Home Alone 3
Warren Shoulberg, editorial director for HTT, always seems to have something to say about things.
S'hrooming
You've got to love the English language. A few months ago if you said the word "showrooming" to somebody in the industry they would look at you like you had a speech impediment. Now the word is all over the retailspeak world to describe the process of shoppers hitting up a real store to scope out a product and then buying said product elsewhere online.Target has taken the lead on this is... Read More
Comments (0)Walgate
I'm shocked," as Inspector Renault in Casablanca would say. "Shocked to learn there is bribery going on in international business."The big New York Times story last week about Walmart routinely bribing Mexican officials as it rapidly expanded its store base in that country - and then covering up its own internal investigation into the matter - can't come as any great shock to anyone... Read More
Comments (0)In The Clearing Stands a Big Boxer*
While its customers generally give it high marks as a good place to shop, the vendors who sell Bed Bath & Beyond for the most part have a love/hate relationship with the retailer.On the one hand, they love that BBB is a very large base of customers who need copious amounts of product and that it is financially stable and continues to expand at an aggressive pace. On the other, they hate the cutthr... Read More
Comments (3)Gen Why
Home textiles industry, let me introduce you to the Millennials, aka Generation Y. I don't believe you've ever been formally introduced.With the recent news that retailers like Macy's and Kohl's are launching specific efforts to go after this cohort - generally recognized as those from age 20 to those in their early 30s - it appears that the people who sell stuff are finally realizing that this ge... Read More
Comments (3)Merchant in the Middle
How absolutely fascinating that as American society gets ever more divided to the extremes - financially, politically and morally - it is the retail businesses that appeal most to the middle of the marketplace that are the most interesting to watch these days.While the stores at both ends of the spectrum no doubt attract their share of customers from up and down the shopping food chain, it is the... Read More
Comments (0)A Tale of Two Retailers*
If you ever needed to see the contrast between how certain retailers view their businesses, there was no better example than the recent earnings calls from Sears and Kohl's. The comparison was startling.Both companies are having a rough stretch right now out there in retaildom. For Sears Holdings, this situation has been going on for the better part of a decade, going back to the time Eddie Lamper... Read More
Comments (2)Why $2 Cotton Could Be the Best Thing To Ever Happen to the Industry
Yeah, I know you're loving that headline, right?You're sitting there and remembering back to the insanity of the cotton crisis this time a year ago and wondering what in the world I'm talking about. (I wonder the same thing myself, not to worry.)But, look at it this way: Suppose the industry had a price increase and the consumer never noticed? Wouldn't that be something?Well, in a way, that's exac... Read More
Comments (2)The Tracks of My Tiers
There was this tractor trailer you used to be able to see in a parking lot that the train passed every morning. On the side of the trailer was the name of the store - long gone even back then - and below it the slogan, "America's Favorite Junior Department Store."I always wondered what most of the riders on that commuter train used to make of that slogan. A hundred out of a hundred of th... Read More
Comments (4)Of Twinkies and Brownies
If any of us ever needed yet another reminder of the fragility of business in general and brand names in particular, there were two more very visible - and very painful - examples over the past few weeks.Both are case studies of what happens when bad things happen to good brands.The first was the bankruptcy filing last month of Hostess Brands, the company that makes Twinkies, among other baked goo... Read More
Comments (5)Dear Asian Suppliers,
Jingoism is defined as extreme patriotism bordering on the chauvinistic. It's not something many people would accuse me of and it's not the card I'm trying to play here: Just wanted to get that out front as a disclaimer.That said, let me say it as simply and clearly as I can: Asian suppliers who are turning their back on the American market are making a big mistake. Huge.Yeah, I know all about the... Read More
Comments (5)A Baker's Dozen for '12
So, it's a new year and while the ceremonial turning of the calendar page is a momentous occasion, the realities of 2012 are very much like the ones we dealt with last year.That said, there are several notable situations that will come to pass this year and so, in some particular order, here's a Baker's Dozen worth of things to be on the lookout for in 2012.1. Surfs Up for Ron Jon. It's all about... Read More
Comments (1)Presents of Mine
Well, textiles fans, it's naughty-and-nice time again. Seems like only yesterday we were shopping for our yuletide favorites to pick out just the perfect little bauble for the perfect - and not-so-perfect - of the home textiles industry.And yet, in the blink of a cotton future, we are back here once more trying to sort out the year and make our shopping selections.If you are new to this feature, t... Read More
Comments (0)
