Retail Watchers

Retail is overbuilt in the US compared to any relatively well-off economy. The only way they could succeed here would be by offering something that Walmart, Target, Meijer, etc. don't have. They tried that once and it didn't work out. They did very well in Asia, but that was through joint ventures ...

Retail is overbuilt in the US compared to any relatively well-off economy. The only way they could succeed here would be by offering something that Walmart, Target, Meijer, etc. don't have. They tried that once and it didn't work out. They did very well in Asia, but that was through joint ventures a...

This discussion has come up before. Same family but different branch as Trader Joe's. Very similar concept but for a different demographic and without the "fun" (Hawaiian shirts, etc.) of TJs. They have gradually expanded across the country since the 70s and seem to do just fine. They know their cus...

If the food is a poor value and/or simply not very good, then a drive -thru won't and probably shouldn't save them. There are plenty of not great inexpensive chain restaurants. The continued existence of the majority is mostly about private equity efficiently sucking cash out of them. Over marinated...

Small market and declining malls predominate. Some I thought were already closed (Marlow Heights, College Mall, Greenbriar). A few surprises like Great Lakes Mall (a somewhat declining mall in Ohio but when where I would have expected Dillard to go down first. Here is a full list: 1. Paradise Valley...

When I lived in SE Asia, fresh pineapple from non-plantations had a definite harvest season which lasted for about a month and this was always the best pineapple (better than anything you will ever find in a store here). Still there were plantations where it was grown for the juice trade and provide...

Retail is attractive to private equity because it generates cash and cash flow seems to be the key to why incompetent operators like A&P and Winn-Dixie stumbled on long after you expected them to vanish. And this was after controlling families had forced them to pay dividends that burned through som...

Tell that to someone whose allergic to MSG. Have known a few.

The Belk family sold to private equity, so they have no connection to the stores (the new owners replaced a CEO from the Belk family with one from Hot Topic, which they also own) and the owners probably feel no special allegiance to property owned by the family. The regional loyalty is probably not ...

The freestanding and BBB in-store Cost Plus' around here have little if any foot traffic. BBBs do much better.