This edition of the newsletter comes from pulling on a thread and watching the spool unravel. Last week we looked at a new role at Lululemon focused on raw material…
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The Chief Merchant Journal
In this episode of The Voice of Retail podcast, Liza Amlani, Principal of Retail Strategy Group, explores the ideas behind her new book on process innovation in fashion retail ‘The…
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Generally, LinkedIn is full of junk. My favorite is when someone starts a post with “This might be a hot take, but….” And then proceeds to blather about nothing. However,…
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Let’s talk marketing for a moment. Here are some interesting, marketing-related headlines that are “retail relevant" 1 - Luxury fashion brand Chrome Hearts buys Surfrider Hotel in Malibu for ~$37.5M,…
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I’m kicking off with a little shameless self-promotion. If that’s not your thing, skip it, unsubscribe, whatever you like. But there’s a reason I’m bringing it up, so hear me…
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Raj launched his “power ranking” style newsletter last week to highlight the moments that made him ask, “What’s up with that?” Half-joking, he said this week would flip the script…
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If every style rides the same track, your calendar jams and margins get squeezed. In our new Sourcing Journal piece, we argue that product creation needs Acceptable Inequality: replenishment gets…
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As seen over at Retail Dive... Saks Global is betting big on its Top Seller Program. Saks wants to bring in talented stylists with a roster of clients / Rolodex.…
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This week’s newsletter is based on one question… “What’s up with that?” Because there is a bunch of stuff that I have been reading and my response to it is:…
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I am honored to share that I have been selected as one of the top 50 NRF Retail Voices for 2026! This is my 2nd time as an NRF Retail…
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As seen over at Future Commerce.... Time. There’s never enough of it. Teams are constantly sprinting to hit deadlines, leaving little room to test, adapt, or react. Launching a new…
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The hot news today is that Lululemon will be cranking out fan apparel for all 32 teams of the NFL. I'll look at this from the point of view of…
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Yes, size still matters. (hee hee, cue the teenage giggles) It’s no shocker that sizing and fit drive a huge share of apparel returns. Coresight Research puts it at over…
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As seen over at Retail Dive: The company is now acknowledging its predicament in stark terms, though it said the situation continues to improve. “Trends within our business demonstrate that…
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Where is the “hidden damage” in your business? If that sounds like an odd question to you, well, it is. If it’s hidden, how would you know where it is?…
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Special Announcement: Our next book, The Material Life: Process Innovation for Retailers and Brands, is coming in December 2025. We're excited for the release of this book and it could…
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Consider the following: A beauty brand selling a single lipstick vs. a beauty routine. A furniture brand selling a single chair vs. a styled room. Buying a single stock vs.…
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According to Harvard Business Review, there are five key "commandments" that can be derived from Costco's Code of Ethics. Here is one of them... The shop floor is where the…
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I’m experiencing a kind of material déjà vu. Here’s what I mean. Natural Fiber Welding (NFW), a next-gen material company is winding down operations. This after restructurings, leadership churn, and…
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A trio of companies, The Organoid Company (NL), Lab-Grown Leather Ltd. (UK) and US marketing agency VML issued a press release saying they will produce “the world’s first T. rex…
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