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Showing posts from November, 2012

Christmas 2012 - good, bad or indifferent?

'Tis the season for taking shots at just how the holiday season will turn out.  Some interesting news items and a look at a few guesses about the season: *  The number of jewelry retailers in the United States continues to decline, by 2.5% last year, according to JBT.  There are now around 22,000 jewelry stores in the US.  (The number of manufacturers and wholesalers has also declined by a few percent.)  At one time a couple of decades ago there were more than 30,000, and further back, 40,000.  Back then, the US population was much smaller, so by rights we should have seen growth - if the business model was viable.  A part of that decline can be attributed to the nature of the business.  Family run, they present very little "cash out" options other than liquidation when owners seek to retire and there is no younger generation stepping in.  Would you pay millions to buy a single store retail business?  And work long hours and long weeks?  So the wheat has gone out with