For nearly 35 years I have been advising the CEOs and leadership teams of retailers and consumer businesses on strategies for transformation and success. Along the way I have had a front-row seat to the global forces remaking the luxury retail sector. Today I find myself confronting two very different realities regarding one of the most consequential deals of our time: the formation of Saks Global.
On one side is the narrative I encounter in a narrow but vocal segment of cynics and self-proclaimed industry experts. Those few critics speculate constantly that the company will fail to meet its obligations and is destined for collapse. On the other side is the reality I see firsthand: a leadership team executing on a strategy that puts the U.S. consumer firmly in the center of today’s global luxury ecosystem.
