Tracy Margolies

The topic of innovation is top of mind in the performance running shoe market – especially if you ask Nike, which has been widely criticized for having a lackluster product pipeline by analysts and the Street in recent months. But for Deckers chief executive officer Dave Powers, this isn’t an issue for its star running brand Hoka. Indeed, on the product front, Hoka is driving growth and consumer acquisition through innovative updates and new introductions across a diverse assortment of footwear. Footwear News Deckers Brands HOKA Nike Dave Powers #running #hoka #runningshoe #earnings #sneakers #nike #marathon

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A&F is following Target’s lead and jumping into the wholesale market in Kids apparel. Will be interesting to see how this strategy evolves for both A&F and other retailers. https://lnkd.in/egPY3nre

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Nike ranks fourth on Depop and second on eBay with over 219,000 and 893,000 items, respectively. #Retail #TextileRetail #ApparelRetail #RetailNews #DailyNews #Nike #ApparelResources #ApparelIndustry #RetailIndustry #FashionBrand

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Guess appoints Andrew Rosen as CEO of Rag & Bone. The appointment comes nearly two months after Guess Inc. and WHP Global will complete the acquisition of the New York-based brand. In February, Guess and WHP Global announced a final deal to acquire Rag & Bone, which was completed in April. Under the terms of the agreement, Guess paid more than $57 million for the purchase, in addition to contributions from WHP Global, according to a press release. OptimaRetail.eu: Experts in worldwide #Retail #maintenance and #repairs - SMART FACILITY MANAGEMENT  #RetailInnovation #FutureTrends #OptimaRetail #facilityManagement #PreventiveMaintenance #ReactiveMaintenance #NewsOptimaRetail #NewsRetail #OptimaRetail

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Bloomingdale's CEO on the Future of American Department Stores. About a year into his tenure as Bloomingdale’s chief executive, Olivier Bron knows what’s ailing American department stores: too much focus on financial returns, and not enough on shoppers. An outsider to American #fashion who has worked as an executive for Parisian department store Galeries Lafayette and Thai retail conglomerate Central Group, Bron believes the value of the format hasn’t changed since its invention 300 years ago — a sprawling space promising endless variety, with beautiful displays and persuasive salespeople. Simply displaying a mainstream offering of fashion isn’t enough. Discovery is about creating something new: bringing two brands together in collaboration, for instance, or an intricately themed event that people have never seen before. A New Standard for Partnership Bron’s strategy is rooted in winning back the favour of fashion brands that have grown wary of #wholesale, as well as making changes that will resonate with Bloomingdale’s’ particular demographic. Its shoppers tend to be younger and prefer a less formal shopping experience — a largely different profile from customers who visit standalone brand boutiques. The Bloomies’ Experience Bron also has big plans for the 57 existing Bloomingdale’s locations, taking a page out of his experience managing department stores in Asia and Europe: strong product assortment, great customer service and an emphasis on Bloomingdale’s own unique branding. In recent months, Bloomingdale’s has started making store improvements, from lighting upgrades and new furniture to renovating entire departments. Now, it’s looking to make major alterations in its 59th street Manhattan flagship, including expanding the luxury footprint, building new shop-in-shops and revamping its design shoe section. “It’s not just about products, but the joy and pleasure of shopping, from the façade and curbside of the building to all the small things inside the store,” said Bron. “It’s always a surprise to our customers, and that’s fantastic.” #retail #fashionindustry #bloomingdales #nyc #paris #toronto #manhattan #shopping #womenswear #shoes #ceo #fashionbrands #luxury

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Barneys Plots a Bigger Comeback Thanks to Neiman-Saks Deal. Talks include Barneys-branded home goods, outerwear lines. Contingent on negotiations, close of Saks-Neiman deal https://lnkd.in/euFeFyzJ #tradeguard #receivableputoptions #arputs #receivableputs #tradereceivables #accountsreceivables

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Interesting read from Erica La Sala from Beauty Independent related to the Saks and Nieman merger. The question asked: What do you make of the Saks Fifth Avenue/Neiman Marcus deal? How will it impact the luxury beauty market? Will it strengthen the declining department store sector?  According to Cristina Nuñez, "... the department store channel is a challenging one. Historically, it has been the main retail channel for luxury beauty brands given it is more suited for a higher price point. But with continued declines in traffic at department stores, the channel has proven to be a difficult place for luxury brands to rely upon for growth. Instead, growth is being driven at specialty retailers such as SEPHORA and Ulta Beauty, whose dominance has largely been at the expense of department stores". "At the end of the day, consumers will continue to shop for beauty at retailers offering best-in-class in-store experiences optimized for brand discovery. Brands should seek out these partners offering the best brand building support and a path to achieving scale. Perhaps the combination of Saks and Neiman Marcus will allow for a more enhanced retail experience overall that is even better suited for luxury beauty. Time will tell." True Beauty Ventures

