Ideally, I would like to get into some of the upscale department stores. Dear GM, As I was getting ready to answer your question, I asked retail consultant, Alan Zell, if he had any insights on the department store business that he'd like to pass along. Alan worked for more than 25 years in his family's Zell Bros. fine jewelry business in Portland, Oregon and now consults to small businesses. They are almost a thing of the past. What we have now are a few chains such as Federated, Belks, Target, May Company, Penny's, Sear's and Montgomery Ward, to name the most prevalent ones.
Department stores are a trade show for the public.
If one goes back in the history of commerce, one would find that they grew to the size they are because the started small and began to expand or buy out other small retailers. It was an economy of size that prompted this growth. If one wants to sell the department stores one should be aware of is that the bigger the chain, the harder bargain they drive. They are, they believe, rightly or wrongly, that they are in the catbird seat. Also, the bigger they are the less open they are to new lines.