Jonathan Marek

It isn't at all surprising there has been a shakeout. That always happens, even in great businesses like search and social, where the respective leaders have created massive value. The fact that lots of also-rans couldn't cut it doesn't mean much.

The bigger question is what happens at the...

I have seen scant evidence of malls being creative on this front. Since the "anchor store" notion is suffering, it is time for mall operators to make the center court the "anchor," i.e., the center court as town square. But what do people want a town square to be...

There are a lot of interesting ideas here, and I suspect some will work and some won't. What will determine how successful Penney's is with this plan is how quickly they will figure out which components are working and which aren't. Take the brand shops, for example. It will...

Wow! This is such a pretty brutal response that I hate to pile on. But I had the same reaction: "OK, and what ELSE are you doing?"

It's a long and potentially costly road to creating successful content. And it just doesn't seem aligned to Netflix's competency, especially in a world where streamed content competition is increasing dramatically. So, no, this isn't the answer.

The problem in this particular case is that Best Buy has no room for error, especially online, with Amazon breathing down their neck.

Interesting stuff. I think EDLP ultimately holds much more sway with consumers (think of all the companies that have become great successes being low price). The issue is that it is very hard to beat Walmart at EDLP -- and being second-rate EDLP in a sector is a losing...

I think the smartphone, not the tablet, is likely the right device. It is much easier to navigate a store while holding a smartphone, plus it fits in my pocket. Having said that, it is hard to see how consumer behavior evolves. No one, to date, has a killer...

Of course there is often tension between market share and margin rates -- and between marketing and finance, for that matter. But before we write off margins for the season, or celebrate comp numbers, let's wait and see what Q4 financials look like.

Reading the quote, it seems the presence of Blaze was key to deciding to test there. Makes sense.

To me, the more interesting question is what happens as the lines continue to blur between casual dining and fast food. Alcoholic beverages are clearly a staple of casual dining, and...