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🌟 Exciting News from Saks: Embracing Growth and Innovation 🌟 Saks and Neiman Marcus are joining forces to create Saks Global! As Marc Metrick, CEO of Saks, mentioned recently to WWD, their focus remains on what they can control amidst regulatory processes. The strategy is clear: to drive growth and enhance customer experiences. Named "Saks Global," this new entity reflects their commitment to leveraging technology and real estate assets to redefine luxury retail. While discussions about international expansion are underway, their immediate priority is strengthening the brand presence in North America. "We understand the importance of financial stability and responsibility. Rest assured, the merger's financing will not affect day-to-day operations or vendor relationships. Our goal is to maintain transparency and uphold our commitments to partners." say Mark to WWD. This merger marks a significant step forward for Saks Global in the Luxury Retail journey. As they look forward to continuing to provide exceptional experiences for their customers and creating new opportunities for their brand partners. Now I wonder, after this exciting merger, how will Saks Global redefine luxury retail and elevate customer experiences in the years to come? Stay tuned for more updates as we navigate this exciting chapter together! 🚀 #SaksGlobal #LuxuryRetail #Innovation #GrowthStrategy

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The new venture, called Authentic Luxury Group, will initially focus on Authentic Brands Group owned luxury and accessible luxury names including: Barneys New York, Judith Leiber Couture, Hervé Léger and Vince. Essentially, the new luxury group plans to serve as an incubator for brand growth through strategic licensing agreements and distribution channels across #fashion, #retail, #digital, #hospitality, #realestate, #art and #travel, according to the joint venture; all related to luxury lifestyle and activities. Perhaps, we are witnessing the emergence of a new luxury powerhouse from the United States, poised to join the ranks of the prestigious luxury conglomerates that dominate the fashion and lifestyle markets from France and Italy. While these European giants have long set the standard, this could signal a shift in the global landscape. Time will reveal if this American contender lead by Authentic Brands Group Jamie Salter & Saks Richard Baker can truly redefine the luxury industry on a global scale (in my personal opinion highly feasible).

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Thanks to The Business of Fashion for including my thoughts in this article on the potential acquisition of Neiman Marcus by the parent of Saks Fifth Avenue. The merger of the two companies will create some benefits, but it still leaves lots of questions as to their future place in the luxury retail sector. In my view, corporate dealmaking is always exciting and generates a lot of promises. However, the real challenge is actually delivering on those promises. More in the article: https://lnkd.in/eny9tJzC #retail #retailnews #luxury #departmentstores #fashion #apparel

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Rumors: Saks Fifth Avenue could be in talk with Neiman Marcus Group for a takeover. In this regards Saks’ flagship location in Manhattan (valued at 3.62Bn USD) could serve as a collateral to raise financial resources. Neiman CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck firmly rejected such possibility: "no need” to sell the business. Both firms are leading retailers in United States for jewellery and luxury goods. #jewelry #jewellery #luxury https://lnkd.in/dP46VnM3

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🚀 Big news in luxury retail and an interesting article from Vogue Business Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus Group Marcus are nearing a $3 billion merger, with support from Amazon and Salesforce. This merger could reshape the industry, leveraging Amazon's e-commerce and logistics prowess and Salesforce's top-tier CRM solutions. 🔗 Maghan McDowell

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Particularly in the retail sector, pop-up stores (or pop-up sites within established partner stores) represents a way for a company to quickly take advantage of sales opportunities or test out the business opportunity in an area without making a full commitment to open a long term store. Therein, there are a series of compromises that a company makes to keep costs down and deployment quick, and these compromises include the technology package that is deployed as the below article describes. While the concept of a pop-up may generally be a “retail thing”, the concept of deploying a subset of functionality on a temporary basis to a site quickly and inexpensively is clearly not limited to retail. Having an infrastructure team that can provide solutions to make certain that "expediently pragmatic" does not become "catastrophically problematic" is critical. Even better, is having an infrastructure partner that can plan these ahead of time and has an established process to build and deploy the technology component to a temp site. TNMG excels at helping customers deploy IT systems to support short term locations quickly, efficiently, and reliably. If you’re struggling with deploying technology to temp sites (whether that is a technology package in a suitcase for a day’s use or a cut down rack of equipment for weeks to months), give us a call.

