Here’s what I said six months ago about Billabong: “Six months ago [talking about a year ago], reporting on Billabong’s results for the whole year, I said this was a challenging turnaround, Billabong was doing things right, they were starting to see results, but the market was tough, and implementing their plan was taking longer […]
More of the Same; Billabong’s Results for the Year Read More »
As you probably know, Emerald Expositions (EE) is the owner and manager of Surf Expo, Outdoor Retailer, and now what was formerly SIA’s Snow Show. Overall, they operate over 50 shows as well as other events. They’ve grown by acquisition, and expect to continue to do so. Their shows are in many industries and include
SGB Media published an article last week called, “What’s Causing the Delays in Back-To-School Buying?” Here’s the link to the article. If you read the article (you should- SGB does a pretty good job), you’ll find a discussion of the factors said to be causing the delays- the usual suspects. I’d like to offer
Why is Back to School Shopping Slow? Read More »
The 10-Q reads this way: “…in light of the recent and continuing changes in the retail environment, we also believe it is prudent to further reduce our global brick and mortar footprint. We expect to continue to reduce our footprint through a combination of store closures and the conversion of owned stores to partner retail
To Have or Not to Have Stores; That is the Question. Deckers’ June 30 Quarter Read More »
Before I dive too deep into the financial weeds, let’s look at VF’s overall strategy as explained by CEO Steve Rendle and Chief Financial Officer Scott Roe in their conference call discussing the results for the quarter ended June 30, 2017. Strategy Stuff Steve: “…while we expect the retail landscape to remain uncertain, we will
Advantage Big Guys with Solid Processes and Cash Flow: VF’s Quarter Read More »
Trade Shows Trade shows were created to bring buyers and sellers, that is brands and retailers, together to do business. Everything else that goes on at trade shows, beneficial as it may be, has been secondary to that goal. But there are fewer smaller retailers and fewer retailers overall. The consensus is that the number
I’ve spent some years now listening to everybody bemoan Amazon’s impact on retail. Sometimes, it almost sounds like they believe that if there was no Amazon, everything at retail would be fine. As I’ve written, that’s not the case. Here’s an excellent article from somebody who agrees with me. It repeats some of
Why It’s Not Just Amazon’s Fault Read More »
As usual, the Agenda trade show, Long Beach version, was held July 13 and 14. What was unusual was that it was followed, on Saturday the 15th, in the same space with the same brands attending, by its first consumer show. Having no intention of spending three whole days in the Long Beach Convention Center,
Agenda’s Got a Consumer Agenda Read More »
Running an active outdoor business right now feels like a game of Whack-a-Mole. There’s too much retail- right size yours. Whack! Create product that can be meaningfully differentiated from competitors. Whack! Careful on that distribution. Whack! Manage your inventory and expenses cautiously. Whack! Figure out e-commerce without cannibalizing brick and mortar. Whack! Lower growth economy.
Damn- Turns Out the Customer Is Always Right- More Than Ever Before Read More »
In early 2015, I wrote “The Evolution of Marketing & the Future Retail Model.” It’s held up pretty well. In describing that retail model, I hypothesized about how pop-ups might be used. “Retail presence might be in pop up tents, in vans or trucks, on blankets at beaches, in a lift at a ski resort,
A Follow-up on Pop-ups- Popping Up in Interesting Ways Read More »