The viability of online multi-brand luxury marketplaces has been an open question for years as the most prominent names, like Farfetch, Richemont-owned Yoox Net-A-Porter (YNAP) and Matches, have been unable to make a profitable success in the business. Despite luxury marketplaces’ early promise, recent developments suggest that luxury consumers simple don’t need online marketplaces to […]
Archive | Retailers & Retailing
RSS feed for this sectionIn A Challenged Luxury Furniture Market, Arhaus Swims Against The Tide
Furniture retailers got an unwelcomed surprise last year. After advancing 24% from 2019 to 2022 – rising from $64.2 billion to $80 billion – sales dropped nearly 6% to $75.3 billion in 2023. But that’s nothing compared to the decline in the high-end luxury furniture market. Some of the weaker companies, like Mitchell Gold + […]
Tommy Bahama: A Case Study In Lifestyle Branding
Lifestyle branding is ubiquitous in marketing circles. Companies spent over $7 billion on lifestyle advertising last year and are expected to allocate some $10 billion by 2027, nearly a 10 percent compound annual growth rate from 2022, according to Statista. Lifestyle brands are thin on the ground. A rare few reach that level, namely megabrands with […]
Store Closures Can Hurt More Than Help Retailers’ Bottom Line
Everybody knows that opening a store in a new location can have a positive impact on sales not just in that location but in online traffic overall. It’s the “Halo Effect.” But closing a store can result in more than just lost sales in that particular store. That’s called the “Horn Effect,” the negative flip […]
With Chico’s Acquisition, Private Equity Sycamore Partners Builds A $6 Billion Fashion Powerhouse
In a deal valued at $1 billion priced at $7.60 per share, private equity firm Sycamore Partners just acquired specialty fashion retailer Chico’s FAS, including the flagship Chico’s brand along with White House Black Market and Soma intimates. The Chico’s brands will be merged under Sycamore’s recently formed Knitwell Group that includes the Ann Taylor […]