4 retailers that need a win this holiday season

Features

4 retailers that need a win this holiday season
 
Published Monday, November 10, 2025 11:00 am
by Caroline Jansen

This is a summary

"With Halloween in the rearview, all eyes are locked on the holidays ahead.

Retailers are trying to win over customers — from special in-store experiences to early deals on holiday gifts.

Discounts, in particular, may go a long way for retailers amid a year marked by economic uncertainty and weak consumer sentiment. Consumers are seeking out both convenience and value “to pull off their holiday,” according to Katherine Black, a partner with Kearney where she leads food, drug and mass market retail.

“Retailers face a number of headwinds this holiday season. Tariffs, the government shutdown and almost daily news of large-scale layoffs are all putting pressure on the consumer,” Black said."

Read the original on Retail Dive

4 retailers that need a win this holiday season | Retail Dive

Image credit to Retail Dive


Send this page to a friend

4 retailers that need a win this holiday season | Retail Dive

Recent News

How real estate intelligence is redefining retail growth

Retailers are expanding again—but with far more discipline. Today, it’s not about opening the most stores, but choosing locations that can truly win. Real estate intelligence is reshaping decisions by tying together customer movement, store performance and financial impact, allowing brands to validate formats faster, negotiate smarter and align real estate strategy with bottom-line results. The retailers who treat data as a daily habit—not a quarterly report—are the ones building portfolios that can flex with consumer behavior and stay future-proof.

Retail roulette: How Trump’s tariffs altered buying

Tariffs under the Trump administration have become so unpredictable that retailers are struggling to keep up, with costs shifting faster than buying teams can plan. Because orders are usually placed months—sometimes nearly a year—in advance, the on-again, off-again tariff changes have disrupted long-standing vendor relationships, forced last-minute capacity bets, and pushed buyers to reorder their entire sourcing strategies. Big names like Best Buy and Ikea have already shifted production away from China, while smaller retailers face far greater pressure as they juggle longer lead times, unreliable suppliers, and tighter holiday deadlines. As experts point out, this volatile trade environment is accelerating a major industry shift: retailers must evolve from lean, efficiency-focused supply chains to more flexible, resilient ones—or risk being left behind.

Ikea profits take a hit from tariffs, affordability effort

IKEA's net profit fell nearly one-third to 1.5 billion euros from 2.2 billion euros in fiscal year 2025, as the company absorbed the impact of U.S. tariffs and rising commodity prices while maintaining lower prices for franchisees and customers. Total revenues remained essentially flat at 26.3 billion euros, with total IKEA sales declining 1% to 44.6 billion euros due to lower wholesale prices introduced in 2024. Despite the profit decline, sales volumes grew 2.6% and store visits increased nearly 2%, reaching 915 million, as the company opened 66 new locations globally. IKEA plans to maintain current wholesale price levels in fiscal 2026 to ensure stability and affordability despite continued pressure on profitability.