In the Media
For media requests, contact:
Thomas McMillan
Director, Center for Retailing Studies
tmcmillan@mays.tamu.edu
979-845-5898
Follow us
@TAMURetail
2023
February 17
Brazos Valley business seeing benefits of nationwide retail surge – comments from Thomas McMillan
Conner Beene | KBTX
2022
December 22
‘Tis the season for spending money – comments from Thomas McMillan
Abigail Metsch | KBTX
November 2
Retailers recommend shopping early as the holiday season approaches – comments from Thomas McMillan
Conner Beene | KBTX
2021
November 3
Retail experts say it’s time to start your holiday shopping, especially if it’s the year’s most popular products – comments from Venky Shankar
Fallon Appleton | KBTX
November 1
Why Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals won’t be the same in 2021 – comments from Venky Shankar
Amanda Drane | Houston Chronicle
October 31
The Supply Side: Former Walmart, Sam’s Club exec talks Michaels turnaround – Texas A&M Retailing Summit
Kim Souza | talkbusiness.net
October 24
Unique new business in College Station hopes to ‘capture’ the hearts of locals – comments from Venky Shankar
Brittany Defran | KRHD
October 19
If Halloween is a bellwether, it’s time to buy your artificial Christmas tree – comments from Venky Shankar
Maria Halkias | The Dallas Morning News
October 18
Walmart testing text-to-shop technology – reaction from Scott Benedict
Kim Souza | talkbusiness.net
October 14
Fewer Houstonians want to go to stores, so new developments are using green space to draw shoppers – comments from Scott Benedict
Amanda Drane | Houston Chronicle
October 8
Brands tell how they navigate the pandemic at Texas A&M Retailing Summit – comments from Scott Benedict
Maria Halkias | The Dallas Morning News
October 4
The Best Time to Buy This Year’s Christmas Tree Is Now – comments from Venky Shankar
Chris Kissell |MSN
September 28
The Best Time to Buy Your Christmas Tree in 2021 – comments from Venky Shankar
Angela Lashbrook | Consumer Reports
September 1
Mattress Firm parent considering IPO for chain – comments from Venky Shankar
Amanda Drane | Houston Chronicle
August 31
Online shopping, highways and nearby big cities leading to a boom in warehouses in Delaware – comments from Venky Shankar
Brandon Holveck | Delware News Journal
August 20
Amazon helped crush department stores. Now it reportedly wants to be one -comments from Venky Shankar
Nathaniel Meyersohn | CNN Business
August 7
Stung by shifting tastes and the pandemic, Francesca’s adjusts on the fly – comments from Venky Shankar
Amanda Drane | Houston Chronicle
August 6
How to save some money while back-to-school shopping this year – comments from Scott Benedict
Josh Ninke | KBTX
August 3
Retailers are preparing for a wave of customers during tax-free weekend in Texas. Will they come? – comments from Venky Shankar
Amanda Drane | Houston Chronicle
July 28
Walmart to sell technology services to smaller online retailers – reaction from Scott Benedict
Kim Souza | talkbusiness.net
July 20
Online shoppers flocked to H-E-B and other top retailers, accelerating a trend – reaction from Venky Shankar
Amanda Drane | Houston Chronicle
July 5
Venky Shankar reacts to Jeff Bezos stepping down as CEO of Amazon
Al Jazeera
June 4
Local businesses see increase as wedding industry flourishes – comments from Scott Benedict
Fallon Appleton | KBTX
June 1
Maki the guard dog sniffs out guns on customers at 5 malls across Houston – reaction from Venky Shankar
Amanda Drane | Houston Chronicle
May 3
The Center for Retailing Studies launches fundraising campaign aimed at supporting the future of retail education
Mays Business School
April 5
‘Convenience is king’ – pandemic accelerated changes in retail, and there may be no going back – comments from Venky Shankar
Madison Iszler | San Antonio Express-News
March 26
H-E-B is opening its flagship brand stores in Dallas-Fort Worth – reaction from Venky Shankar
Madison Iszler | San Antonio Express-News
March 26
The grocery war is on: H-E-B is making its move into D-FW – reaction from #TAMURetail director Scott Benedict
