Tracy Chan's blog

Forever 21 is finally coming to Richmond Center! For all the ladies out there, this is definitely exciting news. Now we don’t have to travel all the way to Metrotown. I’ve been shopping in the States at many different Forever 21 stores and can’t wait to see how this store will be like. Each store I’ve been into are all quite different from each other. I guess that’s a way to keep consumers interested and keep wanting to shop at their store. The way they layout their store is pretty unique. Although they don’t have the most organized way of displaying their clothes and accessories, I would say that they are doing a fairly decent job given that they have so many items to offer. They have many different brands such as Forever 21, Love 21, Heritage, etc. and they each have their own section. So it allows for customers to go to the section they like most and browse through there. One reason why Forever 21 is so popular is because of their price. Many of us out there want to stay on trend but have a limited budget. By offering affordable fashion forward clothing, they have made themselves the head of the retail world. They pretty much self promote themselves when they offer so many trendy pieces at affordable prices. With Forever 21 coming to Richmond Center, I wonder how the other retail stores will survive? Off the Wall is closing down, apparently. And the other stores such as Bluenotes and Sirens seem to be pretty dead too.

Who craves for some ice cream during the Winter season? Not me.

For Susan Soorenko, owner of Moorenko’s Ice Cream, it makes it difficult for her business to survive year round especially during these harsh cold Winter times just outside of Washington, D.C. So how does she continue to sustain her competitive advantage? Well, she offers seasonal flavours as well as custom flavours for consumers. And by “custom” I mean any flavour you can think of! There’s tiramisu, plum pudding, and fruitcake to name a few. Even though I wasn’t craving for ice cream in the beginning, the thought of custom flavours has motivated me to want it now!

Her premium ice cream are also sold in supermarkets, restaurants, and clubs, allowing for convenience to a variety of consumers. Not only has Soorenko thought about product and its distribution, she has also thought about her target market. Who should she be targeting her ice cream to during this time? Kids! Kids don’t care about what the season is or how cold it is, they just want some ice cream. It’s delicious, fun, and in a cone. What’s not to like? Children aren’t the ones spending money, but their parents are. When children want something badly enough, parents are usually willing to fulfill their wants. It’s a smart thing to target to children.

How else can Soorenko increase sales during Winter? Perhaps offering discounts such as buy one get one half off? So far she’s doing a good job surviving in this season, I now scream for ice cream, kids scream for ice cream, do you scream for ice cream?