The Grayson Company

In Memory of Dennis Green: A Leader, Partner, and Friend

TGC — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 13:24:07 +0000

We are deeply saddened to share the unexpected loss of our longtime partner, colleague, and friend, Dennis Green, who passed away on Monday, April 6.

Dennis was a true leader in supply chain and operations, known for his depth of knowledge and his ability to turn complex challenges into practical solutions. His work spanned every aspect of the supply chain, and his influence will continue to be felt by the many people and organizations he supported over the years.

Equally important to Dennis was his commitment to service. He generously gave his time as a Director on the Board of Inner-City Advisors, helping minority-owned businesses grow and succeed, and his volunteer efforts with United Way of the Bay Area earned him national recognition. His many contributions were further recognized in 1993, when he received the Smithsonian Award for Technology Excellence.

Dennis will be greatly missed. I feel grateful to have worked alongside him and to have known him as both a trusted partner and a friend. His integrity, generosity, and passion for helping others will remain an inspiration to all of us.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Heather, and his family during this difficult time.

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ACQUIRED – Podcast Series

TGC — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 13:40:48 +0000

My best friend recently introduced me to a podcast series called ACQUIRED, hosted by Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal. They do deep‑dive explorations into the stories and strategies behind some of the world’s most successful companies. While I may be late to the game, I’m fully obsessed now—currently binging episodes.

Two of my favorites so far are the Costco and Trader Joe’s episodes. They’re fantastic examples of companies that managed to reinvent themselves over time while staying true to their core mission and values. If you haven’t listened yet, I highly recommend starting with the Costco episode:
https://lnkd.in/esbcQyAm

Enjoy!
Kevin Mullaney
CEO The Grayson Company

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Case Study: North America’s Largest Family of Indoor Water Park Resorts

TGC — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 19:53:42 +0000

Productivity improvement, assortment rationalization, planning & operational process re-engineering.

At TGC, we develop novel, structured approaches to increase client revenue. We recently worked with a national resort and active experiential entertainment company to reinvent and re-engineer their grab-and-go convenience shop concept, achieving a dramatic 61.3% improvement in revenue

Please contact us to learn more about this case study.

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Dash Design Transformative Hotel Project

TGC — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 17:11:51 +0000

Congratulations to our design partner, Dash Design, on this inspiring and transformative hotel project in the heart of NYC. To watch the complete video click this link Dash Design.

Following is more information about the Dash Design Delta Hotel project.

Delta Hotel, nestled in Times Square, debuts as the brand’s inaugural NYC location after a $40 million transformation from Staybridge Suites. The 32-floor tower’s overhaul included converting 310 extended-stay rooms, revamping the ground floor with a new reception, bar, and restaurant named George’s Nephew, plus renovating the lower lobby. Strategically situated for convenience amid bustling gateways, the hotel embodies Delta’s “Simple Made Perfect” ethos, offering guests a serene retreat in midtown Manhattan. Rooms showcase minimalist design within a compact footprint, promoting efficiency and relaxation. Overcoming design challenges, the hotel seamlessly merges beauty and functionality, embodying neighborhood artistry.

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The Grayson Company Turns 30

TGC — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 22:51:05 +0000

Celebrating our 30th year as a retail strategy consulting firm, I want to take a moment to express my sincere appreciation for your support. Over the past three decades, we have focused on bringing our clients fact-based, data-driven, actionable solutions and perspectives that are practical, objective, and global.

At TGC, we provide our clients the most experienced industry experts to tackle the most difficult challenges faced by omnichannel retailers, digital natives, vertical brands, and investors around the world. Despite the ups and downs of the industry, we have been able to grow and expand our business, a testament to our business model and our incredible team.

With offices in New York and Los Angeles, our reach extends to twenty-six countries across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Our talented team is distinguished by their deep, hands-on experience and their ability to adapt to the industry’s rapidly changing landscape.

David Ball, our President, and I are both proud to continue the legacy of our founder, Bob Grayson, who retired 7 years ago. We would like to thank our clients for their unwavering support and invite those of you we have not yet served to reach out and let us introduce you to our capabilities.

Please do not hesitate to contact us to explore how we might serve you. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Thanks again,

Kevin Mullaney

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Farm Rio’s US Retail Strategy

TGC — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 11:18:35 +0000

TGC recently sat down with Daniel Martinez, Farm Rio’s Global Retail Director to discuss his new role, the current state of the business and the US retail strategy that TGC developed with the Farm Rio team.

