This week on the Modern Retail Podcast, co-hosts Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels unpack the news that Amazon is laying off about 14,000 people from its corporate workforce. They discuss what this says about how corporate America is responding to economic circumstances as well as the role of AI in reshaping workflows. Next, they talk through Lululemon’s NFL collaboration and what it reveals about the athleisure giant’s attempts to win over new audiences.

From there (15:40), Barkho and Daniels sit down with Lawrence Berger, the co-founder of private equity firm Ames Watson that recently acquired Claire’s following its Chapter 11 filing. Berger explains how the company’s experiences reviving Lids, another legacy mall brand, are helping inform its Claire’s playbook as it looks to update the stores and brand for a new era.

Their discussion covers:

The challenges Claire’s faces with outdated merchandising and inefficient corporate practices

 The behind-the-scenes fixes, like merchandising and store refreshes, that Ames Watson is planning

 Why Ames Watson sees itself as an “atypical” private equity firm that aims for long-term brand revival rather than quick flips