Location! Location! Location!

In planning for a new grocery store, or anything to that nature, location is one of the biggest factors you must consider. If a business has a bad location, it is almost guaranteed to fail. A business has to be convenient for potential customers.

For example, Ingles grocery store in my home town is in the center of town right off the highway. We have many tourist during the summer and fall months, so when they arrive in town they can get right of the exit and pick up their groceries. This certain grocery store carries many upscale cheeses and organic food to serveto our upper middle class visitors. Also, our Ingles is very convenient for people getting off work because it is right in the center of everything.

You have to always be thinking of location when you are starting up any kind of business. If it is on convenient customers will not come, the will just find an alternative place to take their business. Location is a huge issue that must always be at the top of you mind when staring up a business.

Closings!

Due to many things retail stores all over America are closing. Mostly because our economy has been struggling and there for, so are businesses. Are government is doing all it can to help us through this, but despite their efforts we still have a major problem.

One example is my favorite childhood store Claire's. Claire's is closing 119 stores nationwide. They are mostly closing their locations in small towns because small town people are holding tight to their money these days and there is little traffic in malls these days (Albert Lea Tribune).

Another similar cases of closings is Linens N' Things. This is a store that sales linens and home furnishings. Since the real estate market have gone down, there is just not much need for home furnishings. Again, these same people are holding on to their money until they know it is safe to spend.

VALS

I took a VALS survey today. This is a survey that tells you about your personality as well as tells you about what you want out of life. It was a pretty helpful survey.

When i took the survey it said that I was an experiencer/achiever. I mostly agreed with this evaluation. I don't really think I am much of an achiever because i'm pretty lazy about most things. However, I do believe i am an experiencer all the way because I am a huge consumer. I also can get really excited about something very quick and forget about it like the next day.

I believe the people who shop at Eddie Bauer are experiencers. They like to go on adventures and they get excited about things easily. They are also huge consumers. Eddie Bauer makes Ford Explorers which are the ultimate consumer mobile. So I think that all the qualities of the target customer for Eddie Bauer are the qualities of an experiencer to a tee.

J. Crew History

Last week I talked about why J. Crew is my favorite retailer. After a little research I learned so much about this company. J. Crew was founded by Mitchell Cinader and Saul Charles in 1947 selling reduced price woman’s clothing. In 1983, J. Crew started mailing out catalogs and that is when they really took off.

Currently J. Crew has approximately 6,800 employees and they gross $824.2 million every year. Even in a falling economy, for J. Crew, business is booming. J. Crew has done so well throughout the years because it’s consistent know they can always count on them for their signature classic styles. They are also known for using the best materials and fabrics.

Now that president Obama’s daughters wore J. Crew on his inauguration day, the children’s line is doing better than it has ever done before. Classic looks never go out of style and J. Crew does classic styles with a trendy twist. This combination has been getting the attention of people of all ages for years. J. Crew, like it’s designs, will never go out of style.

My Favorite Retailer

By far, my favorite retailer of all time has to be J. Crew. J. Crew is my favorite place to shop either in store or online. The designs are classic and never go out of style. J. Crew also designs a wide range of items. They sale everything from swim suits to wedding dresses.

Not only is J. Crew my favorite but it has recently gained more popularity. Obama’s daughters ever wore J. Crew designs on his inauguration day. The designs were classic, yet stylish and appropriate. J. Crew always has something perfect for every occasion.

One of big reason I have fallen in love with this retailer is that it matches my style to a tee. I am a fan of the classic, timeless, preppy look. All ages can wear these designs, which is why I put up the picture I did. No matter what age you are, these designs are age appropriate for you. I find every design just irresistible. I even plan to wear a J. Crew wedding dress when I one day get married.