A master of martial arts once told me that “the eye must see all sides.” So true of many things in life, and especially true for retailers today. The lines in our daily battle for sales and profits have become blurred, with merchants from multiple channels scrambling to invade our space. The competition from dollar…

It’s football season, so let’s approach in-store merchandising, layout and adjacencies in the context of football. Guests entering your store most often have a primary need (goal) in mind when they arrive. It’s likely this goal falls into one of three categories — hungry, thirsty or comfort. Think of them finishing the quest to satisfy…