Company Stores and Retail Consolidation; What’s a Core Store to Do?
At the Surf Industry Conference last May, I was the last one to ask a question of a panel of very successful specialty retailers. I acknowledged that I was sure they would all continue to be...
View Article“Hey Look! Real Retailer Numbers!” What’s to Learn From Them?
For a while now, I’ve been carrying around in my back pocket the National Sporting Goods Association’s 2004-2005 Cost of Doing Business Survey. I have no idea why they call it that since it obviously...
View ArticleThe Dilemma of Being “Core;” Identifying and Managing the Conflict.
A few years ago I wrote a column called “Are there Any Core Snowboard Shops Left?” It generated a good discussion, though I got burned at the stake by quite a few people. Happily, I was wearing my...
View ArticleConversations with a Skate Retailer; A (Pretty Much) True Story
Some month ago, I got a call from an actual skate retailer. “It said at the end of the article that you work with companies in transition,” he asked almost as a question. “It’s true,” I told him....
View ArticleWhat’s Happening to Core Retailers? Things We Won’t Argue About- and What...
Not long ago, I finally came up with a definition of core retailer that I liked. I was really proud of it because it had taken me about 13 years to settle on one I thought was accurate and useful. Now,...
View ArticleThe Post Recession Role of Company Stores
When a brand said, “We’re just going to open a few flag ship stores to build the brand image and collect some good consumer information,” I was okay with that. Made sense. When it said, “We’re just...
View Article“Independent” Retailers; Are They Still Independent? And What if They Aren’t?
Sometimes I do my best work with a glass of wine. The secret is to never post what you’ve written until the next day, after you’ve read it again. I put “independent” in quotes (there, I’ve done it...
View ArticleA True Christmas Retail Tale
My youngest son and I went out to get our Christmas a week or so ago. I headed towards our usual lot, expecting to pay something like $60 for a tree when we spotted a sign that read, “Christmas Trees:...
View ArticleGet Out of the Office! It’s Amazing What You Can Learn
Yesterday, I had occasion to meet up with Jaimeson Keegan, who’s the President/Floor Sweeper (according to his business card) of SUPERHEROES Management. It offers athlete and entertainment talent...
View ArticleAnother Possible Retail Future
We’ve all been watching for a while now as online and brick and mortar retail have collided and converged. We know it’s here to stay and that there’s a lot of evolving left to do. None of us know what...
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