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.

“Retailers could close more than 40K stores in the next 5 years” by Daphne Howland via Retail Dive

by admin | Apr 27, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, Clearance Sales / Discounting, Commercial Real Estate, Customer Experience, Customer Loyalty, Customer Service, E-Commerce, News

An Eddie Bauer store in March 2026 that is slated to shutter this year. Closures over the next five years could weigh on already struggling malls. Daphne Howland/Retail Dive Tariffs and immigration policies are weighing on the industry and could drive even more...

“Your Associates Passed the Training. So Why Can’t They Sell?” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

by admin | Apr 24, 2026 | News, Resources, Sales Training

Retail training fails for one reason: it protects associates from failure instead of using it as the mechanism for learning. Videos, quizzes, and microlearning apps improve completion rates but do not change behavior on the floor. The only thing that does is repeated...

“Surf Expo Show Director on the Rising Active Lifestyle and What it Means for September 2026 Show” by Tiffany Montgomery via SurfExpo.com

by admin | Apr 21, 2026 | News, Surf Expo, Trade Shows

Surf Expo Show Director Roy Turner, second from left, with the Coastal Edge crew from Virginia Beach, Virginia. Photo by Surf Expo. As Surf Expo celebrates its 50th anniversary, the show continues to serve as a vital hub for the surf, resort, swim, and coastal outdoor...

“Retailers rely on this tariff mitigation tactic. Congress has noticed.” by Dani James via Retail Dive

by admin | Apr 17, 2026 | News

A shipping container is offloaded at the Port of Los Angeles on Sep. 25, 2026. Mario Tama via Getty Images The First Sale valuation method has helped companies lower their tariff costs for decades, but renewed scrutiny claims it harms U.S. production. Retailers, along...

“Unlocking AI Tools for Independent Retailers” (including on-demand link to view) by Tiffany Montgomery via SES Outdoor

by admin | Apr 14, 2026 | Artificial Intelligence / CHAT GPT, Brick & Mortar, Industry, News, Resources

Shop Eat Surf Outdoor has assembled a panel of independent retailers who will share their personal journeys, their learning curves, and the specific ways they are integrating AI to make their businesses more efficient Register now for Unlocking AI Tools for...

“NRF forecasts 4.4% retail sales growth this year despite rising uncertainty” by Daphne Howland via Retail Dive

by admin | Apr 5, 2026 | Consumer Behavior, News, Opinion, Predictions

NRF Chief Economist Mark Mathews speaking Wednesday at the group’s annual State of Retail and the Consumer virtual event. Screenshot: National Retail Federation/YouTube The group acknowledged a softening labor market, persistent inflation and fallout from geopolitical...