China tops the list when it comes to ecommerce opportunities in retail bursting to an estimated $271 billion in the next five years. This result comes from a recent study by A.T. Kearney, a global consultant and managing firm that reported the results of the Global Retail E-Commerce Index rankings today, November 18, 2013. From […]
Etsy.com has always been among the leaders when it comes to attracting a community of online artisanal handmade crafters and vintage collectors. But last month, their new policy shifts have raised questions about what exactly, qualifies for being “handmade”—a pre-requisite to host a storefront on their site—and pissed-off the hardcore artists that felt Esty was […]
Teen retailer Abercrombie & Fitch continues with their new plans at streamlining strategies and getting back to a core brand focus by announcing the closure of their Gilly Hicks stores by Q1 of 2014. Gilly Hicks as a brand however, will be relocated online and in their Hollister stores. At the announcement on November 6, […]
Billabong continues to struggle along, this time by selling 92 West 49 retail stores across Canada to YM Inc., owners of Sirens, Stitches, Urban Planet, and Bluenotes for approximately C$9 million-C$11 million or between USD $8.6-$10.5 million. In a statement Neil Fiske, CEO of Billabong, said, “The sale of West 49 is part of our […]
Bread & Butter in Berlin has launched their next campaign for their upcoming show, January 14-16, 2014 at the Airport Berlin Tempelhof called “Ich Bin Ein Berliner” meaning I am a Berliner. The idea, according to the trade show is to bring the feeling of Berlin to everyone around the world interested in the industry […]
As we reported last week in our Sustainability Round-up story, H&M Conscious Foundation launched a program to gather information from employees and customers as to which 3 top global issues the Foundation should address in the coming year. The results are in with the top issue being Water: defined as “safe access to clean water […]
While Nike tends to still hold fast to the notion that sneakers are not fashion, but are first and foremost about high-tech function, niche brands with a nod towards fashion have plowed their way into the cool aesthetics of a new culture of sneaker-heads. Not that Nike’s not on the leading-edge of sneaker style, because […]
Sustainable solutions are key business strategies for many of the top global leading brands targeting youth culture these days. As we’ve noted in our various Sustainability and the State of the Future Youth Culture Studies, sustainability issues are vitally important to a new generation of young people who have grown-up with recycling as a part […]
In their on-going efforts to streamline assets and reduce amounts drawn on its credit facilities, Quiksilver announced October 23, 2013 that it would be selling Mervin Manufacturing, owners of the popular snowboarding brands GNU and Lib Tech, to Extreme Holdings, Inc. an entity advised by Altamont Capital Partners, who also advised on the deal when […]
Transworld SKATEboarding, the largest media property in the skateboarding industry, has announced Jaimie Owens as the new Editor in Chief. GrindMedia, which owns the brand, has been going through a series of changes in the past year and this marks yet another re-alignment to the media conglomerate. In a press release on October 22, 2013, […]