Richard Seesel

American Eagle has built up considerable brand equity, and despite some of its recent struggles its comp sales appear to be back on track. (And it is doing a better job than some of its competitors, like Aeropostale, learning how to execute "fast fashion.") But AEO did not take...

When Walmart is satisfied that its pilot is ready to roll out nationally, there is no doubt that it can move fast. There is still plenty of real estate out there, including takeover space available at the right price. The key is to make sure that the merchandise message...

Any retailer with an open mind (and an open pair of eyes) understands that our multi-ethnic society has grown far past the bounds of what used to be considered "Hispanic" markets and so on. And population growth is to be welcomed as a sales driver wherever it comes from....

Here's a condensed version of the thoughts I posted yesterday on my own blog:

1. I have been skeptical about the new strategy since it was announced in January, and many of my observations since then are based on repeated visits to JCP stores. My biggest initial impression was that...

I'm not sure whether Macy's move will help it combat Amazon more effectively over the long run, but it will surely drive e-commerce sales now. It's also a way to drive more productivity out of its brick-and-mortar stores, payroll and inventory (regardless of how it accounts for the sales)...

Yes, there is an opportunity to expand the Cost Plus specialty food business into Bed Bath and Beyond -- but there is an even bigger opportunity to add the "World Market" assortment of home decor, furniture and gifts. It will take a large footprint to pull this off, but...

There is a big difference between upper-moderate, better and designer price points, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see Amazon going after any and all of these market segments. Clearly the CFO of Macy's takes Amazon seriously in this business, since she mentioned them in her earnings call...

Two very different issues at play here: There is no question that Apple micro-stores within Target and Walmart are good for both retailers, and give both of them added credibility in the consumer electronics business. It also provides yet another threat to the Best Buy business model.

But the...

This is an interesting development for several reasons. Target has obviously paid attention to the success of specialty retailers like Lululemon and Athleta, and the same concept at mass price points could be a winner. It also follows the growing trend of "smaller is better" relative to the massive...

I'm a little baffled by this decision, especially given the long history between the two companies -- most of all when Amazon was spearheading Target's e-commerce effort. And if dropping the Kindle is a way to punish a competitor, what's next? Dropping the iPhone because people are using it...