Arick Wierson

1 month ago | therobinreport.com | Arick Wierson

When I was growing up in the mid-to-late 1970s, a highlight of visiting our family farm in Hamilton County, Iowa, was always stopping by the Happy Chef restaurant in nearby Story City. I still recall the thrill of running toward the towering fiberglass chef, my small hand eagerly reaching for the button at its base. Pressing it brought the chef to life, his booming laughter followed by a playful joke like, “Hey kids! Got room for dessert? Why did the cookie go to the doctor?

1 month ago | therobinreport.com | Arick Wierson

Under the scorching sun of Accra, Ghana’s bustling capital, the second-hand clothing markets pulse with energy. Traders negotiate over towering bales of garments arriving daily from Europe, North America, and Dubai, their contents spilling onto makeshift tables and dusty roads. Some of these clothes will journey across the vast expanses of Ghana’s hinterlands; others will be sent by container trucks and pick-ups as far as neighboring Burkina Faso or Côte d’Ivoire.

1 month ago | therobinreport.com | Arick Wierson

Despite possessing all the hallmarks of a prime market for the Cash & Carry model, Brazil remains an underutilized opportunity for the bulk grocery, hard discount (stores that sell a limited selection of products at rock-bottom prices) format. Cash & Carry, known in Brazil as “atacarejo” (a Portuguese portmanteau of varejo for retail and atacado for wholesale), blends elements of both traditional retail and wholesale shopping.

2 months ago | therobinreport.com | Arick Wierson

A scandal has erupted in Brazil’s elite luxury market, shaking the foundations of one of the country’s most prestigious brands, Tania Bulhões, widely recognized for its luxury porcelain, perfumes, and homeware products. It’s quite a turn for the brand’s steward and creator, Tania Bulhões, who has meticulously cultivated her eponymous luxury empire, crafting an image of exclusivity and prestige, where premium pricing meets a celebration of Brazil’s lush flora and fauna.

2 months ago | therobinreport.com | Arick Wierson

This is a report on Brazilian retail innovation. But first a side trip for some context. Just a few months after earning my college degree in 1994, I embarked on an ambitious journey to Campinas, Brazil, to pursue a master’s degree in Economics at the State University of São Paulo in Campinas, widely known to Brazilians by its resonant acronym, UNICAMP.