Fashion Business Models

This brand started selling pants at $3 and became a $6.4 billion empire. Here's the 150-year business strategy nobody talks about. In 1873, every merchant in San Francisco heard miners complain about pants being torn while wearing on the mining site. They all sold them more pants. Levi Strauss saw something different: a problem worth solving. He partnered with tailor Jacob Davis to create copper-riveted work pants. Price: $3. Target market: miners who destroyed everything they wore. One solution. Lifetime customers. While others sold quantity, he sold permanence. Fast forward to 1934. The entire fashion industry made men's clothes smaller for women. Nobody questioned this obvious approach until Levi's created Lady Levi's, designed specifically for women's bodies. Revenue doubled in 18 months. Their masterstroke came in the 1960s. Schools banned jeans because they had a bad influence among youths from movies. Most brands would apologize and launch damage control campaigns. Levi stayed completely silent. Every ban became an advertisement and sales exploded 400% without spending a dollar in marketing. Then 2002 almost killed them. Revenue crashed from $7 billion to $4.1 billion. Competitors offered endless variety: 50 styles, multiple colors, designer collaborations. Levi's just sold blue jeans. In 2011, the company was facing significant challenges, including declining sales and market share. New CEO Chip Bergh ignored consultants demanding diversification. Here’s what he did: → Cut product lines by 40% - this move is made to eliminate underperforming styles and sizes that diluted the brand's focus. → Raised prices during recession → Invested $200 million in quality over variety Today: $6.4 billion revenue. 60% margins. 3,400 stores globally. Here's what every business can learn from Levi Strauss & Co. playbook. While your competitors add complexity, find one thing customers can't live without and perfect it. Success isn't about having more options than competitors. It's about being the only option that matters. What "industry standard" is actually holding you back?

Today marks a profound milestone in South African retail history. On November 16, 1860, the SS Truro docked in Durban, carrying the first Indian immigrants to South Africa. What followed was an extraordinary story of entrepreneurial resilience that would reshape our retail landscape forever. From humble beginnings as corner shops and spice traders, Indian merchants pioneered what we now call "convenience retail" in South Africa. They introduced the "shop-cum-home" model, where families lived above their stores, enabling extended trading hours and personalized service - a format that would become a blueprint for community retail. Looking at historical photographs like those of Fietas in Johannesburg, you can see how these entrepreneurs maximized every square foot of retail space, mastered inventory management before it became a buzzword, and understood the power of community relationships in building customer loyalty. Despite facing tremendous obstacles, including the devastating Group Areas Act that destroyed thriving business districts, these retailers showed remarkable adaptability. They rebuilt, reinvented, and remained committed to serving their communities. Their innovative approaches to: - Credit management (the original "buy now, pay later") - Product mix optimization - Customer relationship building - Multi-generational business sustainability ...are practices we still reference in modern retail strategy. The legacy of these pioneering retailers lives on in South Africa's retail DNA. From small family stores to retail giants like Shoprite and Pick n Pay, many of today's best practices in African retail can be traced back to these early innovations. As we mark Indian Arrival Day, let's remember that great retail innovation often comes from those who must think differently to survive. Sometimes, the most powerful business lessons emerge from the most challenging circumstances. What retail innovations have you seen emerge from adversity in your market? #RetailInnovation #BusinessHistory #SouthAfrica #Entrepreneurship #RetailStrategy #CommunityBusiness

In retail and F&B, hybrid concepts are redefining how we shop, eat, and connect. One of my favorite examples is CornerShop in London, a space that blends an organic grocery with a café, while also acting as a live innovation lab for the future of retail. CornerShop is divided into four zones: Automated Store – frictionless shopping Augmented Store – immersive digital experiences Purposeful Store – sustainability and community focus Personalised Store – data-driven customer journeys This is what we call a grocerant: a hybrid of grocery + restaurant. It’s a model that’s gaining momentum globally as consumers look for convenience, healthier choices, and engaging spaces that go beyond traditional retail. Some inspiring global examples include: Eataly (Italy, US, Middle East) – a marketplace that combines fresh groceries, artisanal products, cooking classes, and multiple restaurants under one roof. Dean & DeLuca (New York, Bangkok, Middle East) – a gourmet grocery-meets-café concept offering premium products alongside ready-to-eat meals. Amazon Go (US, UK) – automated convenience stores with grab-and-go meals and groceries, powered by “just walk out” technology. 7-Eleven Evolution Stores (US) – blending convenience retail with in-store dining, coffee bars, and even craft beer on tap. Carrefour Bio Café (France) – organic grocery shopping combined with a café serving healthy, sustainable meals. Muji Diner (Japan, China) – the minimalist retailer extending its lifestyle brand into groceries and casual dining. I believe this model has strong potential in Doha especially in destinations that bring together workplaces, government entities, residents, and retailers. A hub like this could provide convenience, foster community, and showcase innovation in one place. The future of retail is not about choosing between shopping or dining, it’s about integrating them into a single, engaging ecosystem. #Retail #Tourism #destination #innovation

