Doug Stephens

An occupational hazard of being a futurist is that people remember very clearly when you’re wrong. But I think I got Agentic #AI roughly right. This is from my first book, written in 2012.

Tesla profits drop 71% amid anti-Musk backlash Musk's role at the White House set off worldwide protests at Tesla dealerships.

abcnews.go.com/amp/Business...

Brand equity is tough to measure.
Until it’s gone.

How Private Equity Failed North America’s Oldest Retailer Hudson’s Bay is the latest victim of a strategy that involves saddling struggling retailers with debt and cutting costs to the bone, with predictable results, argues Doug Stephens

www.businessoffashion.com/opinions/ret...

My latest piece for The Business of Fashion.

The one index that’s up today. And no, that’s not a good thing.

YouTube video by Retail Prophet The Fall of Hudson's Bay's and What It Means for Retail

(VIDEO) How did Canadian retail icon Hudson's Bay fall so far and what does it mean for the future of department stores?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6T-...

2/2 In addition to unique product and brand assortments create an experience that encompasses food, cultural experiences and homegrown entertainment.

Even build in office and training facilities for Shopify merchants to explore new tech, and develop retail skills.

What do you say Shopify?

1/2 IMO, @shopify should acquire Hudson's Bay’s brand assets and key stores. Reclaim this great Canadian icon and flagships in key cities to create a multi-floor marketplace of new and exciting Canadian merchants.

Canadians put food labels under microscope as complaints of mislabelling rise As concerns over food labelling grow, more Canadians are scrutinizing packaging to verify whether products are genuinely made in the country.

www.ctvnews.ca/business/art...

There are rising reports of grocery retailers mislabelling US products as Canadian. I talked with @ctvyourmorning.bsky.social about why it's happening and how shoppers can be sure of what they're buying.

Canadians put food labels under microscope as complaints of mislabelling rise As concerns over food labelling grow, more Canadians are scrutinizing packaging to verify whether products are genuinely made in the country.

www.ctvnews.ca/business/art...

YouTube video by Retail Prophet 4-D Chess or "Dumbest Trade War in History"?

Having trouble knowing who to believe when it comes to the current trade war? We asked a friend who knows a thing or two. Here's what they said.

#Tariffs #Tradewar

Starbucks is laying off workers and paring back the menu as it tries to turn the business around | CNN Business Starbucks is taking Frappuccinos with cookies and cream, white chocolate and other Frappuccino drinks off the menu.

Once upon a time the two things that made Starbucks compelling were…
1. their people and
2. the complexity of their beverages.

RETAIL PEOPLE MAGAZINE ISSUE 42 - SUSTAINABLE RETAIL THE FUTURE OF SHOPPING CENTRES Retail People Magazine Issue 42 explores the theme “Sustainable Retail: The Future of Shopping Centres,” shedding light on how the industry adapts to environmental responsibility, digital transformati...

Thanks to my friend David Macadam and the team at the Middle East Council of Shopping Centers for featuring my piece on the future of competition in the latest issue of Retail People Magazine.

Zuckerberg's political pivot targets Apple, puts Meta staffers on edge Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's actions to curry favor with the president have rattled employees, but people familiar with his efforts say there's a clear strategy.

Ever wonder why there’s no innovation or inventiveness in the Russian economy? It’s that the Russian economy is run by a cadre of oligarchs. And if you’re an oligarch you don’t have to compete. Just curry enough political favour and you’re golden.

And this 👇 is how oligarchies are formed.

Walmart's "Wirkin" Class Problem | Retail Prophet By Doug Stephens In December of 2024 amid the usual array of commodity items on Walmart.com, there was one conspicuous product listing that immediately caught the […]

Walmart has a "Wirkin" Class Problem.

#retail #strategy

Walmart is now selling Rolex, Chanel and other luxury resale products. I sat down with the @theglobeandmail.com to discuss what it says about
Walmart, consumers and the general state of retail.

Say hello to the superfakes: Dupes of luxury goods are the new hot item Ethical issues around the manufacturing of fakes don’t seem to be a concern among younger consumers driving demand

I spoke with the The Globe and Mail’s Bernadette Morra about the meteroric rise of the global #DUPE market and its impact on luxury retail.

Doug Stephens on LinkedIn: #fashionaf Last night I had the pleasure of sitting on a panel at #FashionAF event in Toronto. Thanks to Huma A. for inviting me to be a part of it. My most crucial…

Last night I sat on an #AI in #retail & #fashion panel discussion in Toronto. The most urgent message (or perhaps passionate appeal) I shared was this one 👇

Amazon to close Quebec facilities, insists it's not because of new union | CBC News A company spokesperson said Amazon will outsource deliveries to smaller contractors. The spokesperson insisted that the decision was tied to cost savings — not the recent unionization of about 300 emp...

Amazon is shuttering all of its Quebec facilities. Quebec also happens to be home to Amazon's ONLY unionized workforce in Canada. The company says there's no connection between the two. (eye-roll)
I'll be sharing thoughts with CTV News this evening at 7:15 ET.
#Amazon

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

YouTube video by Retail Prophet WINNING: In the new era of competition with Doug Stephens

(VIDEO) We’re at the end of an 80 yr era in how companies compete and there are 4 key things that businesses will have to rethink: 1.Their relationship with government. 2.Their beliefs on capitalism. 3.Their goals with respect to growth and 4.Their reliance on public education.

youtu.be/AP9sNxgWVBc

Lucky, Forever 21 Operator Merges With JCPenney (Bloomberg) -- Sparc Group, the operator of fashion brands including Lucky, Eddie Bauer, Aeropostale, Forever 21 and Brooks Brothers, has merged with JCPenney to form a new company called Catalyst Bra...

In my opinion, simply building a bigger life boat won’t end the storm.

A very interesting thread from @eurasiagroup.net looking into 2025 and beyond.

Moral of the story as I see it…For anyone involved in the global consumer economy, it’s going to be a wild and unpredictable ride. The next 5 years will be less about chasing growth and more about mitigating risk.

Competing in 2025 and Beyond As we look ahead to 2025 and beyond, I’ll be focussed on 4 key pillars that I believe represent the new competitive battle grounds of the future, and the means through which savvy companies will drama...

These are the 4 watchtowers I'll be exploring the future of business from in 2025 and beyond.

The Backroom: Doug Stephens looks to 2025 and beyond The retail and brand expert discusses the hype around AI, how marketers can preserve human creativity and his optimism about the future.

Every year I sit down with Retail Dive’s Daphne Howland to share my thoughts on the future of retail & the trends shaping the industry. This year we hit everything from the future of AI, to the deep societal transformations that retailers will need to adapt to or die. (50 min. listen grab a ☕️ )

2024 was a remarkable year! Thank you to our friends, followers and amazing clients for making it one to remember!

2025 will, no doubt, bring challenges and opportunities. The winners will be those who don’t distinguish between the two.

Happy Holidays!

Doug Stephens on LinkedIn: (4 MIN. VIDEO) Regardless of what we sell, we all compete. And for about… (4 MIN. VIDEO) Regardless of what we sell, we all compete. And for about the last 80 years the means of creating a competitive advantage in business have been…

(4 min. video) Everything about how businesses compete is set to change. And any business that misses this shift, will miss the future entirely!

#strategy #retail

In Dubai last week delivering a keynote on the future of competitive advantage in business. I made the case that the old competitive fronts (product, selection, price, service and convenience) will be replaced by a new set of key imperatives! More here 👇

thefutureeconomy.ca/op-eds/the-f...