In the last few weeks, we’ve heard from several consumer products companies that after a strong start to 2022, retailers are delaying and cancelling orders scheduled for delivery in the second and third quarters of this year.  It’s hardly surprising that consumers may be beginning to balk and that retailers are getting more conservative, as […]

Nike (including the Jordan brand) and Adidas have dominated the U.S. athletic footwear market for many years; according to NPD, the two brands control 51% and 11%, respectively, of the domestic athletic shoe market. However, recent developments suggest that change is underway.  According to a recent report from Footwear News, Nike/Jordan and Adidas athletic footwear […]

Last week, the New York Post reported that J.C. Penney owners and largest U.S. mall operators Simon Property Group (“Simon”) and Brookfield Asset Management (“Brookfield”) have submitted an offer to acquire Kohl’s for more than $8.6 billion, or $68 per share. Kohl’s has been under pressure from activist investors to sell, and in a March […]

In early April, workers at an Amazon.com warehouse on Staten Island voted to form the e-commerce giant’s first U.S. union, building on successful organizing efforts at Starbucks and leading to speculation that a new American union movement is underway. At Starbucks, more than 180 of the company’s 9,000 corporate stores have petitioned for union elections […]

Casualization has been a megatrend in apparel and footwear over the last two decades, fueled by changing norms in the workplace and the emergence of athleisure. The trend has been a boon for companies like lululemon and Allbirds, but it has been a challenge for brands and retailers catering to business and occasion dressing. When […]