The ironies that keep popping up at Amazon, post-Jeff Bezos’ departure as CEO, are truly astounding. And the one that stands out most is Amazon’s closing of all 66 Amazon Books in the U.S. and two in the United Kingdom. A Vision Lost? No one would argue that Bezos is a genius. Great entrepreneurs usually are (or they simply come up with a gee-whiz commonsense idea that nobody else had thought of). The only flaw in his greatness, as I have said before, is that he should have departed earlier before Amazon failed in its attempts at rolling …
Why Not Start Off Your Year with the Deal Junkie?
Anybody who is anybody in the mainstream retail industry knows Gilbert Harrison, the founder and CEO of Financo, and now Chairman of Harrison Group. Simply put, Financo was a firm that did deals, and the maestro of course, was the founder, the ultimate “deal junkie” himself. Thus, his autobiography, recently published by Post Hill Press is appropriately titled …you got it, Deal Junkie. Book Report For those of us who have known Gilbert over the past half century, we know that his smiling face on the cover is both an engaging friend and …
Home Depot Redefines a Retail Radical
During the pandemic, the home retail category had a field day. It was a heady time during a maddening and confusing time in most people’s lives. So, opportunity knocks even under the worst of circumstances and business suddenly looks better than ever. CEO Ted Decker explains, “I’m incredibly impressed and thankful for the way our associates rose to the challenge posed by the Covid environment. Not only did they effectively support our customers and communities during the height of the pandemic, but they rallied during the ensuing growth we …
Barbara Rentler Leads a 40-Year-Old Radical!
Ross Stores is on a roll. When many retailers are contracting, Ross is on the move opening 40 new stores this fall to meet its goals of 100 new stores in 2022 – delivering on its 2021 growth plans. It is the largest off-price apparel and home fashion chain in the U.S. Off-price has a key position in the retail pantheon, and Ross is crushing it delivering the experiential gift of surprise in the treasure hunt that consumers love and value as a reward. With its surging growth, CEO Barbara Rentler is leading a 40-year-old Retail Radical in a …
Lululemon Is a 2022 Robin Report Radical!
Talk to any lululemon customer and he or she will be the first to tell you that lululemon is a community, a club, an affinity group – anything other than a retailer. Calvin McDonald’s ability to not just sustain but to grow its already high level of customer engagement, revenues,and profits is a testament to understanding what customers want and need … and delivering on that consistently. whether it's outfitting customers to work from home, run errands in town, attend in-store yoga classes or stream fitness workouts from its Studio partners, …
American Eagle Outfitters: A 2022 Robin Report Retail Radical
American Eagle Outfitters is an amazing success story, propelled by next gens who love it for its honesty and relevant, trending style. It’s the perfect example of a brand from the early aughts that managed to evolve into a Gen Z go-to –– it’s exactly what Abercrombie wishes it could be. CEO Jay Schottenstein has led the brand to new heights as the pioneer in supporting body positivity, inclusive environments and connection with its customers and local communities. AEO came off the pandemic as a nonessential retailer with over $5 billion in …
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Gary Friedman: The Poster Child of Retail Radicals
How did I define the CEO of RH, Gary Friedman? As a true radical, and more. Perhaps even an iconoclast. Friedman is unique and complex. A conversation with him can be surreal; he’s a philosopher, an uber-character, energizer bunny, stream-of-conscious rambling brilliant visionary, and unstoppable (until he hits a wall traveling at the speed of light – which is rarely). He’s the poster child for all radicals. And he didn’t just become a radical; he’s been one his entire career. Sometimes he’s flirted dangerously close to failure, but more …
What Do Zuckerberg, Musk and SBF (Who?) Have in Common?
Zuck, Musk and SBF: What do these entrepreneurs have in common? A large dose of hubris, ultimately soaring to failure. And they are not alone. However, they are arguably the best well-known, anti-hero poster children of the moment, largely due to their dizzying ability to shed billions of dollars in value and thousands of shareholders and employees literally overnight. By the way SBF is the moniker for Sam Bankma-Fried, headline making founder of FTX, a crypto exchange he started in 2019 that soared to a value of $32 billion by January of 2022, …
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