Contents
September 2023
News bites
ELF Beauty buys rival brand ; Walgreens CEO steps down ; Skechers makes soccer foray ; Victoria ’ s Secret into the red ; Ann Taylor , Loft and Talbots merge into new group ; Parade sold ; Walmart raises full-year outlook ; Crocs breaks $ 1b ; Private equity firm snaps up Zimmermann ; and more .
9
Cover : Luxury ’ s time to shine
What ’ s driving M & A activity on the top end of town ? We examine the factors behind Tapestry and Capri ’ s recent mega-merger .
14
Welcome to Chinatown
How two women are bringing together funds and community support to save this iconic NYC neighborhood .
21
Foot Locker steps into the future
The footwear chain is making a big bet on new technology , such as generative AI , to drive longterm growth .
27
The state of play
Leading indicators paint a mixed picture of retail growth in the months ahead . Here ’ s what business leaders need to know .
30
The rise and fall of DTC brands
Direct-to-consumer brands are so last decade . Or are they ? We take a closer look at how the business model is evolving .
32
14 32
21
September 2023 www . insideretail . us 5