Bryan kept things simple and direct - the numbers being reported on the retail industry are based on the reports analysts and governmental bodies receive from publicly traded companies legally obligated to report their numbers. Period. BUT it does not tell the whole story. It is simply serving as a pacifier to the public and lay person to assuage in a troubled economic climate.
What about everyone else? We all know that the retail industry is hardly compromised solely of large, verticle publicly trade companies. So then the forecasts we've been hearing like this one at CNBC and the like suddenly seem one dimensional. They are reporting on the numbers they do have, but presenting their trends as the whole picture. That's not accurate. From the following premise alone it becomes abundantly clear that retail trend forecasts predicated exclusively on public reporting are far from comprehensive: Analysts don't have access to numbers that aren't reported. Nobody has a crystal ball with the ability to see into retail's future, but we do have an obligation when doing so to attempt to use all the information available to us.
So who has access to this other piece? Who works with the entire breath of the retail industry? Who knows which companies are actively staffing? Who is really in the trenches working with clients and staff to create long lasting partnerships?
Well, JBCStyle founder Bryan Zaslow does. And he hasn't spoken publicly until today. He was a privately held, untapped resource. (Cheesy, but the metaphor works and we dig it)
He's not into naming names or dropping figures. It's just not our style. Client privacy is of the utmost privacy at all times. And we're not tooting his horn - this is just stuff that makes sense. When your entire business is focused on staffing the retail industry - not just the publicly traded companies, but the boutiques, the mid-tier retail and department stores, luxury and mass market sectors, the Action Sports and Active Lifestyle brands, the privately held labels - the lens is more focused. It's still not perfect, but it's more informed.
"It was a great experience," Bryan reflected. "But I was just getting started."
Why hasn't Bryan shared any of this before?
"I have a company to run," he shrugs. "Nobody asked.What do you want to know?" Who knew the boss man was sitting on such a wealth of untapped information? Well, Bryan, what everyone else doesn't know. The full picture.
"Subscribe to the blog," he winks before getting on another conference call. "Maybe I'll surprise our followers with a comprehensive letter."
He pauses.
"Or more."
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