My last takeaway from #NRF2026 deserved a dedicated post: omnichannel has entered a new frontier. Not vision decks — operating models that finally work at scale. Amazon’s grocery offensive is now very real. A visit to the Amazon + Whole Foods pilot in Plymouth Meeting made it tangible. An automated micro-fulfillment center of 1000 m2 in the store backroom extends the assortment to ~12,000 SKUs, picked in under 10 minutes. Customers can combine Amazon and Whole Foods baskets, add items digitally while shopping in-store, then pick up or get delivered. Screens in aisles finally feel intuitive with a curated selection of item and a QR code to add directly in basket. This is convenience without friction — and without blowing up costs. Walmart is responding with a different but equally aggressive model. In-store picking plus micro-fulfillment is now complemented by the Spark Shopper program. Customers are paid to pick or deliver orders while already in-store. With geolocation and pick-to-light ESLs developped with Vusion, productivity is high. Checkout is frictionless by exiting through the "Scan to Go + Spark shopper" cashier zone. Labor, capex, and speed are rebalanced in a smart way. Then there’s Wonder. Eighteen restaurant brands in one location, fully industrialized, scalable, and now expanding into Walmart stores or own locations. The dark kitchen model, when tightly executed, clearly works — especially when hybridized with physical retail. Why this matters: These players are cracking the omnichannel code: choice, speed, profitability, and controlled capex. The hybrid model — dark store or kitchen + supermarket — is emerging as the winning formula. Amazon’s announced new Amazon + Whole Foods opening in Chicago only reinforce that direction (supposedly with a larger MFC, 3 000 m2 would allow 40 000 food + non food products). Walmart is very much in the fight. Omnichannel is no longer about connecting channels. It’s about designing one system that works — end to end. #NRF2026 #Omnichannel #GroceryRetail #RetailStrategy #LastMile Elodie PERRIGAUD Helene LABAUME Jill (Puleri) Standish Brett Leary Oliver Wright Accenture France #Accentureretail Matthieu Boulay Stéphanie Jandard François-Xavier O'Mahony Grégory Boulanger Julien Bonnefoy Amal Benichou

“𝗦𝗼… 𝘄𝗵𝗼’𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿?” This question comes up in almost every meeting with restaurant brand, an operator. It sounds simple. It isn’t anymore. For years, competition was defined by segments: burgers compete with burgers, healthy with healthy, pizza with pizza. Clear boundaries. Predictable maps. But today, those borders are dissolving. The competitive set has expanded far beyond traditional categories. The real battleground is no longer limited to “your segment” — it is the consumer’s stomach share. Supermarkets now offer restaurant-quality ready-to-eat meals. Convenience stores have upgraded their grab-and-go programs. Bakery-cafés, petrol stations, and retail brands have moved closer to foodservice territory. Delivery platforms blur lines even further by placing everything on the same screen. This perspective is brilliantly captured in Peter Backman’s recent 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗴 thru his 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗺, which shows how retail and foodservice now sit on a single continuum rather than in separate industries. The consequence is a continuum of food occasions. What used to be clear distinctions now overlaps in ways that force every brand to reconsider how it competes. This raises strategic questions for every operator: 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀, 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗳𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁? How much of your lost traffic is going to another restaurant versus a supermarket’s ready-meal aisle? Is your real competitor a category leader or a retailer who just expanded its fresh food offering? If all players operate on the same “stomach share” battlefield, what differentiates your proposition in terms of convenience, freshness, value, and experience? The shift matters because moving along this continuum requires very different capabilities. ➡️ If a retailer wants to play closer to foodservice, it must improve freshness, speed, and experience. ➡️ If a restaurant brand wants to enter retail or grab-and-go, it must master packaging, distribution, and consistency at scale. ➡️Hybrid models can succeed — but only when they acknowledge the operational demands of each side. While specialization and differentiation remain key, the brands that will grow in the future might not be those who define their competitive set narrowly, but those who understand that 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗼𝗰𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗼𝗰𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗴��𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: “𝙄’𝙢 𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙧𝙮. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩, 𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙚𝙨𝙩, 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙛𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝?” So your main competitor might actually be anyone who captures the stomach share your brand didn’t capture today.

