Retail Retold DLC Management Corp.

It takes more than a "retail apocalypse" to stop NYC. 

In this week's episode of Retail Retold, Chris sits down with Ariel Schuster, Vice Chairman at Newmark and NYC retail real estate expert. Ariel offers a deep dive into the NYC retail real estate market, down to which neighborhoods are the hottest destinations for brands right now. 

Outline
Challenges in funding direct-to-consumer products due to market changes and investor caution.
           •         Funding for direct-to-consumer products is challenging, with a 97% decrease in venture capital funding in 2022 compared to 2021.
           •         Chris Ressa notes that this shift in funding is changing how brands are coming to existence, with DTC brands needing to be more creative in their financing strategies.
           •         Ressa and Iacono discuss the decline of institutional investment in DTC brands, citing higher costs and a less favorable IPO market.
           •         They also mention the challenges of scaling DTC brands during a slowdown in discretionary spending, particularly for lifestyle-related products.
Consumer spending habits and the challenges of scaling DTC brands.
           •         Ressa and Iacono discuss the impact of the pandemic on consumer spending, with a shift towards more essential items and away from discretionary spending.
           •         They also highlight the success of Stanley, a brand that has managed to penetrate various demographics through effective marketing.
           •         Iacono and Ressa discuss the challenges of selling products through various channels, including brick-and-mortar, online, and omnichannel.
           •         They argue that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to selling products, and that the right channel depends on the product and market.
           •         Ressa argues that eliminating the middleman in retail can be challenging and expensive.
           •         She suggests that leveraging existing brands like Target and Walmart can be more achievable for DTC brands.
Direct-to-consumer (DTC) retail models, challenges, and potential future changes.
           •         The speaker believes that physical retail should be the starting point for many businesses, with e-commerce added later for omnichannel presence.
           •         The speaker agrees that the traditional model of creating a product, building an e-commerce website, and relying on customer acquisition costs may not be the most effective approach.
           •         Ressa suggests that DTC startups may need to reconsider their approach, following the success of brands that started in physical stores before expanding online.
           •         Iacono agrees, noting that history repeats itself and that the old concept of starting in physical stores before expanding...

In this weeks episode, Chris sits down with Melina Cordero, founder of P20, a digital learning platform focused on helping Companies adjust to a post 2020 environment.
Listen in to learn about the future of workplace culture, shifting recruitment strategies, and measuring success in DEI!

In Today's episode of Retail Retold, Chris sits down with Brian Vigorita, owner of Hudson Valley Pickleball and Golf Center in Poughkeepsie NY. They talk about Brian's other entrepreneurial ventures, the process of getting a business open, and offer a sneak peek into Hudson Valley Pickleball!

Those who act on today's trends will be tomorrow's big winners
In this week's episode, Chris sits down with Ethan Chernofsky, head of marketing at Placer.AI as they discuss the most important retail real estate trends in 2024. 
You'll also learn:
What is "affordable luxury"What context is necessary to accurately analyze segments of retail real estate?How resilient has the grocery category been over the past five years?

Listen in as two commercial real estate experts give their takes!

In this solo episode, Chris tackles assignment provisions in commercial leases, which allow tenants to sell their business to other entities
Chris dives into the perspectives of both tenants and landlords, the importance of finding a balance between flexibility and control, and what factors to consider during the approval process for assignments.