An indepth analysis from Retail Prophet's founder Doug Stephens, where he describes his 10 archetypes for future retailers. Interesting enough, when he mentions the appetite for online "Apex Predator" retail giants, the only parameter not taken into account in his analysis is to know who owns the goods. Marketplaces do not own the goods, which ultimately put pressure on brands, who have to finance their stock. One may wonder if this is viable on the long run for creativity and diversity of the offer.

Another point worth to note: among the many examples to illustrate the 10 archetypes, only 2 department stores are mentioned: Selfridges for its customer experience, and Nordstrom for their customer service. Where would you put your own department store in this list?

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How to survive the future of retail

What: Rachel Shechtman, the founder of Story, is leaving Macy’s.

Why it is important: The acquisition of Story in 2018 was seen as an opportunity for Macy’s to learn and potentially to shift its business model. It does not appear to have used that opportunity.

Macy’s acquired Rachel Shechtman’s Story concept in New York. The concept developed in a single store revolved around the idea of a theme or story which would change frequently, and which would serve as the theme for the experiential store offer. There has been speculation that the acquisition by Macy’s constituted a step in the direction of rethinking the traditional department store model and learning from the “story-based” retail idea.  Was the Story acquisition a mistake from the beginning or was it a missed opportunity for Macy’s? Why did Macy’s not take it further and see it as an opportunity for change?

Story founder Rachel Shechtman to leave Macy's

What: Nordstrom has decided to close down Jeffery

Why it is important: When Nordstrom acquired Jeffrey in 2005, it acquired a landmark brand. Why has the Jeffrey magic not leaked into the Nordstrom offer?

When Jeffrey opened in 1999, Jeffrey Kalinsky managed to contribute to the transformation of the meatpacking district of Manhattan into a trendy fashion hub. The three current stores in Atlanta, New York and Palo Alto are now set to close by the owners, Nordstrom, which acquired the business in 2005. The department store company also integrated Jeffrey founder Kalinsky into its organisation in the hope that he would rejuvenate the department store chain. He does not appear to have had the projected impact and is leaving at the same time as the stores close.

Saying goodbye to Jeffrey