by stevenpdennis | Mar 21, 2022 | Collapse of the Middle, Innovation
It’s pretty easy to calculate the cost of taking action. When we contemplate a new investment we tally up the capital and operating expenses, prepare our cash flow analysis and try to account for the risk of pulling the trigger. Harder, but often far more...
by stevenpdennis | Feb 8, 2021 | Collapse of the Middle, Digitally Native Vertical Brand, Embrace the Blur
With so much uncertainty and volatility in the economy, it may be foolhardy to go out on a limb with any predictions. My crystal ball has certainly been faulty more than a few times. Nevertheless, I throw caution to the wind with my (mostly) educated guesses on what...
by stevenpdennis | Jan 18, 2021 | Being Remarkable, Collapse of the Middle, E-commerce, Innovation
Earlier this month, as part of a previously disclosed three-year store closure plan, Macy’s announced it would shutter an additional 45 locations this year. Like most of its moderate department store brethren, Macy’s has gone from being a highly productive,...
by stevenpdennis | Sep 14, 2020 | Collapse of the Middle, Direct to Consumer, Remarkable Retail
Traditional retail, at its core, relies largely on being a middleman. The typical multi-brand retailer sits between the manufacturing community and its target consumers, performing valuable intermediary tasks like selecting the right products for the markets it...
by stevenpdennis | May 13, 2020 | Collapse of the Middle, Remarkable Retail
It was nearly 10 years ago when I first started to notice the bifurcation of retail. More and more, success was being found at either end of the shopping spectrum. Retailers, whether brick & mortar dominant or predominantly online, that offered great prices and...
by stevenpdennis | May 11, 2020 | Collapse of the Middle, Remarkable Retail
What follows is a sub-chapter from my new book. When I wrote it last fall I had no idea how prophetic it would be. While I had been writing and speaking about the collapse of the middle and the increasing irrelevance of retailers that were failing to become more...
