World Market

[storewanderer]

The way I'm reading what you are saying it sounds like they are moving away from higher ticket/larger (furniture, kitchen pans etc.) items to more smaller ticket items. They are going to really need foot traffic and/or larger baskets to make that work.

I kind of wonder if they should exit the Wine category entirely.

You are right about the tall fixtures just placed all over right by the front of the store blocking sight around the store. This wasn't a problem before as they were still up there but fewer of them and placed differently so as to not completely block line of sight.

There is no rhyme or reason to "flow" the path of the customer through the store in any specific way from what I see. Customers go every which way in these stores.

[ClownLoach]

The way I'm reading what you are saying it sounds like they are moving away from higher ticket/larger (furniture, kitchen pans etc.) items to more smaller ticket items. They are going to really need foot traffic and/or larger baskets to make that work.

I kind of wonder if they should exit the Wine category entirely.

You are right about the tall fixtures just placed all over right by the front of the store blocking sight around the store. This wasn't a problem before as they were still up there but fewer of them and placed differently so as to not completely block line of sight.

There is no rhyme or reason to "flow" the path of the customer through the store in any specific way from what I see. Customers go every which way in these stores.

They're not removing all the high ticket, just the things you don't really think about them for (like the pots, pans, and kitchen knives). They are not a store for mainstream stuff, and it does not look like any of this product was moving therefore no real loss of sales. The furniture is getting a new category of home office added. And lots of home decor in those new seasonal sections.

I will check out the finished product in March, but like I said assortment is only part of the problem.

Wine used to be nearly all international imports from France, Spain, etc. and if they went back to those lines I think they would be fine. But nobody is looking for more generic cheap California brands like Gallo at a place like World Market. I know there have been some mergers and closures in the distribution industry last couple of years, so wonder if that is why their assortment has become stale and generic?

But the arrival of new merchandise lines indicates that they're not in trouble for now which seemed to be the main concern. And some of the new product appears to be product BB&B got rid of to make room for unnecessary pots and pans etc., for example they had reduced most of the unique international servingware from World Market... That stuff is coming back now. World Market doesn't work with "plain" mainstream merchandise that is available everywhere else and that is what seems to be going away. The clearance furniture I noticed was also bland and boring, generic designs. World Market is about being eclectic not generic.

I think BB&B made all the wrong decisions about what product to be carried at World Market, but they made good decisions about the stores themselves as they had improved signage and forced a racetrack layout. Now they are removing the BB&B product additions which is probably a good idea, but they seem to be making a big mistake by screwing around with the layouts, fixture heights etc. And they also had some seriously narrow aisles in random areas like the wine corner which were probably the absolute legal minimum for ADA compliance - with wider aisles just a few feet away. They definitely need to hire some professional space planners.

All of this also seems to be rooted in a lack of technology too... If they had adequate merchandising and inventory management systems they probably would not have these issues. I get the impression everything in the store is on pen and paper.

At least they're not trying to sell leftover Christmas merchandise in February unlike others I observed... Michaels... Joann... Williams-Sonoma (probably the worst, looks like the entire peppermint bark display was just picked up and moved to a back corner intact).

[storewanderer]

They're not removing all the high ticket, just the things you don't really think about them for (like the pots, pans, and kitchen knives). They are not a store for mainstream stuff, and it does not look like any of this product was moving therefore no real loss of sales. The furniture is getting a new category of home office added. And lots of home decor in those new seasonal sections.

I will check out the finished product in March, but like I said assortment is only part of the problem.

Wine used to be nearly all international imports from France, Spain, etc. and if they went back to those lines I think they would be fine. But nobody is looking for more generic cheap California brands like Gallo at a place like World Market. I know there have been some mergers and closures in the distribution industry last couple of years, so wonder if that is why their assortment has become stale and generic?

But the arrival of new merchandise lines indicates that they're not in trouble for now which seemed to be the main concern. And some of the new product appears to be product BB&B got rid of to make room for unnecessary pots and pans etc., for example they had reduced most of the unique international servingware from World Market... That stuff is coming back now. World Market doesn't work with "plain" mainstream merchandise that is available everywhere else and that is what seems to be going away. The clearance furniture I noticed was also bland and boring, generic designs. World Market is about being eclectic not generic.

I think BB&B made all the wrong decisions about what product to be carried at World Market, but they made good decisions about the stores themselves as they had improved signage and forced a racetrack layout. Now they are removing the BB&B product additions which is probably a good idea, but they seem to be making a big mistake by screwing around with the layouts, fixture heights etc. And they also had some seriously narrow aisles in random areas like the wine corner which were probably the absolute legal minimum for ADA compliance - with wider aisles just a few feet away. They definitely need to hire some professional space planners.

All of this also seems to be rooted in a lack of technology too... If they had adequate merchandising and inventory management systems they probably would not have these issues. I get the impression everything in the store is on pen and paper.

At least they're not trying to sell leftover Christmas merchandise in February unlike others I observed... Michaels... Joann... Williams-Sonoma (probably the worst, looks like the entire peppermint bark display was just picked up and moved to a back corner intact).

