Another Going-Out-of-Business Sale
I was driving through a neighboring town recently when I encountered a seemingly endless line of going-out-of-business signs along the side of the road. Y... Read story
Ted Hurlbut
Is Now the Time to Go Retail?
I've been speaking lately to more and more people who are thinking about starting up a retail business. For the most part, these are folks who have not be... Read story
Why This Recession Is Different
As too many small retailers have learned -- and are still learning -- this recession is different from those in the past. This recession is a cred... Read story
Want to Increase Revenue? Reduce Your Inventory
Every time I've ever had a client tell me how important their inventory is to them, I respond by asking them if there were a way to do business without ca... Read story
When Will Sales Turn Around?
The major retail chains reported their March sales recently, and the good news is that for the third straight month, there wasn't any really bad news. Sal... Read story
Plan Your Cash Flow!
In my last post, I wrote about the likelihood that the current recession will not end quickly or with any perceptible rebound. From the retailers that I'v... Read story
Is Red the New Black?
I was speaking with the owner of a small women's specialty store the other day. We were discussing the state of her business when she said something that ... Read story
Turning to Your Best Customers
For many small, entrepreneurial retailers, the post-holiday period has gone from difficult to frightening. Coming off of an extremely weak holiday selling... Read story
Has the Sky Really Fallen?
The National Retail Federation's annual convention is taking place this week in New York, and one of the roundtable sessions was called, "The Sky Has Fall... Read story
When Times Are Tough, Don't Go It Alone
These are difficult, unprecedented times. The constant drumbeat of negative news concerning retail sales is unsettling enough, but the day-to-day reality ... Read story
Abercrombie & 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 i... Read story
The Retail Blues
I've been talking recently with the owner of two women's boutique stores outside of Atlanta. She's been on a very solid track for a number of years, even ... Read story
Fresh Thinking for Uncertain Times
It's no secret to anybody running a small or independent retailer that we're operating in an unprecedented economic environment. Right now, it feels like ... Read story
Thinking Through Customer Loyalty
In these challenging economic times, many small and independent retailers find themselves focusing their attention on their most loyal customers, the regu... Read story
Selling Cachet
Walk into an upscale mall today and there's something new and different that's hard to overlook. The storefronts of some of the most trendy national retai... Read story
Surviving a Soft Market
There are some early signs that the retail downturn may be starting to ease. It's still very early, and there are some very strong headwinds, notably $4.0... Read story
A Numbers Game
What small and independent retailers can learn from baseball stats. It's finally April and the start of another baseball season. ... Read story
Create a Retail Experience
Engaging customers can make your store more than just a place to buy things. In 1989, Steve Wynn opened the Mirage Hotel and Reso... Read story
An Unsettling Season
With Big Box stores in clearance mode, smaller retailers can no longer compete for holiday shoppers on price alone. The holiday s... Read story
The Long Tail of Retailing
Even in a niche market, a well-planned expansion of consumer choices can reveal demand that was otherwise hidden -- and drive sales. ... Read story
Studying Your Competitors
Looking for new ideas to keep your store fresh and dynamic? Time to go shopping. I admit it. I'm absolutely no fun to go shoppin... Read story
Vendor Management for Small Retailers
By managing your vendors, rather than the other way around, you save time and energy for other things -- like growing your business. Read story
Get a Handle on Monthly Stock Flows
With an open-to-buy approach, you'll gain better insight -- and better revenues -- into how much inventory you need to acquire and sell each month. Read story
How to Do One Thing Right
What do you do better than anybody else? Identify your "one thing" and everything else will fall into place. Read story
Measuring Inventory Productivity
Sales, profitability, and cash flow are directly linked to a small retailer's ability to manage inventory productively. Read story
Maximing Sales Can Sometimes Hurt Your Business
If there's one thing I've said to clients that have stopped them dead in their tracks it's that trying to maximize their sales can be one of the worst thi... Read story
Chasing The Last Sale
The objective for any small retailer is to maximize profitability and cash flow. Carrying too much inventory can decimate both. Read story
The Consolidation Opportunity
Dozens of established retail names -- some, like 150-year-old Filene's, venerable old brands that were fixtures in their communities -- have been disappe... Read story
Is There A Future For Small Retailing?
Writing a regular column, I'm always looking for ideas. Many come from my clients, indirectly, for their questions and concerns are the questions and conc... Read story
Gross Margin -- The Overlooked Metric
Not too long ago, I was making a presentation to a prospective client, when he asked me which single metric he should stay most focused on. I thou... Read story
Talking Cash Flow Blues
Cash flow. Whenever I get a call from a small retailer looking for help, they often are most concerned about cash flow. They may describe it in different... Read story
Placing Your Bets
Managing your pre-season commit percentages is one of the keys to having a profitable season. Read story
Cycle Counting
Once you're in the habit of continuously cycle counting, you'll probably never have to do a full physical inventory again. Read story
Low Hanging Fruit, Sludge and Everything Else
Strategies for turning dead inventory into cash. Read story
The Small Retailer and The Internet: A Love Story (...of sorts)
If you are a small specialty retailer and haven't thought about creating an e-commerce presence on the Internet, think again. You are most likely leaving sal... Read story
How's Your Customer Service?
The quality of your customer service is a critical point of differentiation and strategic advantage between you and your larger competitors. Read story
The Markdown Blues, Revisited
It's been a while since I've read anything quite like this. Part food fight, part mud wrestling, part theatre of the absurd. A recent New York... Read story
The Coin of The Realm
Why inventory management is of critical importance to small retailers. Read story
Is There a Future for Small Retailing?
Writing a regular column, I'm always looking for ideas. Many come from my clients, indirectly, for their questions and concerns are the questions and conc... Read story
End-of-Season Planning
Look for more columns from Ted Hurlbut in our upcoming Retail Resource Center. Let the craziness begin! If you're a small r... Read story
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