The Big Picture The pandemic rebound seems to be happening faster than anyone thought, with retail sales climbing 9.8% in March as consumer confidence reached its highest level in more
Special Report: Blacks’ Recovery Roadmap
Special Report: Blacks’ Recovery Roadmap The post-pandemic upswing is finally here. Unemployment is sinking, consumer confidence is up, and retail sales among our better men’s and women’s wear stores are
March ’21 Retail Report: Buying Strategies To Fuel Your Recovery
The Big Picture U.S. consumer confidence is up, reaching its highest level since the start of the pandemic in early March, thanks to the quickening rollout of vaccinations and third
February ’21 Retail Report: March Sales Set To Improve
The Big Picture As February wanes, we continue to see a confusing mix of economic numbers that underscore the uncertainty of the market. Jobless claims continue to notch up, but
Planning for Recovery: Tracking New Clothing Trends
Some readers have asked what we are focused on right now. I’d like to talk about two things: 1. The rebound we expect in the latter half of the spring/summer
Let’s Talk About Cashflow Planning
We admire how creative and adaptable retailers have been over the last year. They managed to change how they sell, and buy, on a dime. But now that we are on
Jan. ’21 Retail Report: After Slow Start, Merchants Look to Spring Upswing
The Big Picture With the holiday season, and holiday Covid surge, now behind us we can start to take a look at where we stand. Overall retail sales dipped 0.7%
Planning for 2021 Means Finetuning New Strategies
Before we jump into what will hopefully be a much better year ahead, let’s take a quick look at what we went through in 2020, and what we learned.
January Was Tough! When Will We Rebound?
January has been as bad, if not worse, than any month since the start of the pandemic. How should I read the current month as I look at the immediate future?
What should retailers expect in the first quarter of 2021?
Q: Everyone expects Q1 to be difficult as we wait for vaccine rollouts to bring stability to consumers’ lives, and ours. What’s your advice for retailers to help us get