Ted Hurlbut


Vendor Management for Small Retailers

By Ted Hurlbut |  Aug 1, 2006

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

By Ted Hurlbut |  Jul 1, 2006

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

By Ted Hurlbut |  May 1, 2006

What do you do better than anybody else? Identify your "one thing" and everything else will fall into place.  Read story

Measuring Inventory Productivity

By Ted Hurlbut |  Apr 1, 2006

Sales, profitability, and cash flow are directly linked to a small retailer's ability to manage inventory productively.  Read story

Chasing The Last Sale

By Ted Hurlbut |  Mar 1, 2006

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

By Ted Hurlbut |  Feb 1, 2006

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

Gross Margin -- The Overlooked Metric

By Ted Hurlbut |  Sep 1, 2005

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

By Ted Hurlbut |  Aug 1, 2005

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

By Ted Hurlbut |  Jul 1, 2005

Managing your pre-season commit percentages is one of the keys to having a profitable season.  Read story

Cycle Counting

By Ted Hurlbut |  Jun 1, 2005

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

By Ted Hurlbut |  May 1, 2005

Strategies for turning dead inventory into cash.  Read story

The Small Retailer and The Internet: A Love Story (...of sorts)

By Ted Hurlbut |  Apr 6, 2005

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?

By Ted Hurlbut |  Apr 1, 2005

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

By Ted Hurlbut |  Mar 9, 2005

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

By Ted Hurlbut |  Jan 1, 2005

Why inventory management is of critical importance to small retailers.  Read story

Is There a Future for Small Retailing?

By Ted Hurlbut |  Jan 1, 2005

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

By Ted Hurlbut |  Nov 1, 2004

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

Maximizing Profits During the Hoilday Season

By Ted Hurlbut |  Nov 1, 2004

As surely as the days grow shorter and the air goes from being crisp and refreshing to downright cold, small retailers know that their hottest, brightest ...  Read story

The Markdown Blues

By Ted Hurlbut

Now that the holidays are behind us, the attention of many small retailers turns to that which is staring them in the face -- all of the left over merchan...  Read story