Results Count ... everything else is conversation.

Has the retail price king finally been deposed?

The Dollar guys are chewing away at Walmart’s kingdom 

People ask me why I like retail so much.  Simple answer … it’s always changing.  Nothing is a given or certain in these economic times.  Walmart seemed invincible for decades – building its empire on the slogan of “Always”, implying lowest prices.  Well, in this economy the “Dollar” store guys are kicking Walmart’s butt and even selling online.

DIY … Not just your lumber store anymore!

Lowes & Depot lead with consumer service innovations

Mention Lowes and Home Depot to most Americans and they think of “lumber, hardware & tool stores”.  Internationally, they would be classified as DIY – Do It Yourself stores where you can buy stuff to fix up your home.  Historically, DIY was not very innovative in terms of store experience or support.  Today, even the best retailers would do well to study the recent innovations of DIY leaders Lowes & Home Depot.

Plaisio on Retail – 9 Points of Focus & Success

Key insights from IMS Retail University in Cyprus

Last week’s blog post referenced the IMS Retail University workshop being held in Cyprus.  One of the core principles of Retail U is to ask a retailer to come share their point of view.  We were very fortunate to have Costas Gerardos from Plaisio as our retail speaker.  He shared key insights from retail in Greece that apply to all retailers, regardless of geography.  As predicted, the Professor learned as much as the participants and is anxious to share Plaisio’s success story.  

 Engaging class participants

IMS Retail University heads to Cyprus …

This professor is learning as much as the “students” 

This year marks 25 years of IMS Retail University workshops.  What better way to celebrate than to take Retail U on the road to Cyprus!  A common theme we promote in Retail U is to “get out of town” to see and learn about retail formats in other countries.  This week’s workshops in Cyprus are proving to be a fertile opportunity for the “professor” to learn new insights for the emerging markets of Central and Eastern Europe.

Hitting the pause button … Time to celebrate

The rest of the story to “It shouldn’t have happened” 

I haven’t missed weekly blog post in over 3 years.  Would anyone really miss a Results Count blog this week before the US Labor Day weekend?  I doubt it.  Truth be told, I had severe case of writer’s block as I prepare for this special weekend.  Since blogs are supposed to have a “personal flavor”, this week became an opportunity to share the rest of my story to a post almost a year ago entitled:  "It should not have happened but did”.