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Ralph Lauren Corp., one of fashion’s most consistent performers, topped fourth-quarter earnings estimates as it continued to focus on its core products and push up its average unit prices. In the fourth quarter, Ralph Lauren’s net income jumped 180 percent to $90.7 million, or $1.38 a diluted share, from $32.3 million, or 48 cents, a year earlier. Adjusted earnings of $1.71 a share came in 5 cents ahead of the $1.66 analysts had penciled in, according to Yahoo Finance. 

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Everything you need to know from this week’s fashion retail news, in numbers, featuring AllSaints, FOOTASYLUM and SCAMP & DUDE. Subscribe to read more below. #retailnews #fashionnews

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227 nominated stores 44 making it to the finalist stage Circadian Intimates' innovative approach and dedication to customer experience have clearly resonated within the lingerie community, earning a Finalist designation for Best New Lingerie Store in the United States. INTIMA magazines CEO Francesca Spinetta reminds us of the importance of every single person in the industry: "This is a human-centric business where individuals are essential and can make all the difference." Her words are true in every industry. #awards #peoplefirst #womenownedbusiness

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Thank you Inside Retail US for quoting International Association of Department Stores - IADS in their latest article on the Saks Fifth Avenue / Neiman Marcus Group mega merger (link in comments)! 🎯 On the global department stores stage, the US represent a very specific market (apart from its size), as most of the nationwide companies are public (maybe not for long anymore, as Nordstrom, for instance, is planning to go private). This means that they have to be transparent on their numbers, which are not-so-good for a wide variety of factors (the missed e-commerce train, the customers' disaffection for the malls where they are located, a low differentiation between each other, an ageing clientele, a wide variety of competing channels and formats, an oversupply of stores on a market with the highest number of retail sqm per capita...). The Saks Fifth Avenue merger with Neiman Marcus Group, orchestrated by Saks' owner, Hudson's Bay Company, is therefore not so surprising as the pie has shrunk over the past twenty years. 💥 It can be expected that this merger will be as much of a game-changer as the latest one that took place in 2005, when Federated (aka Macy's now) acquired May Department Stores for $17.2bn (for comparison, the current NM / SFA merger price tag is $2.65bn), ending a 20 year-long consolidation cycle that saw the disappearance of legendary US destination stores (such as Filene's, Kaufmann's, Marshall Field's, Foley's, the Bon Marché, Hecht's, Stern's...) which were rebranded Macy's or Bloomingdale's according to the locations. 🚚 The new entity created, Saks Global, aims at maximizing the synergies between the companies, since Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman (part of the Neiman Marcus group) are the undisputed leaders in luxury retail, while Saks Fifth Avenue has separated its stores from its e-commerce entity in 2021. However, while the leadership of the new company has been announced, the plans remain vague, since this merger remains to be approved by the Federal Trade Commission. Pro tip: more than layoffs and store closures, the location of the new offices will be the most interesting thing to watch. The reason is that Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue are entirely different animals: the former, specialized in luxury, is one of the last operator in the US to operate in wholesale (which requires savoir-faire, ability to select, curate and sell) while Saks Fifth Avenue is concession-based, which is another job. The place where the bosses will gather will tell everything about the direction of the new entity: Dallas (NM's current headquarters) or NY (SFA)? Not convinced? Look at what happened to Boeing since they decided to leave Seattle for Chicago when they merged with McDonnell Douglas... Thank you Nicole Kirichanskaya for the cool article and what a pleasure to be quoted along the great Marie Driscoll, CFA!

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Key functions of the Saks.com, the Saks Fifth Avenue stores known as SFA, and Saks Off 5th companies are being merged under the Saks Global umbrella.⁠ ⁠ The strategy represents an effort to create efficiencies and will lead to what sources said were about 100 layoffs, or 1 percent of the staff, including the elimination of certain positions.⁠ ⁠ Legal, technology, operations, people, communications and finance teams from the three companies will be consolidated under the Saks Global corporate umbrella.⁠ ⁠ Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eFCWHy4e

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