Amazon Style Continues Brick and Mortar Innovation

In yet another push for retail marketshare, Amazon has opened its second physical Amazon Style store, in Columbus, Ohio.   The first Style store opened in Glendale, California at The Americana at Brand. For the past several years, Amazon has been working hard on building credibility as a fashion marketplace, which hasn’t been easy since most customers still see Amazon as a warehouse rather than as style arbiter.   We’re betting that more and more retailers will...

Why the Pandemic Put Some Retailers Ahead of the Pack

      If there’s one thing good that happened with the pandemic, it’s that it pushed retail and hospitality to work harder than they ever have before at innovating new concepts.   We’re not talking about putting tents and tables in a parking lot.   We’re talking about creating concepts that can deliver long-term value and customer conversion in unexpected ways.    To be innovative in this kind of crisis takes not only...

It Takes a Village: Restoration Hardware Imagines a Brand “Ecosystem”

      There are many brands that like to take their concept of lifestyle literally. For decades, fashion designers have lent their name and style to major hotel chains, such as Armani, Fendi, and Versace.   Those are easily negotiated licensing deals. Hire an operator and you have your own hotel.   Feeling more ambitious? Try owning a branded community.   “We believe Aspen represents a singular opportunity to elevate the RH brand...

The Corona Diaries: Why Brands are Blamed for #COVIDwashing

      Crisis, no matter the severity, can lead to creativity in how people adapt to dramatic changes in their lives, and for brands and businesses this means being relevant and present with their stakeholders.   But it hasn’t taken long for brands to begin marketing themselves with hopelessly hollow sentiments.   When brands attempt to leverage a major tragedy in order to illustrate their humanity, it rarely comes off...

Holiday Gear is a Win for Fast Food Giants

      Back in the 1970’s I rode my bike to Burger King just so I could buy a burger and obtain an iron-on transfer for a t-shirt that read: Twoallbeefpatties specialsaucelettucecheese picklesonions onasesameseedbun.   The words were stacked between two hamburger buns. I wore the shirt proudly.   These wild and sometimes absurd products are simply another opportunity to stay top of mind while also earning some valuable social media...

Will Sears’ Comeback Strategy Work?

      For the majority of Americans, Sears department stores has played some role in our lives: it was where you bought Toughskins jeans, a new refrigerator, or a set of power tools. It was never a sexy brand but then, that wasn’t what it’s role was. It was an institution. In 1969, two-thirds of Americans shopped at Sears, and its sales represented 1% of the nation's economy.     It was – and we emphasize, was – “where America shops.”...

Oh Thank Heaven: 7-11 Joins the Convenience Store Evolution

      Late last month, 7-11 announced the opening of a “lab” or concept store in Texas, not far from where the brand began over 90 years ago.     You might recall that one b. on brand’s predictions for 2019 (read them here) was that the gentrification of convenience stores would become one of the year’s most interesting retail evolutions, and we were right – except we never expected 7-11 to get in on the action.   7-11 has...

In London, “Pop Up” Neighborhoods are Transforming the High Street

      It’s a plight that affects countless American cities: block after block of empty storefronts that not only impact the retailers who struggle to remain there, but make once-dynamic streets look like ghost-towns.   It's a different story in London, where a start-up called Appear Here is transforming the city's High Streets.   Motcomb Street in London's Belgravia district is just one neighborhood that has been revitalized thanks to Appear...

Do Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom Have Any New Ideas? We Evaluate their Latest Efforts

      By and large, department stores are notoriously late to the party when it comes to retail innovation but with the current lackluster performance of stores, just about anyone should get credit for trying.   Both Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus have both set forth new incubator concepts that could potentially add some energy to their stores and provide insight for future efforts. In retail, great ideas are often recycled ideas and neither store is...

Does Macy’s Matter? A Brand Stumbles Towards Obsolescence

      Admit it: Macy's is a slow sinking behemoth, a Titanic in the world of retail which we all watch sink with a certain reverence, nostalgia, but also a degree of relief.   The truth is Macy's ship has long since sailed and it probably should have packed it in a long, long time ago. Yet they continue to rearrange the proverbial deck chairs. Macy's is a museum to the dawn of the Millenium when a sea change took place and retail changed...