Bain Retail Holiday Newsletter #3
Bain & Company 11/14/2008
by Darrell Rigby and Kris Miller
Retail sales fell in October for the second straight month. Nearly every sector posted declines as rising unemployment and a sharp slowdown in personal-income growth drove consumers to make deep cuts in spending. Consumer sentiment remains at an all-time low, and recent research suggests that consumers are more worried than excited about the holidays. Those who are shopping are determined to find the best deals, and retailers are responding by launching early and creative promotions to help drive and convert traffic. But slowing sales and heavy promotional activity may expose retailers to a liquidity crisis and an increased risk of bankruptcy.
Bain Retail Holiday Newsletter #2
Bain & Company 11/6/2008
by Darrell Rigby and Kris Miller
Retail sales headwinds are still raging. Consumer confidence plummeted to an all-time low in October as consumers continued to grapple with stock market volatility, rising unemployment and limited access to credit. And as consumers pull back, retailers are being hit hard, most reporting negative same-store sales growth in October. But retailers aren't standing still. Many are cutting costs to protect profitability, and some are evaluating bold strokes to either grasp strategic opportunities or avoid joining the growing roster of bankruptcies.
Bain Retail Holiday Newsletter #1
Bain & Company 10/24/2008
by Darrell Rigby and Kris Miller
Holiday spending is crucial to retailers' success, and this season could be one of the most challenging in decades. For many retailers, holiday sales account for 25% to 40% of annual revenue and an even greater percentage of profits. The purpose of this newsletter is to provide relevant information about holiday sales trends and strategies for success in this critical period. Updates will be distributed every two to three weeks throughout the holiday season to help you monitor both trends and results as the season unfolds.
Moving up in a downturn--or not
Results Brief newsletter 9/30/2008
by Darrell Rigby, Steve Ellis, Sam Rovit and Allen Schaar
In light of the extraordinary events in financial markets, this issue of Results Brief contains two relevant insights from Bain-one on the challenges and opportunities of managing through turbulence, and the other detailing the looming wave of big-company bankruptcies and how to minimize their impact.
Results July-August 2008: Business strategy brief
Bain & Company Belgium, Inc. 9/9/2008
In the Management feature of this edition, "Winning in emerging markets," Bain's Nicholas Bloch and Robert Schaus elaborate on six common practices that give consumer companies the edge over domestic competitors. Also in this issue: An editorial by Partner Jean-Charles van den Branden titled "Learning from the lucky 13" a guest interview with Robert Franssen, CEO, Allianz Belgium; and a look at a Bain toolkit on Revenue hunt.
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