Steele the deal

Steele Canvas

While American consumers have long enjoyed the upside of free trade—cheap, on-demand goods from low-wage countries such as China and Vietnam—the push for more domestic manufacturing has come up over the years, from the anti-globalization protests in Seattle back in 1999 to the Biden administration’s attempts to reindustrialize the American economy following the pandemic.

And riding these waves of public sentiment are companies like Steele Canvas, a Massachusetts-based maker of laundry baskets, totes, and furniture that has operated for over 100 years.

Now, the new round of tariffs from the Trump administration are spotlighting trade issues once again, and Steele Canvas Co-Owner Paul Lordan weighs in on potential pros and cons for his business.

Keep reading here.—AV

Presented By Shopify

Talk about retail therapy

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MARKETING

Body double

BodyArmor

Between legacy brands like Gatorade and new entrants like Alex Cooper’s Unwell Hydration, competition in the sports-drink category is as stiff as ever. Coca-Cola’s BodyArmor is suiting up.

On Thursday, the brand announced a new look, marking its first rebrand in the company’s history, as well as an accompanying campaign featuring some of the biggest stars on its roster of athletes. The refresh is meant to help BodyArmor stand out both visually and in terms of its product attributes, CMO Tom Gargiulo said.

“We just felt like it was a good time for us to take a step back, look at how we’ve executed the brand, [and] identify opportunities for us to really enhance the branding, to really elevate what makes us different and unique versus the competition,” he told Marketing Brew.

Keep reading here on Marketing Brew.—AM

COMMUNITY

Coworking with Chantelle Elsner

Chantelle Elsner

On Wednesdays, we ~~wear pink~~ spotlight Retail Brew’s readers. Want to be featured in an upcoming edition? Click here to introduce yourself.

Chantelle Elsner is Northeast president at TerrAscend, a vertically integrated cannabis operator doing business in California, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? I tried to answer this question with some kind of witty metaphor, but they all felt a little self-indulgent. The fact is there are incredible people dedicated to making sure the end consumer has access to the things they need and want. I find the best of those people, encourage them to work together, and support their intrinsic desire to create an amazing experience. My job is often referred to as “seed-to-sale” in that I am responsible for that experience from its inception point, at our grow facilities, to the final transaction. “Seed-to-sale” may need to be retired, however. We are striving to work beyond the transaction to truly cultivate relationships with our customers and communities that transcend the simple exchange.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? There is no way for a LinkedIn profile to reflect how magical team synergy can be. I bridge worlds between our C-suite and our front line and have helped orchestrate a world-class team of cannabis professionals to do the same. A profile might show the faces and bios of the people at TerrAscend, but it can’t possibly capture the excitement of an incredible idea being brought to fruition or how people from varied backgrounds come together to support each other. I can’t take credit for their successes, but I wish my profile could reflect the pride I feel in our team.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? I struggled between two choices and ultimately realized that both answers were part of a larger category.

Keep reading here.—EC

Together With Haus

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SWAPPING SKUS

Today’s top retail reads.

The wrong foot: Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden said that new US tariffs could lead to pricier sneakers for the shoe giant, which can’t make “almost any” of its products stateside. (Financial Times)

Price check: Amazon’s reported plan to display tariffs’ impact on prices on its discount shopping site Haul was downplayed after criticism from the White House. (the Wall Street Journal)

Skimming the surface: Nike is assembling execs and designers to lead NikeSkims, its new sub-brand with Kim Kardashian’s Skims set to launch this spring. (Bloomberg)

On the money: Get 3 days free, then 3 months for just a buck per month when you sell on Shopify. With free no-code themes and comprehensive e-commerce tools, Shopify’s ready when you are.*

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