Strategy

We are pleased to announce the winners of The Robin Report 2022 Retail Radicals. The annual awards program focuses on identifying radical thinkers and doers (innovators and entrepreneurial leaders) exclusively in the legacy (brick-and-mortar) sectors of the retail industry. These radicals are driving the major transformations within their respective retail brands. We celebrate traditional, legacy radicals because they face challenges that are much larger and more complex than those of the legion of tech-driven startups who are so often …

The Robin Report Announces the Retail Radicals: The Movers and Shakers of Legacy BrandsRead More

The recession clock is ticking, and it’s gets louder as it ticks faster. JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon told CNBC that a recession is all but inevitable. Others may argue that the recession has already hit, based on the traditional definition as two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth, which occurred earlier this year. However, because unemployment remains low, many economists are reluctant to make the official recession call. This time unemployment may be a trailing indicator for a recession rather than a leading indicator. As we …

Luxury Brands Are at Risk of Losing Their Most Vital Customers – the HENRYsRead More

There is no industry that is less consumer-centric than fashion. While every fashion brand believes it is consumer-centric, most refuse to dress 68 percent of all women who wear a size 14 or larger. Case closed. A recent look at the availability of plus-size garments in 25 of the largest multi-brand retailers carrying some 15,500 brands found that fewer than 3 percent of their women’s apparel assortment is plus-size, according to retail analytics firm Edited. The fashion industry designs for an idealized image of women that very few women …

Why We Need Inclusive SizingRead More

One of the most often-referenced terms of the early years of this century is “disintermediation.” It is so frequently used it acquired its own Oxford Dictionary definition: “The reduction in the use of intermediaries between producers and consumers, for example by investing directly in the securities market rather than through a bank.” Since its early days in the financial markets, the term moved through the warp and woof of the economy, creating a kaleidoscopic new fabric. Intermediaries Yes Virginia, there really was a world populated …

A New Age of Curated RetailRead More

I’m offering yet another report on Patagonia that I’m tossing into the ring, now full of one adulatory article or broadcast interview after another. However hesitant I was to follow lemming-like this cascade of applause for Patagonia’s founder Yvon Chouinard, I believe there are not even enough lemmings in the world to drive home the fact that he authentically “walks the walk.” His donation of his entire $3 billion business to planet Earth is not only unprecedented, but also a powerful example of how capitalism can thrive while simultaneously …

Patagonia: Conscious CapitalismRead More

Walmart is making fashion a priority. The strategy is to pursue niche DTC brands, and primarily those that have appeal for younger, higher-income consumers. According to an Insider article, DTC brands like Harry’s, Casper, Olly, and Quip all chose to debut in big-box retail at Target. Even though Target has a smaller footprint, their customer base is wealthier, and Target focuses on design with dedicated teams for emerging brands. Image Reset Unlike Target, Walmart’s image has always been the quintessential everyday lower price model. …

Walmart Accelerates the Fashion JourneyRead More

The concept of the global retailer has been pretty much a mixed bag with a wildly uneven success rate. With the exception of the occasional Ikea or Starbucks, many retailing companies have been unable to export their business model outside their home country. And this has worked in pretty much every direction: from Europe and Asia to the United States and in reverse. Which is why the recent news that fabled French department store Printemps is planning to open its first American store in 2024 in New York City is so intriguing. As one of the …

Printemps Sets Sites on Lower ManhattanRead More

Remember the old days – actually just a few years ago – when you went to rent an apartment and you usually spoke to a landlord or, in a city, even the super (technically a superintendent) and it was pretty basic. If you rented a single-family house, you often dealt directly with the homeowner herself. Welcome to the new reality of renting. Today nearly 25 percent of all the single-family homes in America are owned by investors, sometimes aspiring Airbnb entrepreneurs but more likely giant real estate companies like Blackstone. In fact, …

The New Reality of Renting Where You LiveRead More