Retail Industry Insights
The Uniqlo China Controversy Is Complicated
An incautious statement about sourcing cotton by the CEO of Japan’s fast fashion superstar brand has caused a publicity backlash in China and a dip in Uniqlo’s share price in an otherwise stellar year. But the fallout from his remarks is also shining a light on the unwillingness (or inability) of the global fashion industry to wean itself off the Xinjiang cotton trade. It may also debunk the myth of the all-powerful Chinese consumer.
American Giant and Walmart Reshore at Scale
Bayard Winthrop, CEO of?American Giant, is dedicated to American made and has a transformative partnership with Walmart that could redefine the power of American manufacturing. Winthrop launched his collaboration with American Giant and Walmart with a $12.98 American-made T-shirt in 2023, expanding to sweatshirts in 2025. The partnership is a compelling story about how premium brands can maintain integrity through mass-market collaboration. Walmart’s unprecedented $350 billion, 10-year commitment to American-made products scales up onshoring, supports American jobs, meets customers’ expectations and lowers costs.
DEI: Courageous Efforts or Cowardly Responses?
When all is said and done, a company is completely responsible for its actions. If its actions are appropriate, its performance should reflect them. If not, then it should face consequences that are directly linked to its business results. Potential policy positions on DEI should be considered, installed and practiced, not proclaimed publicly as they have been recently. Then, those positions should only be reversed for a good reason not, a threat.
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Work from Home – Privilege or Imperative?
Work from home is a decision that must be well thought out and influenced by the opinions of all of those principally affected. But when all is said and done it is likely to be a binary decision that will not be applauded by many. Leadership’s mandate must be to protect its business’s viability.
Peek & Cloppenburg Conscious Fashion Store Bets Big
Peek & Cloppenburg is an anchor in Brookfield Properties’ revamped mall, The Playce in Berlin. The concept is to offer eco-conscious fashion collections as well as a range of sustainable brands. The assortment has been curated according to social, environmental and toxicological metrics and includes new brands plus capsules from mainstream brands that have an environmentally friendly selection within their broader assortments.
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Industry icon Robin Lewis founded the Robin Report to provide insights and opinions on significant topics in the retail apparel and related consumer product industries. It delivers provocative, unbiased analysis of retail, brands, and consumer products and covers industry-wide issues, trends, and consumer behavior throughout the retail-related industries. The Robin Report writers provide retail industry insights covering topics including opinions, experience, finance, management, operations, technology, and strategy.
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