Bill Emerson

This is a terrific gesture from someone who has demonstrated tangibly what others merely say. As far as the pay scales being out of whack, this is strictly a by-product of the consolidation of the industry.

40 years ago, there were over 130 regional department stores and no Walmart/Target/TJX in...

Really terrific guidance on an important topic. While the article listed several "fails" in the overall process, there is a common thread. Each of these shortcomings stems from making decisions on what's most convenient for the retailer and/or manufacturing as opposed to what the customer wants. The bigger the...

While any effort to better understand your customer's preferences is valuable, you need to be cautious about how you spend the money. There are people who love to take surveys, participate in focus groups, fill out questionnaires and so on. The big question, in my experience, is whether these...

The question of whether Martha Stewart is or is not part of JCP is nothing more than a distraction. Yes, there will potentially be a customer for some of the merchandise. The real questions are 1) is JCP relevant, 2) do they have any idea how to do that,...

Ron Johnson did one thing brilliantly while at JCP, namely demonstrate (again) the deadly results of a mix of hubris and impatience. The dumbest thing he did was (according to reports) agree to no severance agreement.

Ullman has a couple of advantages. As a colleague of mine used to say...

Retailers who fail to cultivate the next generation (with less disposable income) will ultimately disappear as their core customers age and spend less. The retail graveyard is filled with examples of once-great brands that failed to bridge generations. Nordstrom is doing what they have to do to survive and...

While it's commendable that the founder would return in these tough times, it's unclear what benefit that will bring. Best Buy flourished in a time very unlike the one we're in now. Most founders return to re-install what made the company successful in the first place. Not a good...

Retailers should always respond to a competitor's misleading and/or inaccurate claims, assuming that these claims are costing the retailer business. Frankly, it's surprising that Publix would be losing business to Walmart as the demographics are quite different. The fact that they are expanding the campaign suggests that Walmart is...

Retailing, like most industries, is still a man's world although, in fairness, retail has a much higher percentage of women in its senior executive ranks than most. There is no shortage of books and articles on what they "must do" to navigate in a man's world. The more interesting...

Value-added services like the Geek Squad is one of the few areas in the CE world that gives the 4-waller a rare competitive edge over the online world. Expect this to expand. Given the growing complexity and reach of these devices, adding services to help the end user understand...