Walmart is thinking small in a big way. The brand recently announced that they intend to open 100 Neighborhood Market stores in 2013, with plans to open 500 by 2016. It’s clear that Walmart is embracing the “right-sizing” model that so many retailers are moving toward recently, but I also think this is a strategic […]
Retail Rap
Office Surprise
The recent announcement of the merger between office supply giants OfficeMax and Office Depot came as a big surprise with little to no warning prior to the announcement. And while the move makes sense for both entities, I think that there are still challenges ahead on the road to a successful merger and, perhaps even […]
Retail Rap: 2013 Outlook
Any discussion about what’s on tap for 2013 has to start with the economy and consumer spending. Even though there are signs of recovery, including recent successes by the Dow and an improving housing market, consumers still appear to be nervous to open their wallets. In the latest edition of my Retail Rap column with […]
The Price is Right?
Target made headlines recently by announcing that the price-match guarantee that we saw during the holiday shopping season will now be a full-time offer throughout the year. I’m sure I wasn’t the only retail analyst who saw how big of a deal this could end up becoming. But a closer look at the fine print […]
Holiday Blues?
While initial holiday sales predictions were robust in calling for as much as a 6 percent increase over last year, the initial verdict on overall sales could be far less than those original predictions. Still, I think it’s too early to write off this holiday shopping season as a bust. In fact, many reports are […]
The Value Matrix
In the post holiday rush, value often times becomes synonymous with price. And while price is a big factor, I think there is more to consider when assessing a brand’s value, like quality, service and what I like to call “social consciousness,” which refers to an organization’s charity giving, environmental responsibility and how they treat […]
