The Midwest is always a fascinating case study, but Michigan in particular presents some interesting food for thought. On a whole, the state doesn’t have to deal with some of the overcrowding and store closure issues we are seeing in other markets. A large part of that has to do with its underwhelming growth post-9/11 […]
Retail Rap
Achieving Closure
Store closing are already shaping up to be a big story in 2014, but while many are surprised by these closing, I don’t see it that way. In fact, I think this is exactly what we should expect from an industry in transition. Stores are constantly trying to realign themselves and do away with under-performing […]
Holiday Mediocrity a Sign of Things to Come?
The best numbers came from the Department of Commerce, which estimated that U.S. retail growth during the holiday season came in at 4.1% over 2012 sales. Other organizations released estimates that were a bit less robust: the National Retail Federation (NRF) reported 3.8% growth, the International Council of Shopping Centers checked in with 3.0%, and ShopperTrak announced that sales that were up 2.7%.
Smal-Mart?
In my last column, I discussed some of the major trends that I see becoming a factor in 2014, with one of those being the continued movement for retailers to shrink their physical footprints. Most prominently, Target and Wal-Mart have begun exploring this option—specifically in urban markets where space is at a premium. In this […]
A Poultry Turnout or a Bigger Slice of the Pie?
The headlines from this year’s Black Friday are varied. On one hand, sales figures were down for the first time in four years, which doesn’t bode well for overall holiday shopping sales figures. On the other hand, online spending was up 15 percent for the weekend, accounting for $1.2 billion in sales, and up 21 […]
Retail Rap: Shades of Gray in Black Friday
The holiday shopping season is typically the biggest of the year, and retailers are looking to get shoppers thinking about holiday shopping sooner this year than in years past. Wal-Mart and Toys R Us have already begun airing holiday shopping advertisements, and stores continue to push Black Friday earlier into Thanksgiving Thursday. My question is […]
