Management

Remember when retail and politics were separate entities? In the past decade, brands have been called upon to take a stance on social and environmental issues. Speaking out about incendiary policy is mainstream and no longer a role relegated to millennial-focused outdoor brands such as Patagonia and REI. The retail landscape has never been more polarized. Even Patagonia has taken a more active role in politics by openly endorsing senate candidates, lobbying for environmental issues and adding tags to clothing that say “Vote the A••holes …

Will Corporate America Continue to Steer Social Policy?Read More

I will state my opinion right up front. I believe Richard Baker's move to split the Saks Fifth Avenue and its ecommerce business into separate companies, which he calls "unlocking value," is simply applying a fancy buzzword, disguising what will ultimately lead to a real estate play. The reality is somewhere, way down deep in his real estate DNA, he clearly sees his personal cash-generating machine where it always has been -- in real estate. So, don't fall for unlocking value in the retail enterprise as a strategy to improve and accelerate the …

Saks: Unlocking Value, for Whom?Read More

I've seen this horrible movie before with one notable actor leading the attack on Children's Place in 2015. Johnathan Duskin, CEO Macellum Advisors GP, is apparently leading the sequel, "Activist Pirates Attack Kohl's," along with Legion Partners Holdings, Ancora Advisors and 4010 Capital, (with an equity position of just under 10 percent). They are determined to replace five board seats (down from nine) ostensibly to drive cost cutting, including executive pay packages. The activists also want to boost revenues and margins through better …

Activist Pirates Attack Kohl’sRead More

The Beyond Burgers brand reflects a sea change of a whole new generation of environmental and animal friendly consumers. New products and new business models are emerging at an accelerated pace, driven by consumers and envisioned by savvy, progressive thinking CEOs. So, it strikes me that Walmart CEO Doug McMillon's investor day announcement that they would use their physical and digital platforms to drive businesses beyond retail -- from advertising to health care (and more) -- is the beginning of a new tech era portfolio business model, made …

Beyond Retail: Walmart’s “Everything Service”Read More

From Tel Aviv to São Paulo to New York City’s Garment District, the onset of the pandemic in 2020 forced widespread change and innovation across the retail ecosystem. From big retail chains and brands to technology enablement and alternative payments, CEOs across the globe were forced to adapt to a new reality – one in which being able succeed online moved from being essential to absolutely mission critical. But improved digital performance wasn’t the only outcome that can be traced back to the pandemic. Amid these strong headwinds, retail …

21 Global DisruptorsRead More

I had a "history brought forward" moment last week. It was a discussion with Rick Caruso, CEO of Caruso, one of the largest and most admired private real estate developers in the U.S. In fact, "most admired" would be an understatement from my point of view. In addition to being an innovator, civic leader on several fronts in LA and a generous philanthropist, he's also a giant visionary in the retail world who began successfully implementing his vision in the early 90s. Theory to Practice Caruso has an uncanny ability to see what's coming …

Caruso: Community CreatorRead More

The pandemic has created a punctuation mark for the fashion industry, putting it on pause. The result is that everyone is frantically looking for a new formula for creating fashion brands for when the world gets back to a sense of normalcy. Fashion Formula The new formula, however, has been underway, hidden in plain sight, for at least the last six years. The driving force is not the Covid-19 virus; it is the dramatic lifestyle changes the alphabet generations have chosen and the innovations the digital world makes possible. Let's take …

Creative Brilliance Is Still Alive and Kicking in the Fashion WorldRead More

Marc Lore announced his departure from his role as President and CEO of Walmart's ecommerce business (which included Jet.com prior to its being shut down in June of 2020 and absorbed into walmart.com) at the end of January. Was it a "mission accomplished," moment or was he given the boot? If it's the latter, it was nine months ahead of his five-year agreement to remain as a Walmart employee until September of 2021, at which time he would have received his full payout, (including a stock valuation of roughly $150 million, according to …

Did Marc Lore Get the Walmart Boot? Or Mission Accomplished?Read More