This is the year that the industry woke up— the way most retailers have been operating for the past 20 years is not the way they will be over the next 20… at least the ones that plan on being around.
By Eric Krell
The U.S. retail industry just notched one of its wildest years ever. Amazon scooped up Whole Foods. Bankruptcies reached their highest level since the financial crisis. Traditional retailers (like Kohl's) forged partnerships with dominant digital natives (like you know who) that business pundits alternately categorize as both innovative and "suicidal." Digital upstarts, like Warby Parker and Casper, popped open more physical locations. Venerable brands went private or, in one noteworthy instance, attempted to.
