trends: November 2009 Archives

Luxury stores finding success in scarcity

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The New York Times reports today on Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus's newfound success with intentionally low inventory. The retailers cut order sizes to manage cash flow and expectation; they then spun this as a "get it or it's gone" angle that has led to full sell-through on numerous high-ticket items.

Scarcity as a luxury concept is not new, of course; just days ago the Economist reported on Jean-Claude Biver's success selling watches in the same manner. (Story headline: "Salesman of the irrational.") The retail industry will be watching closely whether this trend holds through Christmas, and if Saks and Neiman can lead a sea change away from deep discounting as the recession starts to ebb.

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October retail sales creating optimism

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Retailers are finalizing October sales reports, and the buzzword around them is momentum. Shoppers appear to be regaining an interest in spending, and aggressive cost-cutting tactics by retailers have given way to pop-up stores and healthier vendor agreements.

Timely Demise is sensing, rather pleasantly, that perhaps its moment has passed.

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Timely Demise tracks the retail industry as it changes with our unprecedented economic environment. Published by David Wertheimer. Did I miss something? Drop me a line.

About this Archive

This page is a archive of entries in the trends category from November 2009.

trends: October 2009 is the previous archive.

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