2018 Top 100 Retailers Power Players : Leisure

2018 Top 100 Retailers Power Players : Leisure

https://stores.org/2018/06/28/2018-top-100-retailers-power-players-leisure/

 

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Leisure retailers as a Power Player group are divided into two groups: Those that sell sporting goods and gear for outdoor activities and those that don’t. It is the latter group that might be described as fading power players — they are large enough to make a difference to consumers and suppliers alike, but their business models are taking a hammering from more proficient omnichannel retailers.

 

The poster child for the fading group is Toys “R” Us, conspicuous by its absence from the list even though the company generated enough volume. But by filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, TRU is hardly a power player in retailing. Then there’s GameStop, which saw the handwriting on the wall years ago when gamers opted to download games online rather than purchase them at GameStop. That’s when the company began vigorously acquiring companies to broaden its scope of business, including Simply Mac, a group of Apple-authorized dealers, and a number of AT&T-branded store operators, making it the largest such retailer in the nation.

 

Obituaries for Barnes & Noble book stores have been written almost from the day Jeff Bezos sold his first book online. “The problem for [Barnes & Noble] is that the industry is expanding, both independent stores and new stores from Amazon,” says John Tinker, an analyst at Gabelli & Co. “In an increasingly digital marketplace, other companies have figured out interesting ways of selling books.”

 

Earlier this year, Barnes & Noble laid off a number of employees involved in the sale of its electronic devices, including Nook. The layoffs came after the company moved late last year to refocus on books and shed such merchandise as gifts and games in its stores. “There’s too much stuff in the stores,” said CEO Demos Parneros at the time. “We’re drawing a line in the sand and reducing the assortment of gift items and what I’d call tchotchkes. For example, we love journals, but we have way too many. We’re refocusing on books.”