Retail
Analysis and advice from the front lines of the retail transformation.
Highlights

What Happens When the E-Commerce Boom Ends

Online sales growth is slowing, returning to its pre-pandemic trajectory. As shoppers head back into the store, their new expectations around service set the stage for the next chapter of retail.

How to Open a Store in 2022

From seamless online-to-offline offerings to Metaverse-inspired installations, the standards of brick-and-mortar retail have evolved since the pandemic struck.

Case Studies & Reports

Case Study

Building a DTC Challenger Brand | Download the Case Study

Case Study

Fashion’s Last Mile Opportunity — Download the Case Study

Report

Building Resilience and Value in Fashion’s Supply Chain | BoF Insights

Latest News & Analysis

What the Start-Ups That Avoided the DTC Crash Have in Common

The fashion brands and platforms reporting results this week have been hit hard by slowing e-commerce growth – with one exception. Plus, your calendar for the coming week’s most important events.

The New Rules of Off-Price Retail

Downturns typically mean a boom for discount retailers. But a glut of unsold merchandise and a surging resale sector are creating new pressures in the market.

The Unpredictable Consumer Strikes Again

This week, back-to-school shopping peaks in the US, and retailers are betting parents will spend big despite the slowing economy. They’ve been wrong before though. Plus, BoF tells you what else to watch for in the coming week.

J.Crew’s and Gap’s Comeback Playbooks Couldn’t Be More Different. Only One Is Working

Last year, the American retailers hired big fashion names to breathe life into their brands. But as the collections released this week show, the similarities end there.

The Debrief | How Skims Took on Victoria’s Secret and Spanx

Kim Kardashian’s ‘solution wear’ line was recently valued at $3.2 billion. BoF correspondent Alexandra Mondalek charts the rise of the brand, and details what challenges lie ahead.

The J.Crew Comeback Starts Now

With its new menswear collection under creative director Brendon Babenzien, the retailer has its best shot in years at returning to the fashion zeitgeist.

Navigating Retail’s New Era of Risk

In the post-Covid era, retailers who rethink their supply chains will lower their exposure to risk and unlock profound competitive advantage, argues Doug Stephens.

Fashion Magazine and Brand 032c Opens Berlin Store

The publication, which also created its first ready-to-wear line in 2018, will open its first stand-alone retail space on Saturday, July 23, at 11 am CET.

Yeezy Gap Brings a Dystopian Retail Experience to Stores

Clothes from the collaboration between Gap and rapper Kanye West went on sale in a physical Gap store for the first time today, in a blacked out space where clothes were piled into plastic bags.

BoF LIVE | How to Navigate the Return of Wholesale

Join us on Wednesday, July 27 at 16:00 BST / 11:00 EDT for #BoFLIVE as report author Cathaleen Chen, along with Loeffler Randall cofounder Brian Murphy and Vanguards Group wholesale director Domi Szabó to identify how brands are using their newfound leverage to negotiate better terms with retailers, and how that relationship is more collaborative than ever.

The Debrief | How Athletes Are Building Fashion Brands

BoF's Daniel-Yaw Miller unpacks why — and how — sports stars including Russell Westbrook and Megan Rapinoe are running their own labels, with full financial and creative control.

Why Fashion’s Inventory Problem Is Back (And How to Solve It)

A combination of shipping delays and misjudging consumer demand has caused stockpiles to come roaring back. Retailers are using discounts and more creative measures to bring them back down.

THE NEWS IN BRIEF

Revolve’s Sales, Costs Rose in Q2

The Los Angeles-based e-commerce fashion retailer posted a 27 percent year-over-year increase in net sales — $290 million — in the three months ending on June 30, it reported Wednesday.

Neiman Marcus Appoints President

Ryan Ross, formerly president of Williams Sonoma, will begin reporting to chief executive Geoffroy van Raemdonk, on Aug. 15. In the newly created role, he will be tasked with strengthening the Neiman Marcus brand and customer experience.

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