When the cash flows in, it’s easy for retailers to think about growth in terms of opening more stores. But what if that’s the wrong type of growth to focus on?
Retailers say suppliers began handing down another round of price increases this month or warning that they’re on the way. It’s a move that, combined with an astronomical rise in freight rates, has left stores scrambling to adjust once again, after a similar action in the fall, even as delays in product shipments continue. And some wonder how long this can go on before consumers pull in their purse strings.