Retail Consulting Archives - Page 4 of 5

Kevin Mullaney Shares Insights at the Annual Daily DOOH Investor Conference

As part of the Daily Digital Signage and Digital Out of Home Industry Investor Conference held on October 22, 2014, in New York, Kevin Mullaney, President of The Grayson Company, demonstrated the value of interactive technologies in driving traffic and transactions. Mullaney’s keynote provided insight into new methods for today’s retailers to engage consumers. Mullaney highlighted custom mobile technology implemented by The Science Project last holiday season, which drew passersby into the 'Yeti's igloo' in Saks Fifth Avenue’s flagship window displays, driving engagement and interaction. According to Kevin Mullaney, "this was a highly innovative use of technology targeted at generating return on investment, using the mobile platform to engage customers and given them an incentive to enter the store and transact." As visitors accessed the mobile experience, they were invited to discover their "Yeti" name, pick a snowflake and flick it from their device into the window itself, where it materialized in [...]

TGC2018-03-26T08:55:21-04:00

The Power of Brand in an Omni-Channel World

The pressure on the management teams of consumer businesses to enter new channels of distribution is overwhelming. Going “Omni-Channel” is the strategy of the day, being touted as the only path to survival, let alone successful growth or market dominance. May be, but there is reason to carefully study the success stories before jumping on the bandwagon and especially before investing heavily in the development of the new channels. In reviewing examples of omni-channel success, it is apparent that the most important factor to consider when making channel expansion decisions is the power of the company’s brand. In 2000, our consulting firm conducted a consumer survey for a women’s apparel company. The peer group to which our client was compared included Ann Taylor. Questions asked in the survey allowed us to identify the respondent’s favorite store. One of the subsequent questions asked the respondent what percentage of purchases from her favorite store [...]

TGC2018-03-26T08:55:22-04:00

Kevin Mullaney interviewed by Reuters Business; For Struggling Malls, It’s time to reinvent

“For malls that have passed their prime, it’s time to reinvent" said Kevin Mullaney, President of The Grayson Company, a New York City-based retail industry consultancy. "One idea is turn their malls into mini urban centers and nailing down the “right” retail mix. Customer are coming for the content of the mall and the stores or activities that are in it." Watch video...

TGC2015-10-13T13:41:42-04:00

Swimming With The Current

While there are exceptions to every rule, there is no question that throughout the history of commercial enterprise, the companies who have strategically positioned themselves to move in the direction of dominant environmental and industry trends have enjoyed greater chance of success than those who chose to operate outside, or worse, against the trends. As we survey the landscape of the consumer sector today, there are clearly identifiable components which are present in the strategies of the majority of the most successful consumer companies. We share them with you knowing there are no guarantees that these strategies lead to success and the exceptions will no doubt be pointed out by contrarians. We’re only highlighting the dominant themes that influence success. Owning the brand is critical In our opinion, Mickey Drexler was directionally correct with his statements at a Financo event a few years ago when he duked up with Burt Tansky, the [...]

TGC2018-03-26T08:55:22-04:00

The Grayson Company Signs Representation Deal with Charles Fazzino

Internationally renowned 3D pop artist Fazzino partners with Seasoned Retail Consultancy Firm to Build Brand and Strategic Licensing Partnerships Internationally renowned 3D Pop Artist and The Grayson Company are proud to announce a new relationship designed to enhance the Fazzino brand and market presence. Central to the relationship will be The Grayson Company’s exclusive representation of Fazzino artwork in many major categories of licensed products, including apparel, electronics, and tabletop. Fazzino is best known for his unique and highly-recognizable three-dimensional artworks. His work is exhibited in fine art galleries and museums in more than twenty countries around the world and he has received hundreds of important and high-profile commissions. He has painted fourteen Super Bowls for the National Football League, eleven Major League Baseball All-Star Games, eight Olympic Games and many more of the world’s most popular events. “We’re excited to be working with a leader in the retail consultancy industry,” said [...]