This is good news. I hope they can get the layout issues addressed. It feels like oversight may be spread very thin with these stores... I think some stores have one store manager to two stores (this was a BBB program).

I have seen Christmas merchandise this week at CVS (at FULL price), Safeway (reduced 50% with those red stickers), and Kohl's (reduced 40%..) also. None at Dillards- they went 90% off the second week of January and sold everything. Not sure what Macy's did but it is gone there. Long gone at Rite Aid (they were 90% right after new year) and Walgreens (I think they threw a lot out or donated a couple weeks ago).

[pseudo3d]

They're not removing all the high ticket, just the things you don't really think about them for (like the pots, pans, and kitchen knives). They are not a store for mainstream stuff, and it does not look like any of this product was moving therefore no real loss of sales. The furniture is getting a new category of home office added. And lots of home decor in those new seasonal sections.

I will check out the finished product in March, but like I said assortment is only part of the problem.

Wine used to be nearly all international imports from France, Spain, etc. and if they went back to those lines I think they would be fine. But nobody is looking for more generic cheap California brands like Gallo at a place like World Market. I know there have been some mergers and closures in the distribution industry last couple of years, so wonder if that is why their assortment has become stale and generic?

But the arrival of new merchandise lines indicates that they're not in trouble for now which seemed to be the main concern. And some of the new product appears to be product BB&B got rid of to make room for unnecessary pots and pans etc., for example they had reduced most of the unique international servingware from World Market... That stuff is coming back now. World Market doesn't work with "plain" mainstream merchandise that is available everywhere else and that is what seems to be going away. The clearance furniture I noticed was also bland and boring, generic designs. World Market is about being eclectic not generic.

I think BB&B made all the wrong decisions about what product to be carried at World Market, but they made good decisions about the stores themselves as they had improved signage and forced a racetrack layout. Now they are removing the BB&B product additions which is probably a good idea, but they seem to be making a big mistake by screwing around with the layouts, fixture heights etc. And they also had some seriously narrow aisles in random areas like the wine corner which were probably the absolute legal minimum for ADA compliance - with wider aisles just a few feet away. They definitely need to hire some professional space planners.

All of this also seems to be rooted in a lack of technology too... If they had adequate merchandising and inventory management systems they probably would not have these issues. I get the impression everything in the store is on pen and paper.

At least they're not trying to sell leftover Christmas merchandise in February unlike others I observed... Michaels... Joann... Williams-Sonoma (probably the worst, looks like the entire peppermint bark display was just picked up and moved to a back corner intact).

This is good news. I hope they can get the layout issues addressed. It feels like oversight may be spread very thin with these stores... I think some stores have one store manager to two stores (this was a BBB program).

I have seen Christmas merchandise this week at CVS (at FULL price), Safeway (reduced 50% with those red stickers), and Kohl's (reduced 40%..) also. None at Dillards- they went 90% off the second week of January and sold everything. Not sure what Macy's did but it is gone there. Long gone at Rite Aid (they were 90% right after new year) and Walgreens (I think they threw a lot out or donated a couple weeks ago).

I don't think my local Target did anything with the Christmas merchandise, just packed most of it up. No big discounts.

[ClownLoach]

They're not removing all the high ticket, just the things you don't really think about them for (like the pots, pans, and kitchen knives). They are not a store for mainstream stuff, and it does not look like any of this product was moving therefore no real loss of sales. The furniture is getting a new category of home office added. And lots of home decor in those new seasonal sections.

I will check out the finished product in March, but like I said assortment is only part of the problem.

Wine used to be nearly all international imports from France, Spain, etc. and if they went back to those lines I think they would be fine. But nobody is looking for more generic cheap California brands like Gallo at a place like World Market. I know there have been some mergers and closures in the distribution industry last couple of years, so wonder if that is why their assortment has become stale and generic?

But the arrival of new merchandise lines indicates that they're not in trouble for now which seemed to be the main concern. And some of the new product appears to be product BB&B got rid of to make room for unnecessary pots and pans etc., for example they had reduced most of the unique international servingware from World Market... That stuff is coming back now. World Market doesn't work with "plain" mainstream merchandise that is available everywhere else and that is what seems to be going away. The clearance furniture I noticed was also bland and boring, generic designs. World Market is about being eclectic not generic.

I think BB&B made all the wrong decisions about what product to be carried at World Market, but they made good decisions about the stores themselves as they had improved signage and forced a racetrack layout. Now they are removing the BB&B product additions which is probably a good idea, but they seem to be making a big mistake by screwing around with the layouts, fixture heights etc. And they also had some seriously narrow aisles in random areas like the wine corner which were probably the absolute legal minimum for ADA compliance - with wider aisles just a few feet away. They definitely need to hire some professional space planners.

All of this also seems to be rooted in a lack of technology too... If they had adequate merchandising and inventory management systems they probably would not have these issues. I get the impression everything in the store is on pen and paper.

