Management

Customer shopping expectations are racing ahead at light speed. We are at the point where buying online is often simpler and preferred over talking with a person. When that happens, new value is created and a new buying preferences are formed. To build your business, you must leverage your relationships while participating in the burgeoning…

After receiving approval to liquidate nine of its U.S. retail stores, Los Angeles-based American Apparel is closing 12 of its 13 U.K. stores, putting a total of 150 workers out of a job. The only remaining store is in the Camden section of London. "Over the last seven weeks, we have carried out our intention…

Stormtech, Burnaby, British Columbia, has announced a new partnership in the U.S. with Neil Piitz, president of Differenciate Consulting LTD. A seasoned executive with diverse experience and a proven track record in the promotional products industry, Piitz will work closely with the Stormtech U.S. management team with a primary focus on growing strategic segments of…

Before Los Angeles-based American Apparel filed for bankruptcy last month, the company sent about 250,000 lbs. of fabric to Tri-Star Dyeing and Finishing Co., Santa Fe Springs, Calif. After doing some of the work before the bankruptcy filing, Tri-Star initially refused to dye the rest of the fabric until American Apparel paid a $100,000 invoice…

Discount Labels, New Albany, Ind.; and Lancer Label, Obama, Neb., are merging, effective Jan. 1, 2017. Moving forward, the company will be known as Discount Labels, and will be a single provider for its distributors. "We have been in a strategic partnership for many months," Eric Lanz, senior vice president of Discount Labels, told Broadway…

Lands' End Business Outfitters, Dodgeville, Wis., announced that it has hired Jerome Griffith as CEO, taking over for co-interim CEOs Joseph Boitano and James Gooch. Griffith served as CEO of Tumi from 2009 until the company's sale in August 2016. Before that, he held executive positions at Esprit Holdings Limited and Tommy Hilfiger, according to…

In the words of just about every character from "Game of Thrones," winter is coming. While we here in Philadelphia are dealing with the first hate-my-life cold day of the year today (thanks Polar Vortex), the experts are saying that the cold December could boost retail apparel sales by $350 million. …

Tropical cyclone Vardah struck the city of Chennai, India, on Monday, leaving more than 10 people dead and causing destruction in the major manufacturing city in Eastern India. The storm uprooted more than 10,000 trees, according to The Hindu, damaging roads, railway networks, and electricity and telecommunication infrastructure. https://twitter.com/anilkumble1074/status/808722172059549696 "It appears that the power system…

Global shipping companies will have credit trouble if new bank capital rules go into place. The Basel Committee of banking supervisors from all over the world met last month to draft new rules for lenders…

After declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Los Angeles-based American Apparel secured a $30 million financing loan from Encina Business Credit. Basically, according to Retail Dive, this move solidifies that the company's creditors are satisfied and that its assets are distributed appropriately. While its wholesale and many of its manufacturing assets are spoken for following the company's…