success was likely thanks to a combination of the pet boom during the pandemic and the new digital offerings from the company.

The IPO

When Petco Health and Wellness opened on the stock market, its shares were $26, which was already 44% higher than the IPO price. The company’s first day of Nasdaq trading in mid-January saw a 63% increase, closing at $29.40. As a result, Petco’s market value surged to $6.4 billion. By comparison, the IPO raised $816.5 million with shares at $18. This was already better than the expected price target, which was just $14 to $17.

Reasons for Petco’s Success

The CEO of Petco talked to CNBC in preparation for the company going public. He discussed some of the reasons that the company was doing well and why the IPO and stock launch seemed to be a success.

The Pandemic Pet Boom

Birkenstock is a family-owned brand, but recent reports from Bloomberg indicate that the company is in talks with CVC Capital Partners, a private equity firm, to sell.

The Talks

Bloomberg reported that these are “advanced talks” that would involve CVC Capital Partners buying Birkenstock for $4.8 billion. This valuation includes some debt.

For those unfamiliar with CVC Capital Partners, the firm already owns Douglas, a German beauty retailer, and Breitling, a Swiss watch retailer.

Birkenstock’s Recent Growth

Birkenstock has been doing well in recent months. According to the NPD Group, Birkenstock and other brands like Crocs, Dr. Martens, and UGG that focus on comfort have had an advantage during the pandemic.

About five years ago, Birkenstock was in the headlines for no longer selling on Amazon. This decision was due to concerns about counterfeiting.

There was not a company-owned Birkenstock store

It is no secret that the pandemic has been hard on businesses, and experts predict that it will not necessarily get better any time soon. The former CEO of Macy’s, Terry Lundgren, talked to CNBC and said that he expects more stores to close in 2021. According to Lundgren, those retailers that do hang on will eventually have the chance to regrow.

His Predictions

Lundgren predicts that the disruption to retail from coronavirus will continue at least well into 2021. He made this prediction in late 2020 before the holiday season was over. At the time, Lundgren said that retailers would have a better idea of their situation after the holidays.

To put it in perspective, as of late December, over 11,000 retail locations had closed in 2020. One of the big factors was the increase in online shopping.

Lundgren also pointed out that the pandemic was not the only reason for store closures. While it was a significant factor, Lundgren also feels that

With local retailers and restaurants struggling, one of the most common pieces of advice for supporting local businesses has been to buy gift cards. They put money in the pocket of the business right away, and you still get to use them later on.

In addition to those immediate benefits, experts are pointing out that the gift cards bought during the holiday season may also help retailers in the beginning.

How It Helps Businesses in the Future

The idea behind the immediate benefits of a gift card is fairly obvious. You give the retailer cash in exchange for the card that you will spend in the future. They essentially get money for the promise of future free goods or discounts. T

he way the gift cards help in the future can take a few more seconds to grasp. It comes down to the fact that few people spend exactly the amount on their gift cards. Most will spend more than that, giving the business in question additional income.

The other

Rebag is known for its reselling of luxury handbags. The retailer is trying something new by opening a new Rebag Bar in New York City. Currently, the retailer has physical stores in Los Angeles, Miami, and New York.

The Micro-Store

The Rebag Bar will be just 180 square feet. It will be in the Shops at Columbus Circle in New York City.

The store will have the full range of Rebag categories, including accessories, fine jewelry, watches, and bags. A curated selection of items within the various categories will be on display at all times. Customers will also be able to visit the Rebag Bar and browse the entire inventory digitally.

As with its larger locations, customers can also sell their luxury items at Rebag Bar. This process should take less than an hour at this new location.

The Goal and Reasons

According to the Rebag founder and CEO, Charles Gorra, this is one of Rebag’s ways to “democratize luxury sales.”

An ever-increasing number of retailers are working to provide same-day or one-day delivery to their customers. Dick’s Sporting Goods is the latest of these retailers to do so by working with Instacart.

Introducing the Service

Dick’s Sporting Goods and Instacart had their partnership go live in mid-December, just in time for the last-minute rush of the holiday season. The service rolled out at over 150 stores throughout Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Georgia. Although this partnership began just in time for the holiday season, it will last beyond it. Eventually, the retailer plans to roll out the same-day delivery via Instacart to even more stores.

Via the Instacart application, Dick’s Sporting Goods’ customers can choose delivery with an estimated timeframe. They can also opt for on-demand delivery within an hour or so.

Reasons for the Service

Dick’s Sporting Goods chose to roll out same-day delivery

It is no secret that retailers have seen a shift to e-commerce this year, thanks to the pandemic. Despite that shift, Costco still plans on making its brick-and-mortar stores one of its priorities.

The Statement

Craig Jelinek, the Costco CEO, talked to CNBC and explained that the retailer would continue to consider the in-store experience as critical. Jelinek told CNBC that he does not predict brick-and-mortar will disappear anytime soon, especially for Costco.

At the same time, Jelinek expects that the retailer’s online business will keep growing. He also told CNBC that the company does not plan on “getting tricky.” Instead, the company will focus on bringing value via quality merchandise and high-end goods, as it has. This will continue to be through the brick-and-mortar and online warehouses.

According to Jelinek, Costco still wants to get people into the stores. He let CNBC know that Costco will continue to do so with its famous promotions

Rue21 filed for bankruptcy about three years ago, but the retailer has bounced back and is opening new stores.

The Announcement

A recent press release from Rue21 announced that the retailer would be opening 15 new stores beginning in January. This is in addition to the three stores it recently opened. According to CFO Michele Pascoe, the company has been consistently beating its expectations. It has also been increasing comparable sales annually.

The success of Rue21 in recent months and years is particularly striking given the struggles of its competitors.

Rue21’s Recovery

Following its bankruptcy, Rue21 was in a financial position with strong enough performance to retire its debt. At the same time, it increased the availability of its asset-based facility. The result was $100 million in liquidity.

Filing for bankruptcy in 2017 let Rue21 close over 400 stores while reducing its debt by millions. This also