The Rise and Fall of Sears: Sears, Roebuck and Company began as a humble mail-order catalog company in the late 19th century, founded by Richard Sears and Alvah Roebuck in 1892. By the early 20th century, Sears quickly transitioned into a retail giant, revolutionizing the shopping experience with its expansive department stores and innovative catalog sales. At its peak in the 1960s, Sears was the largest retailer in the United States, offering everything from appliances to clothing, and even financial products through its affiliated services. However, the decline of Sears commenced in the late 20th century. A combination of factors contributed to its downfall: an inability to adapt to changing consumer preferences, increased competition from discount retailers like Walmart, and the rise of online shopping, particularly from e-commerce giants like Amazon. Additionally, while competitors innovated their logistics and customer service approaches, Sears fell behind, clinging to its traditional business model and underestimating the importance of an enhanced in-store and online shopping experience. Financial mismanagement further exacerbated the issue. Decisions such as overextending the brand into unrelated businesses, including real estate and financial services, diverted attention from the core retail operations. The company declared bankruptcy in 2018 after years of financial losses, closing hundreds of stores. Once an iconic brand synonymous with American consumer culture, Sears became a testament to the perils of complacency and mismanagement. Key Lessons Learned 1. Adaptability is Key. In a rapidly evolving market, businesses must be willing and able to pivot their strategies quickly in response to consumer behavior and technological advancements. Failure to adapt can lead to loss of market share and relevance. 2. Innovation Matters. Continuous innovation in products, services, and business models is essential to stay competitive. Companies must invest in their customer experience, both online and offline. 3. Focus on Core Competencies. Businesses should prioritize their core functions and strengths rather than spreading themselves too thin into unrelated ventures. Diversification can be beneficial but should not compromise the integrity of core operations. 4. Understanding Competition. Awareness of competitive dynamics is crucial. Ignoring competitors’ strategies and advancements can result in falling behind in the market. 5. Financial Management is Crucial. Effective financial oversight is vital for sustainability. Complicated financial arrangements or relocating focus away from customer-facing operations can endanger a company’s viability. The story of Sears serves as a cautionary tale for businesses in all sectors. Remaining vigilant, adaptable, and customer-focused is essential for long-term success in an ever-changing marketplace. #BusinessLessons #RetailHistory #Adaptability #ConsumerBehavior #Sears #BusinessStrategy

I spent the past 10 years helping to transform some of Europe’s most iconic heritage brands. Brands that are centuries old like Fiskars Group, Wedgwood, Bang & Olufsen, Iittala, and Royal Copenhagen. Some needed to move up-market. Others needed to become more efficient. All of them needed to change from within. But how have these brands stayed relevant - and grown - for centuries? I noticed they all had to solve the same five recurring problems 👇 1. Legacy Thinking → How to position yourself for today and tomorrow 2. Complex Portfolios → How to cut clutter and chase your next hit 3. Old Delivery Engines → How to design the engine that ships new hits 4. The Status Quo → How to drive early growth with bold brand moves 5. Talent Anchors → How to build the team your strategy demands That’s why I built the Heritage Playbook - a practical guide for leaders who want to drive growth and relevance in 2025. Over 5 chapters, it shows you how to: ・Stay relevant in today’s market - and prepare for where it heads ・Focus your limited resources on the most potent value drivers ・Bridge design, marketing, and operations for true collaboration ・Deliver sustainably across seasons - not just campaigns ・Build the team and culture your strategy needs If your brand is ready to evolve - without losing what made it special 🎯 Get the playbook here: www.heritageplaybook.com 📸 Selected brands I have worked for

What’s Behind Fast Food’s Recent Grocery Run? Wendy’s canned chili, then Wendy’s meat case patties and bacon. Now frozen Arby’s seasoned fries at Dollar Tree for $5, what’s going on? The QSR to retail pipeline isn’t new, but it does seem to have accelerated recently. I don’t think this is just licensing run amok, I think it’s a calculated shift by both brands and retailers. I see three key reasons this is likely happening: 1. Revenue Diversification Margins in fast food are tighter than ever right now and traffic is down. Restaurant brands are looking for new ways to make money without building new locations. Retail offers exactly that (especially when the model is a licensing deal where someone else handles manufacturing and distribution). It’s scalable, capital-light revenue with built-in brand equity. 2. Retailers Want Traffic-Driving Brands If you’re a grocery or mass retailer, you’re fighting to make sleepy category aisles (canned, frozen, etc.) exciting again. QSR brands come with built-in awareness, impulse appeal, and a mental connection to indulgence. A bag of Arby’s fries isn’t just a side dish; it’s a shortcut to a fun Friday night. Retailers love that kind of shortcut. 3. Consumer Retention Despite the Dip This recent Arby’s Dollar Tree move is the clearest signal of what’s going on here. Everyone is pulling back on fast food, but low-income consumers are REALLY pulling back. These brands don’t want to lose them entirely, so offering these familiar products through affordable channels keeps the brand alive (and in consumers’ memories for the future). Plus, the dollar channel could also use the foot traffic right now, so win-win. If inflation continues and consumers remain concerned about the economy, I expect to see much more fast food to retail crossovers. QSRs are no longer just restaurants, they're omnichannel brands! What fast food product do you think should make the leap to retail next and why? Want more food industry analysis, innovation discussion and new launch announcements? Visit my FoodStuff newsletter (see comments for a link).   #CPG #FoodTrends #RetailInnovation #QSR #BrandStrategy #FrozenFood #DollarStore #ConsumerBehavior