Maria Halkias | The Dallas Morning News
March 8
H-E-B and other retailers struggle with mask policies as mandate ends – comments from Venky Shankar
Madison Iszler | San Antonio Express-News
March 2
Do I still have to wear a mask? D-FW stores and businesses scramble after repeal of COVID-19 restrictions – with reaction from #TAMURetail director Scott Benedict
Kyle Arnold, Steve Brown, Dom DiFurio and Maria Halkias | The Dallas Morning News
March 2
#TAMURetail director Scott Benedict reacts to San Antonio Target being among the first to get an in-store Apple mini shop
Madison Iszler | San Antonio Express-News
February 11
As COVID hammers Houston retailers, flower shops see a pandemic-fueled ‘renaissance’ – with reaction from Venky Shankar
Amanda Drane | Houston Chronicle
February 9
Venky Shankar (#TAMURetail) comments on GameStop, Elon Musk, and stocks
Gian Volpicelli | Wired UK
February 2
How Bezos and Amazon changed the world
Venky Shankar | The Conversation
February 2
#TAMURetail research director discusses how Super Bowl ads will have a different feel this year
1200 WOAI
January 28
Venky Shankar @maysbusiness @TAMURetail remarks on Governor Abbott encouraging lawmakers to protect businesses from coronavirus related lawsuits
Brittany Defran | ABC KXXV
January 18
Venky Shankar on brandjacking during the Capitol riots
Brandon Lingle | San Antonio Express News
January 11
Francesca’s proceeds with auction after bankruptcy approval, with remarks from Venky Shankar
Amanda Drane | Houston Chronicle
January 10
Inside a Texas center making vaccine components and adding skilled jobs during the pandemic, CRS research director weighs in
Kristin Dean & Erica Zucco | KENS 5
January 8
Venky Shankar responds to Macy’s store closures and the trend toward smaller, concept stores and more technology post-pandemic
Marilyn Moritz | KSAT.com
January 7
Comments from Venky Shankar on Kroger rolling out COVID-19 vaccine
Amanda Drane & Gwendolyn Wu | Houston Chronicle
January 5
#TAMURetail director Scott Benedict’s remarks on how the pandemic has accelerated trends in retail
Madison Iszler | San Antonio Express-News
January 5
Listen: CRS research director explains how shipping companies have adapted during the pandemic to the boom in online shopping
Wisconsin Public Radio
January 4
Listen: #TAMURetail research director says smartphone apps will be a key part of easing covid concerns and getting the economy restarted
Spreaker.com
January 1
Venky Shankar weighs in on forecasts for Houston’s economy in 2021
Paul Takahashi | Houston Chronicle
2020
December 25
Retailers prepare for historic holiday returns on heels of online surge
Amanda Drane | Houston Chronicle
December 24
‘What’s the alternative?’ SolarWinds boosts security firms’ bottom lines
Paresh Dave | Reuters
December 23
Pandemic. Recession. Oil bust. How Houston weathered economic collapse under COVID-19
James Osborne | Houston Chronicle
December 17
Goodreads Is Retiring Its Current API, and Book-Loving Developers Aren’t Happy
Angela Lashbrook | Debugger
December 7
Venky Shankar responds to skyrocketing holiday shipping demand in Houston
Amanda Drane | Midland Reporter-Telegram
November 28
#TAMURetail research director Venky Shankar discusses how the pandemic impacted Black Friday spending
CBS News
November 3
The Center for Retailing Studies becomes a university member of the Food Marketing Institute (FMI)
Food Marketing Institute
October 21
#TAMURetail research director Venky Shankar (@venkyshankar) (@maysbusiness) (@TAMU) shares his thoughts on Blue Cross Blue Shield and CHI St. Joseph negotiating network rates.
Megan Rodriquez | The Eagle
October 14
Key takeaways from the 2020 Texas A&M Retailing Summit
Scott Benedict | LinkedIn
October 9
#TAMURetail research director Venky Shankar shares his thoughts on early Black Friday deals
Amanda Drane | Houston Chronicle
October 7
#TAMURetail director Scott Benedict (@maysbusiness) (@TAMU) says the time is “now…not later” for laying a foundation in #digital #retail that better prepares future industry leaders to deal with the challenges of tomorrow.