TGC2018-03-26T08:55:22-04:00

Kevin Mullaney quoted in International Business Times article “Target CEO Steinhafel Gets Millions For His Voluntary Departure, But Would Have Received More Had He Been Fired”

Kevin was asked to comment on the resignation of Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel. There’s probably more there that we don’t know,” said Kevin Mullaney, president of The Grayson Company, a New York City-based retail industry consultancy. “It’s probably the best deal he would have gotten. He took the blame and responsibility. ... If you look at Gregg’s tenure, Target’s revenues increased, but the net incomes have stagnated.” Revenue has increase 11 percent to $74.8 billion between fiscal years 2010 and 2014, while net income has fallen nearly 12 percent to $2.19 billion in the same period of time. Mullaney says it’s difficult to tell whether Steinhafel is departing mainly because of the massive data breach in December that the company said may have affected “millions of customer credit and debit card records,” or because of Target’s $941 million losses last year in its Canadian expansion. Check out the rest of the article at [...]

TGC2015-10-13T13:43:08-04:00

Bob Grayson quoted in Wall Street Journal article “Cotton’s Crown Threatened by Manmade Fibers”

Bob commented on the trend of apparel makers using manmade fibers instead of cotton. "I don't believe that this is cyclical—I believe that this is evolutionary," said Bob Grayson, former chief executive of Limited Stores and Lerner New York and founder of Grayson Co., a retail and consumer consulting group. "Just as technology impacts other categories, technology is now impacting fashion." Check out the rest of the article at The Wall Street Journal.

TGC2014-05-01T09:47:42-04:00

New is New

An excellent article headlined “Retailing’s Battlefield: Fight for Market Share” written by Evan Clark appeared in the March 10 edition of WWD. Clark artfully and convincingly made the case of how aggressively and brutally the fight to win today’s consumer’s transactions and loyalty really is, and how strongly success, and even survival, depend on retailers’ constant injection of change into their business strategies—changes in product categories and mix, changes in distribution channels, changes in pricing, changes in the paths used to reach their customers with their marketing messages. I agree that the magnitude and the pace of change have never been greater, but having worked in the retail industry for nearly 50 years, (I started working in an IGA grocery store at age 14), I also note that the industry has always experienced and been driven by significant change. Granted, current changes are dramatic, but in fact they are simply the current [...]

TGC2018-03-26T08:55:22-04:00

Kevin Mullaney Discusses Best Buy on Fox Business

Kevin Mullaney, President of The Grayson Company, was interviewed by Fox News on January 16th. He commented on the challenges that Best Buy is facing in the age of Omni-channel competition. He also discussed the evolution of JC Penney and some of the factors that contributed to the failure of its new format. Kevin also discussed the place of shop-in-shops in brand retailing, from the global rollout of shop-in-shops that he managed while at Tommy Hilfiger, to Apple at Best Buy. Watch the video.

TGC2014-04-04T11:37:37-04:00

The Grayson Company Welcomes Steve Goldberg

We are pleased to welcome Steve Goldberg as Managing Director of The Grayson Company. Steve brings over 30 years of executive level experience in omnichannel, brick and mortar and direct retailing. He has extraordinary expertise in the direct channel, having led the Merchandise Services Group at American Express for ten years, and later serving as President of the Lifestyles Group at Redcats, a $1.6 billion catalog and e-commerce business. We believe the addition of Steve's capabilities to our robust direct channel resources enables us to offer best-in-class consulting services in this rapidly growing distribution channel. Steve also has deep experience in the home products category, another key expansion of our inhouse expertise. He spent 12 years in the home department of Allied Stores (now Macy's) before leading Bloomingdales' $100 million international furniture business and later becoming Vice President / General Merchandise Manager of internationally renowned ABC Carpet and Home in New York. [...]

TGC2018-03-26T08:55:22-04:00

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