Archive | August, 2020

Shopper

What Jeff Bezos Knows About Consumer Psychology That You Don’t

Years ago, Jeff Bezos famously said: “I very frequently get the question: ‘What’s going to change in the next 10 years?’ And that is a very interesting question; it’s a very common one. I almost never get the question: ‘What’s not going to change in the next 10 years?’ And I submit to you that […]

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When a Store Is More Than a Store: Measuring Its True Value

Neiman Marcus is closing its brand-spanking new Hudson Yards flagship, its first and only store in New York City. JC Penney is closing some 240 out of its fleet of 800 stores. Over the next three years, Macy’s is closing 125 “under-performing” stores in favor of some 250 stores that will get its recently announced […]

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Can Ralph Lauren Go ‘Back to the Future’ to Rebuild its Home Furnishing Business?

Ralph Lauren Corporation just delivered sobering first-quarter news. Revenues declined 66% year-over-year, from $1.4 billion in first-quarter 2019 to $487.5 million, and net income dropped from $128 million compared to a gain of $117.1 million last year. Stock prices ended the day of the announcement at $66.68, falling from $119 at the start of the […]

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How Consumer Spending Fared So Far Through 2020: Not Well

By now, you’ve heard the news that the GDP contracted 32.9% in the second quarter on an annualized seasonally and inflation-adjusted basis, following a 5% decline in first quarter. Personal consumption makes up over two-thirds of the GDP and it dropped even more precipitously, down 34.6% on an annualized basis. This quarter marks the economy’s […]

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Empty Mall

A Reckoning Is Coming For Retail: Get Ready

“Make no mistake, it’s not revenge he’s after. It’s a reckoning.” That was one of Val Kilmer’s (as Doc Holliday) many memorable lines from the 1993 movie Tombstone, referring to Kurt Russell ‘s (Wyatt Earp) vendetta against the “cowboy” faction that killed his brother. I like to think I have an extensive vocabulary, but that […]