Magic Shop

Are your frontline employees going to save or kill your most important quarter? At Apple, nothing is left to chance

Fast Company, November 1, 2007 — Day one at my new job. Sporting white headphones, I am plugged into a computer watching Ridley Scott's awe-inspiring "1984" Macintosh ad, reviewing the company history, and getting pumped up about my new workplace. Like most of my coworkers, I'm already a loyal fan of the company, so starting this job will take my interest to the next level. I'm working as a Mac specialist at the Apple Store.

What happens between now and Christmas is the most important time for a very large sector of our economy: The National Retail Federation predicts almost $475 billion will pass between customers and merchants this holiday season, and whether such notable brands as Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Gap (NYSE:GPS), Home Depot (NYSE:HD), Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX), and many others think... continue reading

Wal-Mart Era Wanes Amid Big Shifts in Retail†

Rivals Find Strategies To Defeat Low Prices; World Has Changed

Wall Street Journal, October 3, 2007 — The Wal-Mart Era, the retailer's time of overwhelming business and social influence in America, is drawing to a close.

Using a combination of low prices and relentless expansion, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. emerged from rural Arkansas in the 1970s to reshape the world's largest economy. Its co-founder, Sam Walton, taught Americans to demand ever-lower prices and instructed businesses on running a lean company. His company helped boost America's overall productivity, lowered the inflation rate, and strengthened the buying power for millions of people. Over time, it also accelerated the drive to manufacture products in Asia, drove countless small shops out of business, and sped the decline of Main Street. Those changes are permanent.

Today, though, Wal-Mart's... continue reading

Cross-Media Case Study: Rock 'n Roll Is In Their Jeans

Lucky Brand's tour bus hits the road - and the cyberhighway

MediaPost Publications, September 24, 2007 — There's David Lynch's psychological thriller Lost Highway, AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" and America's 1970s hit "Ventura Highway."

Each evokes a certain nostalgic jag. And then there's the rock 'n roll tour - think Almost Famous. Lucky Brand Jeans manages to tap into a groovy 1960s-'80s vibe, while injecting a contemporary edge via its DenimHighway.com initiative, a grassroots marketing/party/brand campaign that invites consumers to interact with the brand outside retail.

Why Deere Is Weeding Out Dealers Even as Farms Boom†

Some Veteran Retailers Feel Betrayed By Shift; 'We Are Not a Family'

Wall Street Journal, August 14, 2007 — For more than a century, Deere & Co. has relied on dealers to sell its iconic John Deere tractors and other farm equipment. Deere dealers like to brag that they "bleed green," the company's trademark color.

But even as the farm boom helps Deere harvest record profits, dozens of North American dealerships are getting sent out to pasture, including some that have passed through families for generations. Chief Executive Robert Lane says times have changed. In an age when tractors use satellites to track the location of every seed, he says, dealers must match the sophistication and size of agribusiness customers.

Green Clothing Maker Indigenous Designs Puts Fashion First†

Do-Good Message Is Subtle as Firm Attracts Retailers

Wall Street Journal, July 17, 2007 — Indigenous Designs Corp. prides itself as a truly green supplier. Its women's clothing is made from all-natural, sustainable materials, such as organic cotton, silk and alpaca. It adheres to strict fair-trade manufacturing practices overseas, runs its U.S. corporate office on solar power and encourages employees to bike to work.

But all that feel-good stuff isn't what the Santa Rosa, Calif., company pushed when it met with executives from the Dillard's Inc. department-store chain at a trade show earlier this year. Instead, the apparel maker talked up fashion, design, and price — mentioning the organic and fair-trade chit only as an extra bonus.

New Borders Wants to Load Your iPod†

George Jones Also Plans to Reopen Branded Web Site And Redesign Bookstores to Stress Digital Offerings

Wall Street Journal, July 16, 2007 — George Jones, chief executive of Borders Group Inc., is remaking the nation's second-largest book retailer as fast as he can. Since taking over a year ago, he has vowed to close nearly half the company's Waldenbooks outlets, sell or franchise nearly all of the stores Borders owns overseas, reopen Borders' branded e-commerce Web site and revamp the chain's computer system.

Mr. Jones, 56 years old, says even more changes are ahead as Borders tries to keep pace with Barnes & Noble Inc., Amazon.com and the big-box discounters

Justifying $5 Smoothies: It’s the Juice

New York Times, July 14, 2007 — It is summertime, and the lines are usually long at Jamba Juice, a retailer of blended-to-order fruit smoothies. The company’s California-based parent, Jamba Inc., is growing quickly, especially after it fortified its capital structure through its merger with the Services Acquisition Corporation late last year.

A Whole New Wal-Mart

Forbes, July 12, 2007 — Bentonville, Ark., retail giant Wal-Mart had some good news Thursday. The company said it outpaced expected sales growth with a 2.4% gain over June last year. Google its not, but it is better than the company's recent results.

Tesco Studies Hard for U.S. Debut†

CEO Leahy Sends Teams to Observe How Americans Shop, See What's in Their Fridges

Wall Street Journal, June 28, 2007 — The chief executive of Tesco PLC, Terry Leahy, runs a retail chain that's twice the size of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in the United Kingdom. And this fall, even though the U.S. is considered over-crowded with stores, Mr. Leahy plans to expand into Wal-Mart's home turf.

Big Boxes Aim to Speed Up Shopping†

Time-Pressed Customers Get Help Finding Wanted Items; The Self-checkout Debate

Wall Street Journal, June 27, 2007 — The average shopper at a Wal-Mart supercenter spends 21 minutes in the store but finds only seven of the 10 items on his or her shopping list.

As Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, tries to boost flagging sales growth, one key is helping customers find and buy those eighth, ninth and 10th items before they rush off to their kid's soccer game. So the chain is attempting to make its sprawling stores easier to navigate