NRF: Retail is Alive and Well
When you watch a football game, do you notice that the person with the ball, more often than not, ends up on the bottom of a pile? Sure, it’s easy to pile on top when the one carrying the ball is slowed or temporarily grounded. It takes strength, stamina and a plan to get back up and continue…and thrive. when someone is down is easy. In a recent LinkedIn post, the president of the National Retail Federation, Matthew Shay, outlined his four reason why retail is alive and well, challenging the notions that “retail jobs are vanishing, retailers are melting down and bricks-and-mortar stores are doomed due to the rise of ecommerce.” Instead, Shay writes, “retail is undergoing a major transformation” that includes growth online and in the real world, where retail “remains America’s #1 private-sector employer” and “Stores are opening and small businesses are thriving.”
“Semi-lovely” Stores Fueled Bricks, but No Clicks
Pennsylvania-born Ollie’s Bargain Outlet recently celebrated its 35th anniversary, and what a celebration! The discount outlet of 252 self-described “semi-lovely” stores has already crossed the $1 billion mark in sales for 2017 and is showing no signs of slowing down (a quick scan of Ollie’s website’s “news” page lists several openings coming soon). A recent profile by a local website noted the company has a “high-flying stock on Wall Street and an ambitious plan to keep opening new stores.” One part of its strategy that analysts seem to like, the retail giant has no online sales at all. “The company stocks its store from a variety of sources, including manufacturer close-outs, surpluses, retailing bankruptcies – even salvage. This means Ollie’s customers never quite know what they will find on store shelves. And for the hardcore bargain hunters, this so-called ‘treasure hunt’ effect brings shoppers back to Ollie’s on a regular basis — if only to see what Ollie’s team of savvy merchandise buyers have landed this time.”
Tell Us: How Many of These Fast Food Chains Have You Gone To?
Every now and again, your humble e-newsletter editor likes to compare his own habits and lifestyle to those lists some websites create, just to see where he stands, at least as far as the list is concerned. When QSR magazine, a trade publication that covers quick-service and limited-service restaurants, listed its 50 top fast food chains, notice was quickly taken. It was determined faster than you can say, “Yes, I’d like fries with that,” that each in the top ten had been frequented at least once in his lifetime, but he fell one shy of having visited 50% of them. How did you do? How many on this list have you visited? What’s your favorite? Tell us via Twitter or on our “Contact” page. I’ll get you started: 24 White Castle.
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