A Retail Inventory Management Key - Think of Inventory in Terms of Time
Small retailers who think of their inventory in terms of weeks of supply almost always experience healthier cash flows.
View Article6 Tips to Deliver a Profitable Holiday Selling Season
Here are 6 tips to help you thread that needle, and maximize your profitability and cash flow.
View ArticleCompetitive Shopping: Studying Your Competitors
The key to understanding your competition is to understand why their customers -- your potential customers -- view them as a preferable source for the products and services they offer. And it's not...
View ArticleThe Full Cost of Inventory: Exploring Inventory Carrying Costs
When you reduce inventory, not only are you freeing up capital, but you are also creating opportunities to reduce expenses, improve profitability, and increase cash flow.
View ArticleThe Small Retailer and The Internet
If you are a small specialty retailer and haven't thought about creating an e-commerce presence on the Internet, think again. You are leaving sales on the table, and high margin sales at that.
View ArticleRetailers or Consumers - Who Will Blink Next?
According to the blog RetailSails, this is the 11th month in a row that aggregated same-store sales have declined (excluding WalMart, who no longer reports monthly sales). Only Aeropostale, Buckle,...
View ArticleTurning Excess Retail Inventory Into Cash
How to turn excess retail inventory into cash.
View ArticleThe Beginning of Superior Inventory Management - Accurate Demand Planning and...
Developing accurate forecasts, continually updating them, and measuring their accuracy against actual sales offers independent retailers the greatest opportunities today to maximize their return on...
View ArticlePlanning: The Root Cause of Many Small Retail Inventory Problems
Without careful planning, inventory can easily get out of whack, resulting in heavy markdowns due to overstocks and ultimately, serious cash flow problems.
View ArticleSurviving A Soft Retail Market
Managing risk prudently, with a focus on maintaining margins and protecting cash flow, will enable retailers to come through this period well positioned to increase their business significantly once...
View Article"Cash for Clunkers" is a Bad Deal for Independent Retailers
There's been a lot of conversation about the "Cash for Clunkers" program, and for good reason. With government rebates of up to $4500, auto sales have jumped to an annualized rate of as much as 15 to...
View ArticleAn Unsettling Holiday Selling Season For Independent Retailers
The landscape is changing rapidly, driven by profitability pressures on the major corporate retailers, on the one hand, and the decentralizing effects of the internet on the other.
View ArticleThe Dollars and Cents of Inventory Turn
Inventory turn can be a powerful metric for freeing up vital dollars and cents for more productive purposes.
View ArticleRetail Inventory Turn and GMROI - Measuring Retail Inventory Productivity
Sales, profitability, and cash flow are directly linked to a small retailer's ability to manage inventory productively.
View ArticleIndependent Retail and Selling Cachet
A customer will go into any store once, if only out of curiosity, but it's the power of the experience, and the emotional connection they make, which will keep them coming back over and over again.
View ArticleAnticipating A Very Difficult Holiday Selling Season
The signs are all there that this could be one of the most difficult retail environments in recent memory for small and independent retailers.
View ArticleEnd-of-Season Retail Sales Planning
Even in the rush and crush of the holiday selling season, it's essential to do the end-of-season planning necessary not just to maximize sales but also to protect margins and cash flow.
View Article6 Tips to Minimize Markdowns
The essential point to remember is that clearance markdowns are the result of earlier decisions made to bring in more inventory during the season than could be sold at full retails. Minimize those...
View ArticleThe Coin of the Realm
Why inventory management is of critical importance to small retailers.
View ArticleTalking Retail Cash Flow Blues
Cash flow is the most serious issue small retailers struggle with.
View ArticleCycle Count, Cycle Count, Cycle Count
Once you're in the habit of continuously cycle counting, you'll probably never have to do a full physical inventory again. Ever wonder how a large, big box retailer keeps their inventory straight. If...
View ArticleRetail Gross Margin - The Overlooked Metric
The small retailers who actively manage their gross margins will quickly discover that profitability and cash flow will follow. Not too long ago, I was making a presentation to a prospective client,...
View ArticleThe Power of NEW!
People love NEW. They flock to NEW. People love new babies and new puppies. They love new cars and new movies. They wait in line for the new iPhone. And they love to go shopping for NEW.
View ArticleAbercrombie & Fitch Holds Firm
The November comps reported by large corporate retailers were brutal for the second month in a row. Once again, the only significant player to report an increase was Wal-Mart. Most everybody else...
View ArticleBaseball Statistics and Retail Numbers
What small and independent retailers can learn from baseball statistics.
View ArticleAvoiding Heavy Retail Markdowns
Small retailers need to plan sales conservatively and maintain lean inventories to keep from slashing prices down the road.
View ArticleCreate A Memorable Customer Experience
Engaging your customers can make your store more than just a place to buy things.
View ArticleRetail Lessons From Abercrombie & Fitch And Neiman Marcus
I've been writing quite a bit lately about the importance for specialty retailers to carefully plan and manage their cash and look to renew and reinvigorate their customer experiences.
View ArticleManaging Pre-Season Retail Commit Percentages
Managing your pre-season commit percentages is one of the keys to having a profitable season.
View ArticleVendor Management For Small Retailers
Then there are vendors that are larger than you. They usually have a brand name that they say you can't live without, and are constantly reminding you of that. Whether you can live without their...
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