In what has to be one of the biggest retailing fiascos of all time, mass merchandiser Target has closed its 133-store Canadian division less than two years after it opened. Billions of dollars were lost. Target’s misadventure in Canada holds […]
Target Canada’s Ill-Fated Adventure Read More »
You don’t have to be a criminologist to know that Serial Killers kill people. Retail Serial Killers (or RSKs) on the other hand, are, in my opinion, CEO’s who through their lack of skill, recklessness, disingenuousness, or gross incompetence, destroy
Is There a Serial Killer Loose in Your Corner Office? Read More »
Although it doesn’t happen often, one of the most momentous decisions a company’s board and top executives can make is to change the customer-facing name of the company. Sometimes, such a change can go well, for example when Macy’s changed
Price Chopper’s Name Game Read More »
If I were a Sony executive I’d be more concerned about getting punched out by Angelina Jolie for making snide email comments than offending North Korea’s fearless leader, Kim Jong-un. She looks tougher. Of course, there’s the little matter of
Dumb and Dumber — A Tale of Cyber Security Read More »
Generals huddle in their bunkers hammering out strategies for the next battle, while fighting by well-equipped opposition forces continues door to door, punctuated by brief and tentative ceasefires. No, this isn’t the latest dispatch from the war-torn Middle East or
State of the Union Read More »
So are we adding a luxury food brand to the “designer derby” of racers seeking more growth (for its own sake) by reaching down to consumers who are reaching up? Or is the CEO of Whole Foods, John Mackey, spreading
Whole Foods Market: Conscious Capitalism or Unconscious Greed? Read More »
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
Consumer Insights from MasterCard Advisors The digital age has brought a shift in power from retailers to consumers unlike anything known before. Each consumer is now a market segment of one. Within the next five years every retailer will learn
Strike One Spotty performance going into the recession and poor performance coming out. Target Stores and its web business have been poorly positioned from a merchandise trend and strategic standpoint, and stores have been inexplicably and chronically poorly stocked. Empty
Three Strikes and He’s Out! Read More »
Retailers battle for data security but who’s winning the war? Let’s ask the question everyone’s thinking but no one says out loud. Is real data security just a myth? An urban legend? A fairy tale that parents tell children at
