Congratulations on 5 years! So grateful to have found your work so many years ago.
I think you're right about changes on the origins and management of certain chains, but there's also a broader point that consolidation on the supplier side effects these businesses. When Lazarus founded Toys R Us, he was buying from dozens, perhaps hundreds, of different suppliers. In the end, most of their inventory was coming from Hasbro and Mattel (and these big companies withheld sending inventory to TRU during their final holiday season for fear they wouldn't be paid).
This consolidation is happening in grocery and other sectors too- most brands are owned by Pepsi, Nestle, Unilever, and Kelloggs. You don't need store buyers courting small manufacturers when there are massive deals being cut with the big players.
That's a great point. Probably even more true of grocery than of non-grocery, I would think. Once again the international/ethnic stores run counter to the big American chains. The Asian grocery stores have so many products from small importers, and also big housewares and appliance section with all kinds of stuff, and different over time or from store to store. Now that I think of it, they remind me most of the old-school big-box stores I'm thinking of, of all the businesses out there today.
Congratulations on 5 years! So grateful to have found your work so many years ago.
I think you're right about changes on the origins and management of certain chains, but there's also a broader point that consolidation on the supplier side effects these businesses. When Lazarus founded Toys R Us, he was buying from dozens, perhaps hundreds, of different suppliers. In the end, most of their inventory was coming from Hasbro and Mattel (and these big companies withheld sending inventory to TRU during their final holiday season for fear they wouldn't be paid).
This consolidation is happening in grocery and other sectors too- most brands are owned by Pepsi, Nestle, Unilever, and Kelloggs. You don't need store buyers courting small manufacturers when there are massive deals being cut with the big players.
That's a great point. Probably even more true of grocery than of non-grocery, I would think. Once again the international/ethnic stores run counter to the big American chains. The Asian grocery stores have so many products from small importers, and also big housewares and appliance section with all kinds of stuff, and different over time or from store to store. Now that I think of it, they remind me most of the old-school big-box stores I'm thinking of, of all the businesses out there today.
I’d never really considered that, but yeah, maybe H-Mart is the new Hills or Ames. At least in their small appliance/home goods/grocery aisles
I guess there's a piece there!
Great pics of that bizarro Wal-Mart. Looks like a 1990s hybrid of K-Mart and Ace Hardware
Ha, thanks!