We lost a giant in American retail this week when Ira Neimark died. The man championed American designers as household names and opened up the world’s largest market to hitherto unfamiliar European brands like Fendi. He also gave generously of his knowledge to future generations. With his book “Crossing Fifth Read more…
The beginning of May marks the end of the first fiscal quarter (February through April) and is a critical time to take stock of your business. How you respond to insights gleaned from the first fiscal quarter in the coming months can determine business performance for the rest of the Read more…
The past decade has been a steady drumbeat of retail’s imminent demise as brick-and-mortar Goliaths were outwitted and outpaced by such digitally-native upstarts like Bonobos and Everlane. Capitalizing on e-commerce’s growing piece of the retail pie, superior digital marketing and compelling prices through the elimination of the middle-man, the Davids Read more…
The department store was pronounced dying, if not dead, with the recent release of dismal first-quarter earnings, despite rising consumer optimism that saw increased consumer spending in six out of ten retail categories (US Dept. of Commerce). While the challenges are real, department stores also have significant potential to stage Read more…
Much has been said about this year’s play of musical chairs among creative directors at fashion houses. It is clear that designers have lost significant influence within key areas of the fashion industry. The acceleration of the retail calendar, the primacy of the brand and the complicated product structure that goes Read more…