WWD | June 30, 2021 After more than a year in a pandemic, consumers say they’re ready to get back to brick-and-mortar. According to a new global research report by Mood Media, 80 percent of consumers now feel “somewhat comfortable” or “very comfortable” visiting physical stores. In fact, 60 percent of survey respondents told the company they plan to revert back to pre-pandemic shopping habit levels by or before the end of this year and 21 percent of respondents say their shop

Business Insider | June 9, 2021 Costco plans to open five new US stores this summer. As many retailers are pulling back on physical stores, Costco is one of a few opening new locations. Sales boomed for Costco at the height of the pandemic in 2020, and have remained high. Total revenue for the year ended August 2020 was up 9% to $163 billion. In its most recent quarterly earnings results, reported at the end of May, revenue was up 21.7% to $44.38 billion. New stores will open

Retail Dive | June 9, 2020 Expanding e-commerce and turning stores into meal destinations were high on grocery executives' to-do lists before the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, online grocery adoption is accelerating ahead of schedule and expected to become a regular habit for a significant number of shoppers. Tom Custer, vice president with FRCH Nelson, sees more grocers adopting a hybrid store model that combines an elevated in-person experience with enhanced online fulfillment ca