Unity Marketing

06/02/2026

Family-owned Sub-Zero Group welcomes a new stand-alone, undercounter ice maker to its family of luxury kitchen appliances to meet the growing demand for a steady stream of pure, crystal-clear, slow-melting ice cubes.

Despite a 2.2% drop in U.S. spirits sales, consumers are demanding higher quality cocktails. Sub-Zero launches a new high-quality standalone ice maker to meet this need.

05/27/2026

Hairstory upended the hair-care industry by challenging the harsh, detergent-based chemistry that damaged the scalp and hair rather than making them healthier. Now the founders are taking the same approach beyond hair—launching a detergent‑free hand and body wash called Sans Savon ("without soap"). It’s a small product with a big implication: consumers are moving toward cleaner, natural formulas that support the body's microbiome, not disrupt it, while legacy brands remain anchored in outdated chemistry. Get the insights in my latest for Forbes.com.

Hairstory founder Eli Halliwell revolutionized hair care with detergent-free New Wash. Now he and wife Erica launched Sans Savon on the same principle for hand and body.

05/18/2026

Office supplies alone won’t save a category that’s half the size it was a decade ago. Staples knows it — and it’s moving fast. Party City shop‑in‑shops. Stanton Optical eye exams. Amazon and Happy Returns traffic. This is what services‑led, community-centric retail looks like.

Staples is reinventing its 900 stores as community service hubs, moving beyond traditional office supplies to combat a shrinking retail market and intense competition.

05/14/2026

Chip Wilson has a five‑pillar plan to “fix” Lululemon. But the real story isn’t the plan — it’s the timing. With the founder on the outside, the makeup of the board still pending his proxy vote and incoming CEO Heidi O’Neill not to take over until September, the question becomes: What does a creativity‑first doctrine look like inside a mature, global brand?
My latest for Forbes.com breaks down the tension between Wilson’s entrepreneurial lens and Lululemon’s current reality.

In Chip Wilson' on-going proxy battle, he released a five-point plan to bring creative leadership to Lululemon. Newly picked Nike's Heidi O'Neill may not be best choice.

05/13/2026

Disney’s new CEO starts with job cuts and a reputation to rebuild. In Forbes.com, I look at what broke — and what it will take to restore confidence in one of the world’s most powerful brands.

New Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro initiated layoffs amid a significant decline in the company's global brand reputation and valuation. He must restore the Disney magic.

05/13/2026

Gen Z isn’t buying what luxury is selling — and The Devil Wears Prada 2 is arriving right as the industry tries to pull a generation it never fully captured. My latest for Forbes breaks down why the stakes are higher this time, and why the old playbook won’t work.

Luxury fashion brands are hoping 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' will attract Gen Z and revive a personal luxury market facing a two-year downturn.

05/12/2026

American consumers are collectively owed roughly $166 billion in tariff refunds following the Supreme Court’s ruling that the Trump-era tariffs were illegal. Yet the vast majority of shoppers will likely never see a dime of that money.

05/10/2026

The war in Iran didn’t just disrupt a region—it exposed how fragile the global luxury market is. Middle Eastern wealth may be rising, but relying on outbound spending while the home market is under siege is not a strategy. I joined The Robin Report's Shelley Kohan and Arick Wierson on the latest Retail Unwrapped podcast to break down what luxury must do now.

Join Shelley and TRR contributors Arick Wierson and Pamela Danziger as they deconstruct the impact of the war and challenge the conventional wisdom driving luxury brand strategy.

05/10/2026

Disney’s new CEO, Josh D’Amaro, starts his tenure with job cuts and the urgent work of rebuilding a corporate reputation. My recent post for Forbes breaks down the stakes—and what it will take to restore the magic.

New Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro initiated layoffs amid a significant decline in the company's global brand reputation and valuation. He must restore the Disney magic.

05/02/2026

After the Supreme Court ruling that the Trump‑era tariffs were illegal, the U.S. International Trade Commission determined that the money collected must be returned to the importers of record. In practice, that means tariff refunds will flow to businesses—not consumers—and companies can choose how to use them. Retailers that want to rebuild trust and loyalty have an opportunity to pass those savings back to shoppers. I unpack the stakes in my latest Forbes.com post.

Americans are owed $166 billion in tariff refunds, but they won't directly receive them. Consumers want relief, which retailers can deliver by reducing prices.