One senior retail executive on the call had a theory he called “The Seven Survivors of Retail.” He explained that when you look at the retailers who sell products made by other companies, multi-brand stores if you will, there are seven of them doing well enough that their survival is likely. If you’re not one of the seven survivors on the list, this executive says the strategy you’re using to adapt isn’t working well enough and there’s a question mark on your future viability. But the prospects of many legacy retailers are now so serious that the person who named the Seven Survivors can’t be quoted by name, it’s too real and too dire. These seven retailers have made investments in customer experience in-store and online with a clear focus on new customer acquisition, value, service and convenience. This morning marks the opening of one of the largest, most important conferences about retail every year, the National Retail Federation's annual exhibition in New York.

Source: Forbes January 14, 2018 15:00 UTC