With the possible exception of Greg Abel following Warren Buffet, there’s probably been no tougher succession with more pressure than what Tim Cook faced when he took over Apple from Steve Jobs 15 years ago. Cook has done a magnificent job leading Apple and doing it in a totally different way than Jobs did.
Tim Cook: The Robin Report Retail Hit of the Week, 9. 5. 26 Read More »
T’s professional journey has been spontaneous: “I would say that if you look at my career trajectory, no one could say it was well planned. I got out of the army, went to school, got a fellowship, moved to Syria on an academic fellowship, and came back and never finished school. Then I ended up working for some tech dudes.”
Profile in Resilience: T Robinson, Serial Disruptor Read More »
We don’t usually call out a company twice in a month, but honestly this deserves it. We recently cited Buc-ee’s ridiculous lawsuits against companies with what they thought were similar names or animal logos.
Buc-ee’s: The Robin Report Retail Miss of the Week (Again) 8. 29. 26 Read More »
Hey, don’t get us wrong, we’re all in favor of retailers testing new store concepts and experimenting with different formats. But how long is it going to take Nike to get anything right? The report that they are shutting down their Nike Live—rebranded as Nike Well Collective (whatever that means)—it’s another dead end for a brand that was once king of the footwear and sports apparel sectors; now it seems in a foot race to failure.
Nike: The Robin Report Retail Miss of the Week, 8. 22. 26 Read More »
The first thing you learn, especially in the military, is if you make an investment and it’s not working, then you have to make tough decisions quickly and iterate. In business, as difficult as it is to make certain decisions, if it’s right for the business, it’s right for your stakeholders, and it’s right for you as a leader.
Profile in Honor: Kimberly Shenk, Service Before Self Read More »
You’ve got to admit: Ryan Cohen, the CEO of GameStop, always thinks big and lives large. His attempt to take over eBay—a company at least four times bigger than his—was pretty outrageous.
Ryan Cohen: The Robin Report Retail Miss of the Week, 8.15.26 Read More »
Listen in as Shelley and Eliot reveal how the Orton family has resisted the temptation compromise their values in a screen-driven, digital marketplace. Their conversation gives a voice to deeply held values, classic, wearable clothes, and a retail ethos (including a customer bill of rights) that survives the test of time.
How Does The Vermont Country Store Keep Going? Read More »
Three companies built and sold with more than $200 million in sales. Refreshingly honest, T says part of her career trajectory is that she’s simply “not particularly employable.” She’s been disruptive her whole life, approaching everything with curiosity and imagination, never bound by how “something is supposed to be done.”
T Robinson: Outspoken Outlier Read More »
The garden of retailing is littered with examples of retailers that once had a singular successful point of view but have lost their way. Oversight, if not consistent supervision, is mission critical. There is a fine line between encouraging talented and committed team members to fully express themselves in the decisions they must make while at the same time keeping everyone in the organization on the same page of the hymnal. This balancing act must encourage innovative thinking and action, while protecting the business’s underlying point of view.
A Point of View: The Heart of a Retailer’s Brand Read More »
Cracker Barrel is becoming a TRR ongoing miss. Just when you thought its earnings release showing positive numbers was a good thing, a few paragraphs down, there was the classic retail pitfall that has tripped up so many companies over the years.
Cracker Barrel: The Robin Report Retail Miss of the Week, 7.25.26 Read More »
