Open to New Opportunities

Actor Denzel Washington said luck is when an opportunity comes along and you’re prepared for it. When Ensemble IQ presented me with the opportunity to join the Store Brands team, I felt fortunate but was also ready to accept a new challenge.

There are many things about my new position that excites me. Working with a great group of people tops the list. But a close second is the opportunity to once again cover retail. Before embarking on my journalism career, I spent my college years working at Stern’s Department Store in stock and receiving. It was a great job that served as a foundation for what was to come.

For 15 years, I was on the editorial team at HomeWorld Business. There, I covered retail along with a host of home and housewares product categories. Prior, I worked for a niche publication on Long Island that covered military exchanges and commissaries. 

When I started at HomeWorld in 2001, the retail world was much different. Kmart and Sears were, well, Kmart and Sears. Amazon was best known for selling books, social media was not yet a thing and the thought of something such as a smartphone was still very much fictional. 

In the 21 years that followed, we saw some seismic shifts across retail. Among these is the continued growth of private label product collections across all categories as chains large and small sought to differentiate their assortments. 

If there is one constant about retail and consumer product goods, it’s change. Retailers are constantly looking for the next great product and suppliers are always willing to meet this challenge. 

As I join Store Brands, it’s important to know that our focus remains unchanged. We will continue providing the latest industry news, reporting on what’s happening, and also letting you, our loyal readers, know the significance of the news and how it may impact your business.

In the coming weeks and months, you’ll also see us enhance how we present industry news. As we put those plans in place and launch new initiatives, you’ll be the first to know. 

But we also want your feedback. Great ideas can come from anywhere, and the more input we receive from you, or customers, the better Store Brands will be. You can reach me at [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you.