As they do every ASR, IASC and BRA hosted a round table meeting by invitation only to discuss issues of mutual interest and, as usual, I attended. The meeting was well attended and the exchange lively. The first issue on the table was Manufacturers’ Suggested Retail Pricing (MSRP) and Minimum Advertised Pricing (MAP). I’ll assume you know […]
The BRA/IASC Roundtable at ASR Read More »
The beer is a lot cheaper in Denver, assuming you don’t actually consider the beers they handed you at the gambling tables in Vegas to be free. The hotels are more expensive and getting to said hotels from the airport takes longer. Most of the people I talked with (by no means a scientific sample) would
Notes From the SIA Show in Vegas, Uh, I Mean Denver Read More »
In the middle of December, when Quik came out with its quarterly and fiscal year results and held aconference call, I pretty much ignored it. I glanced at the release and read the conference call transcript, but I had no idea how to evaluate the results of a company that was highly leveraged without a
Quiksilver’s Annual Report Read More »
You can go here http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecopro.nr0.htm to see the report. If it does help you sleep, it will probably give you nightmares. You can see in the first line of the report, released last Thursday, that they expect total employment "…to increase by 15.3 million, or 10.1 percent, during the 2008-18 period…" Now, that may sound encouraging, but
In Case You Have Trouble Sleeping: A Report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Read More »
It’s a nice leather chair. I’ve had it less than two years. So I wasn’t happy when it started tilting side to side as much as it rocked from front to back. It felt like it was going to leave me on the floor any day and, besides, it was practically making me seasick. The nice people
My Office Chair, Customer Service, and Expense Control Read More »
For the quarter ended October 31, Aeropostale reported sales up almost 18% to $568 million. For nine months, they rose almost 20% to $1.43 billion. Gross profit margin in the quarter rose from 36% in the same quarter last year to 39.3%. For nine months, it was up from 34.4% to 37.5%. Selling, general and
Aeropostale; the Power of Good Systems and the Right Market Position Read More »
Hot Topic has reported their results for the quarter ended October 31 and their sales for the month of November. Their sales were down some for the quarter and more in November, but they continued to make money in the quarter and their balance is very strong. But I don’t want to crunch their numbers. I do
Hot Topic: A Competitive Strategy We Should Be Thinking About Read More »
A couple of weeks ago, I was paging through Transworld Snowboarding’s Gear Guide, and I came upon the page on alternative camber. I read it with interest to try and keep with the latest technological trends, but paused when I saw the illustration of the cambered medley snowboard. Something about the cross section of the board,
Alternative Camber; An Idea Who’s Time has Come- Again Read More »
Yesterday, Zumiez reported that sales for the four week period ended November 28th, 2009 decreased 1.8% compared to the same period the previous year. For the same period, they reported that comparable store sales fell 8.5% compared to a decline of 15% in the same period the previous year. In the first place, I want
Zumiez’s Nov. 2009 Sales Results- A Couple of Comments Read More »
This is good news because it makes things easier for the retailers, which I may have said a time or two is what trade shows need to be about. Crossroads needed retailers, which ASR can help supply, and Jamie Thomas doesn’t want to have to manage the logistics that will be required if Crossroads grows. ASR needs
ASR and Crossroads Make a Deal; What a Surprise! Read More »