Before the Iron Law of Retail comes into play, there is a primal consideration, one of identity (or what some call “branding”). The Iron Law of retailing — compelling product, attractively merchandised in well-located, efficient stores — only comes into play in the context of a clear identity. Read the rest of this entry »
Identity
October 1st, 2005Simply Retail
September 28th, 2005Retail is a simple business. Have a solid Identity, follow the Iron Law of Retail, and let the customers find you. Most problems in retail occur when teams new to retail attempt to overcomplicate the business, or worse, fail to realize both how important, and how challenging in themselves, these simple rules are to follow.
The proposed City Planning Law — Two wrongs don’t make a right
September 16th, 2005After decades of market distortion due to the Large Scale Retail Store Law (LSRSL) and its restriction on large retail spaces at city center, the GOJ (Government of Japan) is proposing a solution — a new City Planning Law, with new restrictive legislation that would propose to correct the distortions caused by the LSRSL by creating new restrictions on the creation of big box retail in the suburbs. This will create further distortions. The right approach is to scrap the LSRSL. Read the rest of this entry »
Keeping it simple
September 16th, 2005If it is so simple, why is it so hard? Because the important things sometimes are. And once you do get it right, you’ll never want it any other way.
We are currently working with a major international brand that, for the first time ever, is seeing (or attempting to see) their brand work in a standalone retail environment.
And the hardest thing for them to do, is just ship all the product so that it arrives on time and works together to make an attractive statement to the customer. Read the rest of this entry »