Susan Chandler

Lands' End Corp. has long had a tradition of putting unusual faces on its catalogs. Mystery writer Elmore Leonard made the cover three years ago. Gracing the cover in March...

Back in 2000, a chill wind was blowing at the North Face Inc.'s San Leandro, Calif., headquarters. The maker of high-quality climbing and mountaineering gear was near bankruptcy after a...

It used to be that specialty stores didn't want anything to do with discounters. If a line of merchandise, be it blue jeans or cosmetics, was sold to a discounter,...

It's a good thing when a brand stands for something in consumers' minds. Nike is immediately identified with athletic shoes. Gatorade epitomizes sports drinks. Rand McNally is synonymous with maps...

It's late February already, and that means it's time for spring fashions to roll into department and specialty stores. Remember, these goods were ordered before Sept. 11, when Americans were...

Running a retail chain should be like going to school on a continuous basis. In this classroom, the shoppers are the teachers and the retail managers are the students. When...

It's high time that someone unraveled one of the mysteries of modern life: How do men really shop? Luckily, two women have made a good start--Mary Ann McGrath, marketing professor...

No more stoles covered with peacock feathers and silk taffeta morning glories. No more evening dresses crafted from unusual combinations of sparkling metal and wool--at least for now. Maria Pinto,...

Crate & Barrel is doing its part to help the revival of lower Manhattan. The Northbrook-based home furnishings retailer announced this week it plans to open a 40,000-square-foot store in...

It's one of the truisms in retailing: Know your customer. Retailers are trying harder than ever to do just that, tracking purchase patterns, soliciting shopper suggestions on comment cards and...