Howard Davidowitz
Howard Davidowitz
associated costs gigantic given process share warehouse
There would have been gigantic costs associated with the unbundling process given that the different units share warehouse and distribution centers,
fickle game impress money numbers potential public rule stays
The rule of the game is go public for the money when you have the numbers to impress potential investors. Retail, and especially apparel, is so fickle that nothing stays the same forever.
ben chance charge customers full game later name promotion reasonable return taste
The name of the game for Ben and Jerry's is to get someone to taste the product. If this promotion can get more customers in the doors, there's a reasonable chance that many of them may return later (when they charge full price).
chains christmas inventory months orders pipeline placed retail sars
Also, most big retail chains placed their Christmas orders months ago and the Christmas inventory was already in the pipeline before (the) SARS (outbreak),
bills business businesses close fruit guy next pay selling small street year
You see the guy out on the street selling coffee, donuts, fruit - his business is destroyed. There are a lot of small businesses that will close or that won't be able to pay their bills next year because of the strike.
corporate era front governance lily white
This is an era in which corporations want to be lily white because corporate governance is on the front burner.
coming creative customers longer retailers specialty stores true
This is specially true of the specialty stores. Retailers have to become more creative if they want to keep customers longer in their stores and if they want them to keep coming back.
knows life motivated people store
The most important people who have to be motivated are the store employees; they're your life blood. Federated knows this.
marking retailers signs
Some retailers are already marking up 40- to 50-percent off signs as we speak.
apparel business constantly creativity fashion fickle reinvent retailers specialty themselves winners
Specialty apparel is a very fast-moving business. It's also a fickle business of fashion and creativity where the winners are those retailers who can constantly reinvent themselves and their products.
assume good package sell trying
As a negotiating strategy, I would assume Saks is trying to package the whole thing -- to sell the good with the bad.
brand built single survive
The brand as we know it is dead. Any brand that's built exclusively around a single personality can't survive something like this.
advertising business company losses magazine smaller
The business is getting smaller -- the advertising, the TV, the magazine -- everything is going down. This company is not going to go away tomorrow. However, the losses are getting scary.
both coming discount growth prices sector signs soft target therefore
Back-to-school has been very soft and therefore prices are coming down. The discount signs are already being made. Both Wal-Mart and Target have had anemic growth over the summer. The only sector that has done well is luxury.