Farm Rio, a vertically integrated Brazilian apparel company that designs, produces, and markets colorful print garments inspired by its local cultural and environmental roots, was founded in 1997 by Marcello Bastos and Katia Barros. In 2010, it became part of the newly created Grupo Soma, a multi-brand company which has grown to be one of the largest apparel groups in Brazil.

The brand began planning for its US debut in 2018 and a year later opened a store in the SoHo section of New York and then one north of Miami in Aventura Mall, along with a few experimental pop-up stores in select markets. Within a year of opening stores, COVID hit. Against all odds, Farm Rio’s US sales grew within 3 years from zero to $50 million, fueled by a strong and differentiated product and brand aesthetic and a multi-pronged distribution strategy that encompasses stores, e-commerce, and most critically, a robust wholesale network that includes Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, among others.

In the next five years, Farm Rio plans to open between 25 and 40 new stores in the US, in addition to SOHO, Aventura, and a recently added store in the Venice section of Los Angeles. Fabio Barreto, CEO of Farm Rio Global, engaged The Grayson Company (TGC) to assist in defining and navigating Farm Rio’s expansion plan for the United States.

TGC recently sat down with Daniel Martinez, Farm Rio’s Global Retail Director to discuss his new role, the current state of the business and the US retail strategy that TGC developed with the Farm Rio team.

TGC: Our work with you included two phases: first, devising a store operating model to maximize productivity and profitability; and second, developing a store expansion/location strategy including identifying descriptive customer geodemographics, clusters of likely customers and shopping centers/districts that serve them, and an estimate for US store location growth potential. What were the most important learnings that came from the project?

Daniel: We learned a great deal, but our key learnings can be classified into four buckets-

First, understanding the customer by using sales and customer data to clearly define our US customer. The entire team, including the CEO, was very impressed with TGC’s methodology using sales information available via wholesale, retail, and e-commerce channels to paint a picture of who the client is by deploying geodemographic segmentation as well as AI analysis of cell phone tracking data, and then finding population clusters of look-alike customers across the entire US.

Second, site selection strategy. The customer analytics made site identification very easy for us and also makes it easy to understand how to prioritize new stores based on where we find more households and a bigger penetration. This methodology gave us a very data-driven approach to selecting the MSAs that are best for the brand. The detailed maps TGC provided within the MSAs that identified the concentrations of our customers, the centers and shopping districts at which they shop, and competitor locations give us detailed information on how to proceed and prioritize our expansion.

Third, store growth potential for the US and the need to populate a pipeline. We had no idea at first about how many stores we could have in the United States. TGC’s deliverable gave us an idea of how many total stores were possible. Post-COVID with everyone switching back to physical retail locations we need to be competitive. Using the customer, site selection, and store growth information and analytic methodology we could present a strong case for growth to our investors. The list of stores is broad but very specific with enough locations identified that I can be patient and confident in my decisions. I don’t need to accept a bad deal in Brooklyn because I have so many other potential locations in LA and San Francisco. Austin is a great example of a market in the pipeline for which we are exercising patience. The data shows that we could have a store there and we would love to, but at the moment it is hard to find a space.

Fourth, the need for a US-centric retail organizational structure, skill sets, and operating model that empowers the US team to think and act outside the box. Neither Aventura or SOHO had 12 months of operational history before COVID hit the US. Some of the learnings TGC shared were eye-openers for us. We were operating the way we were accustomed to in Brazil, but you made it clear that we needed a US-centric structure with US-based leadership. One of the key take-aways for the stores was TGC’s “Echo-Amplify” framework for best sellers. Before, our visuals focused purely on what looked good. After the insights, we now consider what is selling as well as what looks good together. You were able to convince the visual team of the effectiveness of this approach as well. We have hired a new manager at our Venice store with very strong experience in the US and we have empowered her to think outside the box using this new US-focused approach and the new recommended merchandising, working culture along with Clientelling. That store is now our top performer, with the highest sales per square foot, conversion, and average transaction value.

I inherited the TGC project when it was nearing completion. My only regret is that I was not part of the project from the beginning. But in the end, it didn’t matter because the project was such a success.

We knew there were no simple solutions or silver bullets, and Farm Rio even changed the scope multiple times during the project. TGC was very flexible and not only delivered great recommendations, but the recommendations were very actionable. We are highly pleased with the results.

