There are hundreds of "experts" out there who are willing to talk ad nauseum about basically anything. They'll tweet about it—have you ever seen how many followers marketing people have?—and run blogs centered on some small sliver of their industry. So, yeah, basically Four Pins. Anyway, Robin Lewis runs The Robin Report, a resource for "executives" and a recent post basically 360 degree slam dunks J.Crew right into the garbage can. He's previously broken down why Gap will never return to its previous heights and, now, why J.Crew is in the same boat. While Gap's problems stem from its ubiquity, Lewis thinks that J.Crew might collapse as quickly as Gap has recently. Back when Mickey Drexler, J.Crew's current chairman and CEO, made a name for himself by resurrected the Gap, times were totally different than they are now. Meaning, J.Crew's won't have such an easy road back, assuming they can find one at all.
Lewis believes that sales in today's retail world are not by choice, but by necessity. Brands need to move product to make any money and, to compete with other companies, they have to provide low enough prices. Seemingly aware of this, J.Crew just opened its first Mercantile store, though it's more or less exactly the same as its already outlet-like Factory store, with plans to open even more Mercantile locations in the future. But just because it's not specifically called an "outlet" doesn't mean it isn't one. And we already know how outlets tend to shake out.
J.Crew is currently saddled with the conundrum of being known for its higher-end luxury prices in 2015—some blaming creative director Jenna Lyons for this along with pushing her personal brand too hard—while also simultaneously trying to cut prices to actually move merchandise. You can't have it both ways, J.Crew. A dichotomy like this just doesn't work, especially when you think about these issues from a brand perspective. Because J.Crew has been an American staple for so long, it's hard to imagine it truly going the way of the Dodo, but in a crowded and insanely competitive marketplace like fashion retail, shit can get real fast. I mean, just ask American Apparel.
