The home + housewares industry has seen retailers of all sizes and scope demonstrate resilience to withstand the initial incursion of the pandemic and, in many cases, convert such resolve into a stronger, more adaptable foundation for long-term success.
I’ve used this space recently to tout how independent retailers got up from the mat after what could have been a knockout blow to be among the most responsive, proactive and inventive resources for the growing housewares needs of their communities.
However, this is still a business that watches every move of its biggest retailers with great interest, taking its cues when possible from such market leaders about how to adapt… and often also about what not to do.
That inspired HomePage News to check in on some of these retailing giants a year after they were among those to have had a head start in a reopening brick-and-mortar and omnichannel marketplace because their designation as essential businesses meant they never had to close.
HomePage News recently kicked off a special report — “Big Retail Beyond 2021”— a series of in-depth analyses by Contributing Editor Mike Duff examining the state of major home and housewares retailers entering the back half of 2021. The report, to be rolled out on HomePageNews.com over the next several weeks, will present comprehensive profiles on Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Costco, Kroger and Amazon.
The series will detail how major initiatives by big retailers encompassing operations, merchandising and marketing — including pre-pandemic strategies accelerated by the crisis and programs since introduced — might be re-setting the bar for all of retailing; and what it means for the home + housewares business.
Keep an eye out for more insightful retailer profiles in the “Big Retail Beyond 2021” special report. Don’t miss what everyone else is watching.
Read the Big Retail Beyond 2021 stories published to date.
