Year: 2024

Sales of activewear and outdoor apparel and accessories have slowed in recent years. Let’s look at what is affecting growth in these categories, and how they compare to other faster

The Big Picture The U.S. economy picked up in the second quarter, growing by 2.8%, after a 1.4% increase in the first quarter. Meanwhile, inflation is cooling, and unemployment is

Providing new styles and products is part and parcel of being a merchant, but which factors should you take into consideration when it comes to adding new classes or categories

The Big Picture Although U.S. economic growth for the first quarter was revised downward, from 1.6% to 1.3%, recent jobs numbers indicate that the economy is still running at a

While successful retailers often scrutinize their sales reports to improve their performance, some only look at the top-line numbers, which can lead to missed opportunities. “I’ve seen merchants scan the

The Big Picture Some analysts are describing the U.S. economy as a wolf in sheep’s clothing, since the top line numbers don’t exactly convey the underlining strength. For instance, GDP

Although overall e-commerce sales continue to grow, when it comes to better and luxury apparel, shoppers still prefer the in-store experience. This is especially true of younger shoppers. In fact,

The Big Picture Although the U.S.’s overall economic picture looks solid, the 12-month inflation rate ending in March ticked up to 3.5%, which was .03% higher than the previous month.

It’s been about two decades since the “aspirational” consumer was deemed a valuable target for the luxury market, but now that customer is starting to disappear. Upper-middle income shoppers stretching

The Big Picture February’s jobs report came in higher than expected, adding another 275,000 jobs to the economy, and leading some to speculate that the Fed could consider cutting interest