I'm really impressed with how this retailer - a legacy department store in an age when their demise is predicted daily, no less - has evolved its product, presentation, and positioning. Plenty of retailers should be able to take a lesson from what they've done. 

Earlier this month, I got the chance to sit down with Robert D'Loren, Chairman & CEO of Xcel Brands. I'm so glad I took it because Bob isn't just another garment district leader and Xcel is anything but another apparel manufacturer. Below is what I learned and why I think Xcel and its brands are ones to watch -- if you can keep track of them as well as they keep track of global trends.

For an increasing number of purchases, consumers don’t need to enter a physical retail store. It's why foot traffic is down: When consumers know they want to buy something, they often can do it online. 

Consumers need reasons to enter stores even when they don't intend to buy. Here's what I've seen drawing traffic recently and keeping visitors inside.

It's tempting to say closing 100 stores won't help Macy's and the company is doomed because there's so much wrong with it. Like the rest of the retail industry, Macy's needs to change with the times. I think closing so many stores is a big step toward that change.

Amidst a world of digital snippets and statistical click bait, ELLE Magazine printed a well-researched longread on retail trends an sentiment in its January 2017 issue. I read it with interest because it's a fresh source talking to a different reader than the mainstream business publications. I wanted to know which themes they're seeing -- and reinforcing.

I think we've hit a new high this year in the quantity of gift guides published. Instead of recommending items for purchase, I'm sharing ideas for where to go shopping if you want to have fun browsing and find desirable gifts.

Personal shoppers, whether they’re entirely human or a human/algorithm combination, typically have a major advantage over a salesperson or a web site welcoming an unknown visitor: Time to plan... But my recent shopping experiences with a number of online and offline services have fallen far short of that expectation.