Scott Benedict | LinkedIn
September 8
Texas A&M Retailing Summit to highlight the ‘Retail Revolution’ Oct. 8-9
Texas A&M Today
August 31
#BlackFriday predictions from #TAMURetail research director Venky Shankar
BestBlackFriday.com
August 21
Venky Shankar (#TAMURetail) on national coin shortage during a pandemic
Ariel Whitely | LivingCivil.com
August 20
Reaction from Venky Shankar on food supply chain impact in Texas from COVID19
Meena Venkataramanan | Texas Tribune
August 11
Venky Shankar reacts to the closure of the last Sears department store in San Antonio
Madison Iszler | San Antonio-Express News
August 7
#TAMURetail research director Venky Shankar (@venkyshankar) (@maysbusiness) (@TAMU) spoke with @Slate about concerns over the national coin shortage.
Molly Olmstead | Slate
August 7
Center for Retailing Studies research director on the impact from COVID-19 on back-to-school shopping
Madison Iszler | San Antonio-Express News
August 5
Could we see an increase in tech purchases and decline in clothing sales for back-to-school #shopping this year? @venkyshankar (@maysbusiness) (@TAMU) shares his thoughts with @KBTXNews
Mekena Rodriguez | KTBX News
August 1
They understand their customer, which is tough for retailers to master” #TAMURetail director Scott Benedict (@maysbusiness) (@TAMU) shares his thoughts on @HEB with @SanAntonioMag
Kathleen Petty | San Antonio Magazine
July 31
#retail therapy for coping with the pandemic? #TAMURetail research director @venkyshankar (@maysbusiness ) (@TAMU ) gives his perspective.
Brandon Lingle | My San Antonio
July 22
#TAMURetail research director Venky Shankar’s remarks on the impact of unemployment from the pandemic
Meena Venkataramanan | Texas Tribune
July 17
The unemployment rate in #Texas fell from 13% in May. @venkyshankar (@maysbusiness) (@TAMU) shares his thoughts on how it happened and where things are going.
Meena Venkataramanan | Texas Tribune
July 16
Dr. Leonard Berry ( @maysbusiness ) and founding director of #TAMURetail is the most cited @TAMU professor on @Google Scholar! We are grateful to Dr. Berry and his leadership!
Ann Kellett | Texas A&M Today
July 10
Thoughts from @venkyshankar ( @maysbusiness ) ( @TAMU ) on the #business #retail recovery in #Houston.
Sergio Chapa , Erin Douglas , Amanda Drane , Nancy Sarnoff , R.A. Schuetz , Dwight Silverman and Gwendolyn Wu | Houston Chronicle
July 6
#TAMURetail research director @venkyshankar (@maysbusiness) shares his thoughts on the “new normal” for #business #retail #marketing after the pandemic.
Venky Shankar | Mays Business School
July 3
#TAMURetail research director @venkyshankar (@maysbusiness) shares his on thoughts #retail #4thofJuly #shopping and the impact from recent #covid19 restrictions.
Amanda Drane | Houston Chronicle
July 1
Did #retail #business re-open too quickly in #Texas? #TAMURetail research director @venkyshankar (@maysbusiness) shares his thoughts. #covid19 #coronavirus #marketing
Cassandra Pollock | Texas Tribune
June 11
How can the U.S. better prepare essential services to handle a future crisis? A timely article authored by Distinguished Professor and founding #TAMURetail director Dr. Leonard Berry.
Leonard Berry | Mays Business School
June 1
#TAMURetail research director @venkyshankar (@maysbusiness) (@TAMU) shares his thoughts on local businesses and #retail feeling the impact of the recent protests.
Sunny Tsai | KAGS TV
May 29
Video: @venkyshankar @TAMURetail shares his thoughts on how #retail should prepare for a potential second wave of #COVID19
Delaware Online
May 28
How is the pandemic changing retail? @venkyshankar weighs in.
Madison Iszler | San Antonio-Express News
May 27
Scott Benedict @TAMURetail @maysbusiness shares his thoughts on the success of recent #Walmart #SamsClub execs
Kim Souza | talkbusiness.net
May 15
“Customers vote with their dollars, and they’ll likely vote to shop where and when they feel it’s safe to do so.” @TAMURetail director Scott Benedict on #retail businesses facing the concerns with reopening.