At least they're not trying to sell leftover Christmas merchandise in February unlike others I observed... Michaels... Joann... Williams-Sonoma (probably the worst, looks like the entire peppermint bark display was just picked up and moved to a back corner intact).

This is good news. I hope they can get the layout issues addressed. It feels like oversight may be spread very thin with these stores... I think some stores have one store manager to two stores (this was a BBB program).

I have seen Christmas merchandise this week at CVS (at FULL price), Safeway (reduced 50% with those red stickers), and Kohl's (reduced 40%..) also. None at Dillards- they went 90% off the second week of January and sold everything. Not sure what Macy's did but it is gone there. Long gone at Rite Aid (they were 90% right after new year) and Walgreens (I think they threw a lot out or donated a couple weeks ago).

I don't think my local Target did anything with the Christmas merchandise, just packed most of it up. No big discounts.

The only items that generally get kept from year to year, and this is very limited, are artificial trees and Christmas lights.

Target runs discounts for a week and then donates all the leftovers. They don't pack up anything for next year.

[ClownLoach]

They're not removing all the high ticket, just the things you don't really think about them for (like the pots, pans, and kitchen knives). They are not a store for mainstream stuff, and it does not look like any of this product was moving therefore no real loss of sales. The furniture is getting a new category of home office added. And lots of home decor in those new seasonal sections.

I will check out the finished product in March, but like I said assortment is only part of the problem.

Wine used to be nearly all international imports from France, Spain, etc. and if they went back to those lines I think they would be fine. But nobody is looking for more generic cheap California brands like Gallo at a place like World Market. I know there have been some mergers and closures in the distribution industry last couple of years, so wonder if that is why their assortment has become stale and generic?

But the arrival of new merchandise lines indicates that they're not in trouble for now which seemed to be the main concern. And some of the new product appears to be product BB&B got rid of to make room for unnecessary pots and pans etc., for example they had reduced most of the unique international servingware from World Market... That stuff is coming back now. World Market doesn't work with "plain" mainstream merchandise that is available everywhere else and that is what seems to be going away. The clearance furniture I noticed was also bland and boring, generic designs. World Market is about being eclectic not generic.

I think BB&B made all the wrong decisions about what product to be carried at World Market, but they made good decisions about the stores themselves as they had improved signage and forced a racetrack layout. Now they are removing the BB&B product additions which is probably a good idea, but they seem to be making a big mistake by screwing around with the layouts, fixture heights etc. And they also had some seriously narrow aisles in random areas like the wine corner which were probably the absolute legal minimum for ADA compliance - with wider aisles just a few feet away. They definitely need to hire some professional space planners.

All of this also seems to be rooted in a lack of technology too... If they had adequate merchandising and inventory management systems they probably would not have these issues. I get the impression everything in the store is on pen and paper.

At least they're not trying to sell leftover Christmas merchandise in February unlike others I observed... Michaels... Joann... Williams-Sonoma (probably the worst, looks like the entire peppermint bark display was just picked up and moved to a back corner intact).

This is good news. I hope they can get the layout issues addressed. It feels like oversight may be spread very thin with these stores... I think some stores have one store manager to two stores (this was a BBB program).

I have seen Christmas merchandise this week at CVS (at FULL price), Safeway (reduced 50% with those red stickers), and Kohl's (reduced 40%..) also. None at Dillards- they went 90% off the second week of January and sold everything. Not sure what Macy's did but it is gone there. Long gone at Rite Aid (they were 90% right after new year) and Walgreens (I think they threw a lot out or donated a couple weeks ago).

What gives me concern about World Market is the technology piece. Obviously everything is on paper. They are very limited in their capabilities. It seems like they have transportation constraints which prevent them from being able to do these seasonal transitions in an acceptable timeline. The store should not look like a going out of business sale for two months, especially in these categories where the average customer may only visit a couple of times per year. If that customer shows up when the store looks like a train wreck multiple times, they may just stop coming and now that business is gone.

The good news is investing in technology should close those gaps which would improve sales as new SKUs can be better timed to arrive when old SKUs exit and so forth.

The bad news is that technology is so expensive that they would need a sizeable investment from their ownership, and the ROI will take years.

The ugly part is that we all know of examples of retailers where technology changeovers and upgrades were done incorrectly and the entire chain was put out of business.

So hopefully the Save Mart people are capable of investing into this business financially, and have the technical knowledge needed to do it correctly so that they can move into the 21st century and improve their operations. I am confused as to how BB&B had seemingly improved these issues on the back end; maybe they had moved World Market to their systems but now they're back on their own? BB&B famously didn't have planograms until the last 10 years; they had highly paid department managers for each category who would overload the store with inventory and merchandise to the rafters. They had cleaned most of this up and both eliminated the redundant payroll plus reduced the inventory, and it seemed that had spread to World Market too. So I wonder if World Market had to take a big step backwards from a technology standpoint when they were sold off... They do have planograms but they looked very rudimentary, and obviously they don't have any sort of quality floor layout process which is why they have these strange issues I just don't see anywhere else like wide/narrow aisles, the tall fixtures blocking short, the confusing store navigation, etc.