TGC is a consulting group that offers a full range of consulting services to retail, ecommerce, wholesale, and omni-channel businesses, as well as investment firms focused on the consumer sector. Our team brings “best of breed” resources to bear on every functional area of the business.

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Honesty Is The Best Policy

TGC — Wed, 29 Dec 2021 14:03:47 +0000

TGC’s President David Ball speaks with Time Magazine.

Dave Horesh always liked the nice round prices on his company’s website: $25, $50, $100 for custom-made fabric banners and pennants in a rainbow array of felts. But by October, vendors for materials like thread, felt, ink and brass grommets had raised prices multiple times in the course of the year, turning a “slow drip” of increased costs into a troubling conundrum. So co-founder Horesh and the rest of his team at Oxford Pennant finally agreed: those nice round numbers were going to have to change. “When you get the right margins, you can absorb a 5% increase here, if the cost of thread goes up by 4%, whatever,” he says from his converted-attic office at his home a mile-and-a-half from his company’s factory in Buffalo, New York. “But when it happens across your entire supply chain, you can only resist it so long.”

For small business owners like Horesh, the pandemic has meant not only navigating supply chain challenges during record work stoppages and labor shortages, but also keeping up with raw materials price increases and economy-wide inflation. Instead of subtly upping prices and hoping consumers wouldn’t notice, however—long the industry standard for consumer goods—many brands are finding that it pays to tell their consumers what’s going on in advance, as a way to gain trust (and avoid that “one killer Instagram comment,” as Horesh phrases it.)

And when it comes to this year’s upward trend in consumer prices, the rises are likely here to stay. It’s “less transitory as time goes by,” says David Ball, president of retail consulting firm The Grayson Company. “Unfortunately, retailers and consumer packaged goods companies often approach price increases in a stealth mode,” he says. While some companies just raise prices, the trend of “shrinkflation”—keeping the price the same but giving customers less product for that cost—has also gained steam. For example, this year, a package of Hershey Chocolate Kisses may cost the same as last year, but the package weight has dropped to 10.1 oz. from 11 oz., “effectively a 9% price increase in disguise,” Ball says.

You can read the full article at Time by clicking this link.

Small Businesses Are Being Honest About Price Increases—and It's Workinghttps://t.co/HGD5llcrxI

— TIMEBusiness (@TIMEBusiness) December 16, 2021

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TGC’s David Ball, speaks to NRF about “fintechs” financial services

TGC — Thu, 21 Oct 2021 10:59:27 +0000

NRF Article written by Karen Kroll

While many retailers have long offered credit cards, a growing number are providing a wider range of financial services, often partnering with a financial technology company (“fintech”) to make the shift. The goal, says WSL Strategic Retail CEO Wendy Liebmann, is “to build loyalty when shoppers are buying anywhere and everywhere.”

In January 2021, Walmart announced a partnership with fintech investment firm Ribbit Capital. The venture, Walmart said, would bring together Walmart’s retail knowledge and scale with Ribbit’s fintech expertise, and deliver tech-driving financial experiences for Walmart’s customers and employees.

Driving customer engagement

At the same time, the fintech sector — which combines expertise in financial services, software development and network operations — seeks greater access to customers, says David Ball, president of retail consultant The Grayson Company. “Digital retailers and fintech firms are developing increasingly intertwined ecosystems,” he says.

New skills and technology are key

To be sure, success isn’t guaranteed. Providing financial services requires different skills and technology than retail, as well as compliance and operational expertise.

Ball says startup costs are high, and “it’s easy for retailers to become distracted from their core merchandising businesses.”

The arrangements most likely to succeed might be partnerships between retailers and financial services firms, Ball says, “with retail providing access to an expanded customer set, along with its traditional capabilities in product and distribution, while financial services (firms) retain their traditional role as the facilitators of commerce.”

Retailers partner with "fintechs" to offer buy now, pay later services. #BNPL https://t.co/dDhkbSp1YW

— National Retail Federation (@NRFnews) October 20, 2021

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Apparel Retailers Tread Carefully In Fragile Recovery

TGC — Mon, 20 Sep 2021 16:23:19 +0000

Apparel retailers are scrambling to capture returning sales unleashed by pent-up demand, even as they brace for challenges ahead.

