On Wednesdays, we wear pink spotlight Retail Brew’s readers. Want to be featured in an upcoming edition? Click here to introduce yourself.
Since Emerald Holding, owner of gift and home trade show NY Now, acquired wholesale marketplace Bulletin last year, Alana Branston, co-founder of Bulletin and now CEO and group VP of NY Now and Bulletin, has been focused on bringing these two businesses together.
How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? I’m primarily focused right now on integrating these two very different businesses. My role is all about creating and implementing a strategy that unites these two businesses in a way that ultimately helps our customers, i.e. our growing network of small business owners. I’m leading our team through this integration, where we’re all focused on using Bulletin’s technology to power NY Now, the in-person event.
One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? Even though we’ve been acquired by Emerald and we’ve integrated teams, I still run Bulletin and work very hands-on with the Bulletin team day to day. With certain acquisitions, they kind of absorb your startup or business, but in our case, Bulletin still exists as a standalone marketplace in addition to supporting NY Now.
What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? Last show, when we staged NY Now in February, we launched this new initiative and section of the show called The Bulletin Incubator. The Incubator is focused on helping new wholesale brands go to market, so we’re hosting small businesses that are really fresh to wholesale and retail and offer a huge discovery moment for our buyers. I’ve really enjoyed strategizing, designing, and executing the Incubator with our team. The Incubator was a huge hit, so we’re expanding it for the summer show, which is this August, and scaling from one pavilion up to three.
Retail news that keeps industry pros in the know
Retail Brew delivers the latest retail industry news and insights surrounding marketing, DTC, and e-commerce to keep leaders and decision-makers up to date.
Which emerging retail trend are you most excited about this year, and why? I’m just really excited that in-person events and in-person shopping is back, and back in a big way. I think pre-Covid, so many brands preferred to start and stay DTC so they could control their image and pricing and customer experience. And while that makes a ton of sense, it also really limits a brand’s exposure and distribution. From Glossier entering Sephora to Parade selling at Target, it’s clear that primarily DTC brands are starting to embrace wholesale again and understand the value of meeting your customers where they are, versus always forcing them to come to you.
What’s your go-to coffee order? Cold brew with a drop of soy milk from Little Canal.
Worst piece of advice you’ve received? Anyone saying or suggesting you shouldn’t “go for it.” When you start your journey as an entrepreneur, the people around you may be skeptical or communicate either directly or indirectly that the thing you want to do is really crazy or hard, and question if it’s really worth it. I’m really glad I saw things through and that I believed I could do the crazy or hard things.
What was your favorite retail product when you were 15, and what’s your favorite retail product now? When I was 15, it was 2002, so probably all things Y2K fashion. A velour Juicy tracksuit, maybe. My fave product now is my VanMoof bike.