News
Women Have a Unique Ability to Tell if an Environment is Clean
Is it intuition or a sixth sense? For women, it begins with breathing in. When she opens the fridge, she can easily evaluate whether or not the food is edible. When she enters a room, she can quickly tell if the room is dusty, dry, musty, fresh or clean just by smelling the air. Women
Martin Roberts Design Launches Website
Recently formed group offers design solutions to retailers. Martin Roberts Design, which offers consulting, store design and graphics services to retailers, has launched its new website at www.mrobertsdesign.com. Published first in Furniture Today. The firm, which formed earlier in the year, is composed of retail consultants, architects, interior designers and graphic designers who have worked
The Recession’s Lessons
As published in Home Furnishings Business Even as we start to emerge from the recent recession—which caused literally thousands of furniture stores to close permanently—there are hard-won lessons to reflect on. Simply surviving in such a difficult environment is a victory, and the good news is that the stores that remain (along with their battle-tested
The Power of Paint
As published in Home Furnishings Business There is an abundance of examples of retailers who have used consumer-centric retailing (CCR) to boost sales. Last month, we discussed how a CCR initiative at Walgreens increased the chain’s earnings in a down economy while freeing up $500 million in cash through inventory reductions. In the furniture sector,
A Prescription for Higher Sales
As published in Home Furnishings Business Know your target customer and give the products they desire, the services they need, and a great shopping experience. Given today’s economy, Walgreens has captured attention across the retail landscape by boosting sales and revenues as it freed up $500 million by trimming excess SKUs. Last month, the 109-year-old
Lessons in Consumer Behavior
As published in Home Furnishings Business Using qualitative research methods to better understand your consumer. As the upset at the recent New Hampshire primary demonstrates, what people say and what they do are not always one and the same. Perhaps that’s because people are more complex than polls would have us believe. The polls are
Roberts Closes Grid2, Opens ‘Virtual’ Design Business
Design veteran Martin Roberts has opened a new “virtual” business, Martin Roberts Design, and closed the Grid2 design business he founded with partners in New York in 1991. Published first in Furniture Today. Roberts said the new business model allows him to cut costs and use new technologies to employ his Grid2 team on home
Former GRID2 President Martin Roberts Founds New Retail Store Design Firm
Retail design veteran Martin Roberts, founder of New York City based GRID2, has opened a virtual office at MRobertsDesign.com, providing retail design and creative services to the home furnishings industry. Published first in Furniture World Magazine Roberts opened GRID2 in 1991, employing an award-winning staff of brand strategists, retail planners, art directors, graphics and web
Martin Roberts Launches Design Firm, Closes Grid2
New venture’s main address is an online one Design veteran Martin Roberts has opened a new “virtual” business, Martin Roberts Design, and closed the Grid2 design business he founded with partners in New York in 1991. Published first in Furniture Today. Roberts said the new business model allows him to cut costs and use new