Below you will find helpful and relevant articles that we carefully curate for the benefit of our B.R.A. Retail Members almost every day. Be sure to scroll through the most recent article or use the Search/Lookup feature to find topics and keywords related to articles that may help you to lower costs, increase margins or create more remarkable customer experiences.
by admin | Jun 13, 2025 | Customer Experience, Customer Service, HR, News, Opinion, Resources, Retail Strategy, Sales Training
You’ve hired smart people. Some have been with your store for years. They know your products inside and out. So why aren’t they closing more sales? Here are the two issues: Experience doesn’t equal engagement. And… Product knowledge doesn’t...
by admin | Jun 11, 2025 | News, Trade Shows
The last elaborate booth for the ASR (Action Sports Retailer) show in San Diego was packed up in August 2010. Those 15 years of slapping hands, bumping shoulders and surfing my way through crowds of longtime friends, bitter business competitors, beautiful young...
by admin | Jun 9, 2025 | News, Opinion, Safety and preparedness, Surf
Satellite view of Hurricane Dorian (with digital enhancements) from 2019.Roberto Machado Noa/Getty Images NOAA cuts are here…and they’re not good. Heading into the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, National Weather Service forecasters at the National Oceanic and...
by admin | Jun 7, 2025 | E-Commerce, News, Retail Economy, Retail Strategy, Tariffs
Consumers are waking up to a new economic reality: things cost more. From hot sake to tinted moisturizer to vehicles, the everyday evidence is piling up. For brand leaders, especially in retail, this isn’t just about inflation. It’s about trust — and how it’s...
by admin | Jun 5, 2025 | Brick & Mortar, Customer Service, HR, Opinion, Resources, Retail Strategy, Sales Training, Staffing
If you’re looking for the top skills to be a good shop assistant or assistant store manager, you’ve come to the right post. One of the biggest stories I’ve not heard talked about is that retail didn’t lose so many associates or managers as shift leads and...
by admin | Jun 3, 2025 | Brick & Mortar, News, Resources, Retail Strategy
Retailers often think that the next boost in their business is going to come from finding the next amazing line of merchandise, or discovering a new marketing tool (the next Facebook?). Sometimes they believe it will happen because they hire a killer...
by admin | Jun 1, 2025 | Brick & Mortar, Commercial Real Estate, E-Commerce, News, Opinion, Predictions, Retail Economy
In the last 15 years, the value of in-store sales fell just once, amid 2020’s pandemic lockdowns, according to a report from Colliers Monday. Daphne Howland/Retail Dive Brick-and-mortar stores drive the vast majority of core retail sales, and that won’t change any...
by admin | May 30, 2025 | Brick & Mortar, E-Commerce, Event Planning, Holiday, News, Retail Economy, Retail Strategy
The survey shows growing demand for personalised, experience-based gifts, with higher spending and online shopping leading. / Credit: Prostock-studio via Shutterstock Americans are set to spend a record $24bn on Father’s Day in 2025, according to new data from the...
by admin | May 28, 2025 | Brick & Mortar, Community, News, Retail Strategy, Retail Technologies, Surf
Hi, I’m Cheyne Cottrell, General Manager and Co-Owner of Island Water Sports. My family has been riding the waves of the surf retail industry since 1977. This is my short story of how we navigated decades of challenges and expanded into new opportunities. I’ve also...
by admin | May 26, 2025 | HR, News, Opinion, Retail Economy, Retail Strategy, Tariffs
Credit: Getty Images by Flamingo Images In retail, speed is no longer optional. Customer expectations shift fast, and technology evolves even faster. Strategic priorities can flip overnight in response to market volatility, operational challenges, or competitive...