The past 12 to 18 months have been tough for clothing and accessories sales. For apparel to be meaningful and necessary, people have to be going places, and that certainly wasn’t the case during much of the pandemic. Instead of dressing to go to the office, school or dinner, a majority of the population opted for stretchy waistbands, casual comfort and sports apparel. “In going through the pandemic, people recalibrated what was important, and apparel fell way off the map,” noted Kevin Mullaney, CEO of The Grayson Co., a retail consulting firm.

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The outlook for apparel sales brightened in the first quarter as vaccinations rolled out, businesses began reopening and consumers got out of their homes and started spending. According to a July report from the U.S. Census Bureau, seasonally adjusted sales at clothing and clothing accessories stores totaled $143.3 billion during the first half of the year, a 67.5% year-over-year increase. “The bounce back that has happened everywhere is pretty healthy, and what we see now is a level of sales that are higher than pre-pandemic,” said Cushman & Wakefield economist and global research retail lead Ken McCarthy. Going forward, more people will be returning to work and buying office attire. “As that happens, it’s going to have a positive impact on apparel sales, as well,” he added.

However, apparel was one of the hardest-hit categories during the pandemic, and Mullaney believes it will be the most fragile in this recovery. The pent-up demand also hit harder and faster than what retailers had anticipated. No one was really ready for that surge in spending, which is putting even more pressure on supply chains. Retailers are dealing with increased shipping costs and long lead times to get merchandise on store shelves.

Anecdotally, Mullaney hears from retailers that the price of shipping containers have jumped from $4,500 to $19,000 and overseas air freight is backed up by as much as 45 days in some cases. Supply chain delays are making it difficult to get seasonal fashions in stock at the right time.

Performance remains a mixed bag

Apparel is a broad category, and different retailers and price points are faring better than others. In addition, some companies were better positioned with their omnichannel platforms at the start of the pandemic.

“There has already been a culling of the herd of … those who didn’t respond quickly or strongly enough,” said Mullaney. There also are retailers that are barely hanging on and have exhausted money received from Paycheck Protection Program loans. It’s now a moment of truth for retailers on whether they can make it work, he added.

Piling on is uncertainty of how much disruption the delta variant will cause. Both the timing and scope of return-to-work could have a big impact on apparel sales. Major companies like Facebook, Amazon and Lyft have delayed their return-to-the-office plans until early 2022.

What’s next for store strategies?

Brick-and-mortar stores continue to play an important role for apparel retailers. Digitally native brands, in particular, have been adding stores as they recognize the positive impact a physical presence has on sales and brand awareness. Online retailers have found that having a store in a particular market can increase online sales within a 20-mile radius of that location by 20% to 400%, depending on the category, noted Mullaney. The higher percentages are typically for the showroom concepts where people want to see the product before buying it online.

“I think apparel will be fine. How quickly it gets to fine is dependent on how quickly the world gets better,” he said. One of Mullaney’s clients is a high-end apparel retailer that sells suits. Anecdotally, sales for the firm went through the roof as soon as people started going back to work because no one could fit in to their clothes. “That drives home the point that once people go out, they are going to be aware of what they look like, and they are going to have to re-up and look for something new and fresh,” he said.

You can read the full article at ICSC.

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Ten brands founded 10 years ago and how they’ve succeeded

TGC — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 10:52:19 +0000

David Ball speaks with the NRF about the success of 10 brands founded 10 years ago.

Tin and aluminum are traditional gifts for couples celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary. While perhaps not as glamourous as crystal (reserved for 15 years) or bronze (eight years), these materials embody pliability and strength.

Retailers who make it to their 10 -year anniversary also have had to draw on these qualities. Many of the brands that launched in 2011 and continue to thrive reinvented prevailing business models. Most embraced the growing range of commerce: ecommerce, mobile commerce, re-commerce and social commerce, often along with bricks-and-mortar stores. While their products and customer bases differ, a few themes are common.

They’re digital and direct-to-consumer

By going directly to consumers, these brands can bypass many middlemen, says David Ball, president of consulting firm The Grayson Company.

As digitally native vertical brands, the companies typically address at least one of several problems: enhancing how customers access the brand, improving the product through innovation, offering better prices, etc.

They’re also in bricks-and-mortar

For many retailers, a mix of online and retail stores offers synergies in customer acquisition and retention. The result? Growth paths that are steeper than many single-channel businesses can attain, Ball says.

Read the full article by clicking on this link to the National Retail Federation (NRF) website: Ten brands founded 10 years ago and how they’ve succeeded

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