Retail Turnaround Experts
  • Home
  • Expert Perspectives (Blog)
  • Three Stages of Retailers in Decline
  • Turnaround Experts
    • Who Are They?
    • How Do They Work?
    • When to Call Them
    • Bios | Credentials
  • About Their Work
    • Some Recent Clients
    • Projects by Client Type, Size, Location, etc >
      • Crisis Management | Turnaround
      • Assessments | Action Plans
      • Financial Restructuring
      • Growth Management
      • Owner Issues | Transition Management
    • What Might It Cost?
  • Tips | Tactics | Resources
    • Four Stages of Retail Turnarounds
    • Top 5 Reasons Why Retailers Fail
    • Retailers: How to Cope with a Cash Crunch
  • Contact Us

We See a Train Wreck Coming; Do You?

10/18/2021

 
Picture
What a scenario. Shoppers buying vigorously, retailers joyously raising sales expectations, and many more anxious lenders offering "cash in 24 hours!" to business owners.

Wow! Are these the good times, or what?

Forgive us, but today we're focusing on the "or what?" aspect.

Read More

Buyers Beware!

4/26/2021

 
Picture
We often caution that many vendors are so much better trained at selling than retailers are trained at buying. In their eagerness to grow sales, and the associated promise of thereby growing profits, it is all too easy for retailers to become overbought. Instead of higher profits, they can find themselves in a cash flow crunch.

And that was in Before Times, before the pandemics. Throughout 2020 and continuing now, vendors and retailers alike have increased their online capabilities. Ordering online brought new challenges to buyers and sales reps, but also saved time and improved access.

We have applauded these advances in technology, but...

Read More

Are Higher Margins Available?

4/19/2021

 
Picture
Here's a post-pandemic strategy that should not be missed: higher margins! 

Not the entire store, of course; you must be a merchant here. 

But think about it: many shoppers have increased savings, reduced debt, or gotten their job back. Maybe all three.

And after months of being at home, and spending on home improvement and groceries, many shoppers have pent-up demand to spend on items they have had to postpone, like for themselves. Whether that would be in a restaurant or in a specialty store, shoppers are more willing and able to spend. (And some even feel entitled to spend.)

Read More

Beware the Perils of Exuberance

3/22/2021

 
Picture
Isn't it great? Headlines and the media world seem to be in unison; the dastardly COVID pandemic is being arrested. And, if we can believe the pundits, pent-up shoppers are about to buy all sorts of products and services with abandon.

But, will they?

Given this exuberance, many retailers could be building up excess inventory. Retailers once again need to be true merchants. That is, the #1 responsibility of retail senior managements must always be to control inventory. (It's the only thing that makes money, but it soaks up cash.)

Read More

Where's the Money Gone? Nowhere!

9/14/2020

 
Picture
Many Americans who can afford to save money – thanks to reduced spending on eating out, vacations, and consumer goods – are playing it safe and hoarding their cash, according to recent research by Gallup/Franklin Templeton.* 

And those who currently are saving at least a little money largely plan to keep saving rather than spending in the near term.

Read More

Smart Buying in the Covid Age

8/3/2020

 
Picture
That's a sign of the times, isn't it?

While retailers are more accustomed than most folks to cope with change, 2020's unrelenting flexibility tests have been a challenge. Forget about five years. Retailers have to be ready for the next five months! It's back-to-school and then Holiday.

The only certainty about the next five months is that they will probably feel like the past five months. Yet you still must run a retail business. And that means you still must buy and sell merchandise. 

The opportunities – and the pressures – are mounting.

Read More

Get Your Tents and Sidewalks Ready!

6/8/2020

 
Picture
As more stores are able to reopen, and more shoppers are willing to emerge, what will they encounter?
  • "A glut of pent-up inventory is waiting to be dumped on consumers this summer as retail stores reopen in the U.S., and shoppers for everything from shoes to sofas should be able to find major bargains," reported the Wall Street Journal* on June 2.
Not only are stores chocked full of merchandise that needs to be liquidated, but so it is with their wholesalers and vendors. Meanwhile, of course, the prevalence of store-closing sales only compounds the volume of discounted merchandise that will be available as shoppers begin to return to stores. It only adds to the glut.

Read More
<<Previous
Forward>>

    The Perspective of Retail Experts

    All
    Culture
    Financial Strength
    General
    Inventory Management
    Leadership
    Owner's Responsibilities
    Pandemic
    Perspective
    Retail Growth
    Retail Projections
    Strategic Opportunities
    The Economy

Objectivity. Choices. And Action! 
Have questions? ​Let's talk. ​Give us a call.
Contact Us NOW - Here's how
©Copyright, Retail Turnaround Experts and Outcalt & Johnson: Retail Strategists, LLC.