Merchandising

A&P and the Struggles of Small Business

Marc Levinson: Economist, historian, author

Retail People
Janet Groeber

Marc Levinson: Economist, historian, author

Marc Levinson
Economist, historian, author
Glen Ridge, N.J.

Marc Levinson’s journalism career includes reporting on business and economics for magazines like Time and Newsweek.

In The Great A&P and the Struggle for Small Business in America, Levinson tells the story of the company that once was the world’s largest retailer.

Which areas of your expertise helped in writing The Great A&P?

Direct Selling

oBaz cuts out the middleman

Personalized Commerce
David P. Schulz

oBaz cuts out the middleman


E -commerce site oBaz was originally conceived as an online bazaar, a site designed to help consumers get unique deals on products and services personalized for them. Like-minded buyers would come together, and oBaz would negotiate with merchants, manufacturers, distributors and other suppliers to get the best possible deal without “the haggling and shopping around that most people either dislike or simply don’t have time for,” founder and CEO Brian Ficho said at the time of launch.

The Doctor is In

Doc Popcorn brings a simple taste to the masses

Retailer Spotlight
Len Lewis

Doc Popcorn brings a simple taste to the masses

Popcorn has emerged from the darkness of the anchor multiplex and into the light of malls and other venues, thanks to Doc Popcorn, a marketer of all-natural fresh kettle corn sure to give just about anyone the munchies.

The Boulder, Colo.-based franchise is the brainchild of Rob Israel, a self-described “serial entrepreneur” whose background is in the children’s apparel and licensing business. He ran Knitwaves, a high-end children’s apparel company in New York City, for 12 years.

Upping Its Game

Modell’s remodeled flagship goes for the gold

First Look
Susan Reda

Modell’s remodeled flagship goes for the gold


If you want to be No. 1, you must continually and consistently raise your game to the next level. Athletes know it. Retailers know it. And Mitch Modell, CEO of Modell’s Sporting Goods, lives it.

With nearly 150 stores in the Northeast, Modell oversees the nation’s oldest family-owned and -operated retailer of sporting goods, sports apparel and athletic footwear. In the fall of 2010, he proudly unveiled the chain’s newly renovated 20,000-sq.-ft. Times Square flagship.

Helping Buyers Shop

brandboom solution makes ordering faster and easier

SAAS
D. Gail Fleenor

brandboom solution makes ordering faster and easier


The latest apparel designs and styles look chic on mannequins in store windows. But each style represents hours of product searches by buyers who manually enter selections onto order forms; a single season can mean 600 or more files that buyers must juggle when ordering.

Fashion for the People

Uniqlo’s New York flagships offer high-tech clothes at affordable prices

First Look
Liz Parks

Uniqlo’s New York flagships offer high-tech clothes at affordable prices

As part of its quest to become the “world’s No. 1 apparel retailer” and generate $50 billion in global sales — including $10 billion in U.S. sales — by 2020, Japan-based Uniqlo opened two unique “flagship” stores in the heart of Manhattan’s busiest shopping districts this fall.

At 89,000 sq. ft., the store at Fifth Avenue and 53rd Street is the company’s largest, boasting 49,800 sq. ft. of selling space. Its 64,000-sq.-ft. store in Herald Square is the second-largest Uniqlo store worldwide.

Information, Please

Concierge provides on-the-spot product data

Merchandising
D. Gail Fleenor

Concierge provides on-the-spot product data

It’s hard to capture the attention of modern consumers, especially while they are shopping. Static signs and shelf talkers seem old-fashioned to smartphone-enabled shoppers with access to a web of products.

A new in-store shop-along platform gives retailers a way to grab the attention of information-hungry shoppers.

Personifying the Brand

Fusion Specialties' Brand president Peter Huston

Retail People
Janet Groeber

Fusion Specialties' Brand president Peter Huston

Peter Huston
Brand president
Fusion Specialties
Broomfield, Colo.

Peter Huston heads custom form manufacturer Fusion Specialties, where he is accountable for all brand strategy, planning, budgets, product development, marketing and sales. He’s spent more than eight years with the suburban Denver-based manufacturer, whose major customers include Nike, Gap, Chico’s, Macy’s, Guess and Bebe.

An Exciting Drug Store?

New Duane Reade flagship pulls out all the stops

Store Design
Liz Parks

New Duane Reade flagship pulls out all the stops


Years ago, Duane Reade became New York’s leading drug chain by featuring steeply discounted prices on prescriptions and the leading brands of everyday health and beauty products.

The Magic Touch

Massage Envy Franchising's President and COO Dave Crisalli

Retail People
Janet Groeber

Massage Envy Franchising's President and COO Dave Crisalli

Dave Crisalli
President and COO
Massage Envy Franchising
Scottsdale, Ariz.

Massage Envy is the world’s largest employer of licensed/registered massage therapists and a growing franchise operation. Its 16,000 therapists provide more than 250,000 therapeutic massages every week ranging from Swedish, deep tissue and sports to reflexology and Cranial Sacral.

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