Housekeeping
The summer is usually not a time for great reflection: more often most of us spend as much time as possible getting away from the real world, via vacations, trashy novels and the latest super-duper hero movie sequel. But for […]
Monitoring the Digital Watercooler
Ever since the first merchant set up a tent at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, the world’s first mall, or Sears met Roebuck, employees have complained about employers. But there’s a new twist on the old dynamic thanks to that
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Chico’s Reviving and Disrupting
My closet is filled with a variety of on-sale purchased high-end designer clothing and shoes, nearly all black and suitable for almost every New York occasion, but not for the trip to Israel I was planning in March, 2014. I
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Go Disrupt Yourself!
So Says a Disruptive Seminar Panel Please don’t take offense. “Go disrupt yourself” is not a euphemism for that other, often used R-rated suggestion. This is a serious directive for so-called disrupters themselves, as well as for all businesses operating
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Malls are the New Anchors…
And the Internet is not the Only Culprit A lot has been written and spoken recently about dying malls, my participation included. Well, here’s another one. In the middle of this protracted conversation, I discovered an interesting irony. As originally
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Passion Can’t Be Found In A Spreadsheet
The distance between Vere and Portman streets in central London is 528 yards; an easy walking distance encompassing the two solitudes of retail today: stores that behave as product sheds and those that behave like retail theater. Taking center stage
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Is Joe Fresh Still Fresh Enough?
I heard good things about Joe Fresh from a friend a couple of years ago, so I visited the Madison Avenue store, which initially opened in October, 2011 as a pop-up. It was a bright, fun place in a convenient
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Will it Be Made in America?
‘Made in America’ is quite the hot topic right now, grabbing up headlines left and right; from the backlash about Ralph Lauren’s 2012 Olympic uniforms (the company quickly learned its lesson—the 2014 ones were made in the US) to retail
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Fabric Substitution Needles Home Textile Shoppers
Preference for Cotton Remains Paramount Housing starts and existing home sales are not only good economic indicators, but they are also strong predicators of future growth in other areas like home textiles. As the turnaround in the housing market gains
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Don\’t Overestimate or Misunderstand \”Disruption\”
Remember the phrase “innovate or die?” Well, it died. Taking its place today is “disrupt or die.” Disrupt this, disrupt that. We’re in the throes of it. As I write, another disruptive concept is being born. And if you don’t
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