Kim Souza | talkbusiness.net
May 15
@TAMURetail research director @venkyshankar shares his thoughts on the decline in #retail sales during the #COVID19 pandemic.
Amanda Drane | Houston Chronicle
May 11
Video: @TAMURetail director Scott Benedict featured on episode #73 of Mays Mastercast
Mays Mastercast
May 4
Video: LeAnn Percivill ’20 joins episode #72 of Mays Mastercast to discuss winning the NRF Foundation Next Generation Scholarship
Mays Mastercast
May 4
“Dillards tried to differentiate itself by being a brick-and-mortar destination, but now that possibility doesn’t exist,” says @venkyshankar of @TAMURetail
Arkansas Business
May 1
“If people feel safe, that’s when the confidence returns.” @TAMURetail research director @venkyshankar on #retail reopening.
Madison Iszler | San Antonio-Express News
May 1
“#COVID19 has changed consumer attitudes and behavior forever.” Venky Shankar, research director for @TAMURetail shares his thoughts on the impact of the pandemic.
Venky Shankar | Trade Promotion Council of India
April 30
Video: @TAMURetail research director Venky Shankar joins Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp and other experts on the impact of COVID19 on the State of Texas
Texas A&M Today
April 28
“Retail is all about consumer confidence.” Venky Shankar @TAMURetail on Houston Galleria and other malls re-opening.
Paul Takahashi | Houston Chronicle
April 24
“Eventually, the economy has to open. The question is, how soon?.” @TAMURetail research director Venky Shankar on re-opening retail.
Paul Takahashi | Houston Chronicle
April 22
@TAMURetail director Scott Benedict with @TPRSource on how @HEB and other grocers prepare employees to work on the front-lines of the #COVID19 pandemic.
Kim Johnson & Dallas Williams | Texas Public Radio
April 6
Trump’s Tweets Teach Leaders Three Lessons In Communicating During A Crisis. @TAMURetail research director @venkyshankar on social media messaging during a crisis.
Ann Kellett | Texas A&M Today
March 26
“There is no need to panic” #TAMURetail research director @venkyshankar on the need for customer patience during the #COVID19 crisis.
Megan Rodriquez | The Eagle
March 21
New Research: How Global Markets Are Reacting To President Trump’s Tweets During Coronavirus Outbreak. @TAMURetail research director @venkyshankar Q/A on the market reaction to President Trump’s tweets.
Kimberly A. Whitler | Forbes
March 20
“No amount of planning could have predicted that consumers would hoard commodities like toilet paper and paper towels.” @TAMURetail director Scott Benedict discusses retail shortages due to COVID-19
Kim Souza | talkbusiness.net
March 18
“You need a lot more baggers…” @TAMURetail research director @venkyshankar reacts to the #retail need for temporary workers during the #COVID19 #coronavirus outbreak.
Paul Takahashi | Houston Chronicle
March 14
CRS research directory Venky Shankar on how retailers are handling the sudden demand for supplies with the COVID-19 outbreak
Hayat Norimine and Kyle Arnold | The Dallas Morning News
March 11
Could COVID-19 change the way people shop permanently? CRS director Scott Benedict shares his thoughts.
Hope Barnett | KBTX
February 26
CRS students reflect on transformational learning experience at New York Fashion Week: The Shows
Andrew Vernon | Mays Impacts
February 26
Retail challenges to continue, wider gap emerging between winners and losers
Kim Souza | talkbusiness.net
February 19
CRS research director weighs in on Buffalo Wild Wings Twitter controversy with Houston Astros fans
Paul Takahashi | Houston Chronicle
February 8
“The pace at which digital native retailers are adding physical stores to their portfolio is one of the biggest surprises to me in 2019,” says CRS director Scott Benedict.
Kim Souza | talkbusiness.net
February 3
The Supply Side: Online retailers seeking out brick-and-mortar locations
Kim Souza | talkbusiness.net
January 23
CRS student LeAnn Percivill wins the NRF Next Generation Scholarship
Andrew Vernon | Texas A&M Today
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