When Echo and Shindaiwa formed their alliance in 2007 and a holding company called Yamabiko was created in 2008 to umbrella the two companies into even closer cooperation, I suggested in this column that these were only the first steps leading to a full merger. On March 16, 2009, it was announced that operations of both companies will be merged in Japan under the new company name Yamabiko, and that Shindaiwa’s North American operations in Tualatin, OR, will be merged with Echo’s operations in Lake Zurich, IL, both by October 1, 2009. For the time being, we will continue to see both brands in the marketplace. And that’s good news.
The sad news coming out of this merger is that Shindaiwa’s president, Tom Bunch retired effective March 31, 2009. I met Tom many years ago at a Board of Directors meeting for a service dealer organization in Texas. I never sold a piece of Shindaiwa equipment, but it didn’t matter to Tom. He was always kind, respectful, and full of knowledge about the industry that he didn’t mind sharing. Wherever I ran into him, he was always ready to talk about his company and his industry. I sat in his office more than once, talking with him about the industry we both loved. Thank you, Tom, for being a friend and sharing your knowledge and advice. Your industry and your friends will miss you.
I recently read a headline that said consumers are changing their shopping habits. My first thought: “You mean like not shopping at all?” My question was answered in the article’s opening statement: “American consumers aren’t going to the shopping mall anymore.” Now that’s a change.
One curious thing the article mentioned is that as people shop they are putting things in their basket as they move through the store and then taking them out when they get to checkout or dropping them off in another section of the store. That’s why you’re seeing messier stores. Maybe they have “buyers regret.”
People who were never to be found shopping at a Trader Joe’s or ALDI or Goodwill or the Dollar Store, are now willing to shop down. Also people are much more willing to consider buying something used or previously owned than ever before.
Store inventories are being reduced. Bigger stores require bigger inventories, so store sizes are also being reduced. And retailers are learning that they have to be more female friendly. If females are truly the family purchasing agents, retailers better become more female friendly very quickly.
As the use of public transportation increases in the United States, its affect on shopping could be profound and often positive. For example, there’s a Swedish supermarket chain where you can shop at lunchtime, and put your purchases in a refrigerated locker. When you go home after work, you just stop off, pick up your bags, climb on the train and go home. That’s a great idea that works well and makes lots of sense. I suspect that someday we’ll welcome ideas like this one in the United States.
No one really knows how long the current recession will last or whether the economic recovery will be gradual or dramatic. This makes planning your sales and marketing strategy for the balance of 2009 and 2010 more difficult than usual.
If you don’t have a long term vision of where you want to take your business, then decisions you make about direction and strategy don’t really matter. The Cheshire Cat in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland knew that. When Alice came to a fork in the road, she didn’t know what to do. Just then, she noticed a Cheshire cat in a tree and asked him, “Which road do I take?” “Where do you want to go?” the cat responded. “I don't know,” Alice replied. “Then,” said the cat, “it doesn't matter.”
Don’t be like Alice. Know where you’re going and why you want to go there. When you come to a fork in your road, you’ll already know which direction you want to go and why.
Vincent Van Gogh failed as an art dealer, flunked his entrance exam to theology school, and was fired by the church after an ill-fated attempt at missionary work. In fact, during his life, he seldom experienced anything other than failure as an artist. Although a single painting by Van Gogh would fetch in excess of $100 million today, in his lifetime Van Gogh sold only one painting, four months prior to his death.
Before developing his theory of relativity, Albert Einstein encountered academic failure. One headmaster expelled Einstein from school and another teacher predicted that he would never amount to anything. Einstein even failed his entrance exam into college.
Prior to dazzling the world with his athletic skill, Michael Jordan was cut from his sophomore basketball team in high school. Even though he captured six championships, during his professional career, Jordan missed over 12,000 shots, lost nearly 400 games, and failed to make more than 25 would-be game-winning baskets.
Failure didn't stop Van Gogh from painting, Einstein from theorizing, or Jordan from playing basketball, but it has prevented many people from reaching their potential. Don’t be one of them.
The sad news coming out of this merger is that Shindaiwa’s president, Tom Bunch retired effective March 31, 2009. I met Tom many years ago at a Board of Directors meeting for a service dealer organization in Texas. I never sold a piece of Shindaiwa equipment, but it didn’t matter to Tom. He was always kind, respectful, and full of knowledge about the industry that he didn’t mind sharing. Wherever I ran into him, he was always ready to talk about his company and his industry. I sat in his office more than once, talking with him about the industry we both loved. Thank you, Tom, for being a friend and sharing your knowledge and advice. Your industry and your friends will miss you.
I recently read a headline that said consumers are changing their shopping habits. My first thought: “You mean like not shopping at all?” My question was answered in the article’s opening statement: “American consumers aren’t going to the shopping mall anymore.” Now that’s a change.
One curious thing the article mentioned is that as people shop they are putting things in their basket as they move through the store and then taking them out when they get to checkout or dropping them off in another section of the store. That’s why you’re seeing messier stores. Maybe they have “buyers regret.”
People who were never to be found shopping at a Trader Joe’s or ALDI or Goodwill or the Dollar Store, are now willing to shop down. Also people are much more willing to consider buying something used or previously owned than ever before.
Store inventories are being reduced. Bigger stores require bigger inventories, so store sizes are also being reduced. And retailers are learning that they have to be more female friendly. If females are truly the family purchasing agents, retailers better become more female friendly very quickly.
As the use of public transportation increases in the United States, its affect on shopping could be profound and often positive. For example, there’s a Swedish supermarket chain where you can shop at lunchtime, and put your purchases in a refrigerated locker. When you go home after work, you just stop off, pick up your bags, climb on the train and go home. That’s a great idea that works well and makes lots of sense. I suspect that someday we’ll welcome ideas like this one in the United States.
No one really knows how long the current recession will last or whether the economic recovery will be gradual or dramatic. This makes planning your sales and marketing strategy for the balance of 2009 and 2010 more difficult than usual.
If you don’t have a long term vision of where you want to take your business, then decisions you make about direction and strategy don’t really matter. The Cheshire Cat in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland knew that. When Alice came to a fork in the road, she didn’t know what to do. Just then, she noticed a Cheshire cat in a tree and asked him, “Which road do I take?” “Where do you want to go?” the cat responded. “I don't know,” Alice replied. “Then,” said the cat, “it doesn't matter.”
Don’t be like Alice. Know where you’re going and why you want to go there. When you come to a fork in your road, you’ll already know which direction you want to go and why.
Vincent Van Gogh failed as an art dealer, flunked his entrance exam to theology school, and was fired by the church after an ill-fated attempt at missionary work. In fact, during his life, he seldom experienced anything other than failure as an artist. Although a single painting by Van Gogh would fetch in excess of $100 million today, in his lifetime Van Gogh sold only one painting, four months prior to his death.
Before developing his theory of relativity, Albert Einstein encountered academic failure. One headmaster expelled Einstein from school and another teacher predicted that he would never amount to anything. Einstein even failed his entrance exam into college.
Prior to dazzling the world with his athletic skill, Michael Jordan was cut from his sophomore basketball team in high school. Even though he captured six championships, during his professional career, Jordan missed over 12,000 shots, lost nearly 400 games, and failed to make more than 25 would-be game-winning baskets.
Failure didn't stop Van Gogh from painting, Einstein from theorizing, or Jordan from playing basketball, but it has prevented many people from reaching their potential. Don’t be one of them.
