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
March ’24 Retail Report: Women’s Wear Regains Momentum

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
Women’s Wear Update: The Dress Dilemma

The pattern disruption that came from the pandemic has had a long tail. Both menswear and women’s wear are in new, prolonged cycles that are defying historical patterns. Let’s take
Feb. ’24 Retail Report: Menswear Starts the Year Strong

The Big Picture The U.S. economy grew at a faster pace than expected in the fourth quarter of 2023, notching up 3.3%. Job growth also came in at a blistering
Where Did Athleisure Go? Everywhere. That’s the Problem.

Remember when everyone was talking about the white-hot athleisure business? This chatter has faded away over the last couple of years as tailored clothing categories have soared. But athleisure has
Jan. ’24 Retail Report: Best Fall Buys and Holiday Results

The Big Picture By all accounts it looks like it was a good holiday season for many retailers, although not as strong as last year. MasterCard reported a 3.1% increase
2024 Inventory Drive-Down Challenge

Last year we identified a worrying trend of excess inventory building up in our client stores. Although all of these stores were forced to run lean in 2020 and 2021
Dec. 23 Retail Report: Apparel Gifts Gave Retailers a Boost

The Big Picture As we wrap up the year, the economy continues to improve. The unemployment rate fell in November, and the stock market recently reached new highs on news
Planning for Success in 2024

While 2023 saw a slowdown from the post pandemic sales boom, business was still pretty decent. We are returning to a normalized sales cycle — finally — and the economy
Nov. 23 Retail Report: Holiday Sales Ramp Up After Pause

The Big Picture Overall retail sales fell for the first time in seven months in October, as consumers took a pause before their holiday shopping began at full steam. Sales