Richard Kestenbaum

New York

Partner, Triangle Capital and Contributor at Forbes

We do mergers, acquisitions and equity financings for companies in consumer and retail. Our website is at https://t.co/Y0zoy69OPI

Featured in: Favicon

forbes.com Favicon

yahoo.com

forbes.com.br Favicon

forbesjapan.com Favicon

perishablenews.com Favicon

beamstart.com Favicon

forbesargentina.com Favicon

forbes.com.ec Favicon

forbesuruguay.com Favicon

newsbreak.com + 3 more

Articles

Experts Say Retail Inflation Fears Have Moderated. Don’t Believe It.

2 weeks ago | forbes.com | Richard Kestenbaum

The inflation from tariffs takes time to arrive. gettyThe Wall Street Journal reports that the 2.4% (annualized) inflation in retail consumer prices in May was lower than expected and defies “fears that the impact of President Trump’s tariffs would start to show a rise in prices.”The New York Times says inflation is “muted, with limited effects from tariffs.”Don’t listen. There’s a lot of reasons why the information for May is not indicative of what will happen the rest of the year.
Immigration May Stop But Foreign Brands Keep Coming

1 month ago | flipboard.com | Richard Kestenbaum

Temu Owner PDD’s Profit Nearly Halves as Revenue Growth Slows to Three-Year LowThe results come as PDD faces a major setback to its global ambitions to scale its popular shopping platform The Chinese owner of bargain-shopping app Temu reported sharply lower quarterly profit and its slowest revenue growth in three years as tariff barriers threatened its business and increased …
Immigration May Stop But Foreign Brands Keep Coming

1 month ago | forbes.com | Richard Kestenbaum

The U.S. is the largest and most competitive retail market. Success here brings scale and validation in other markets. Especially in Asia, many consumers aspire to own products that are made by popular U.S. brands. America is often the great unlock for worldwide success and brand growth. While many non-U.S. brands have found success here, they’re in the minority. For most non-U.S. brands, America is more graveyard than goldmine for their worldwide ambitions.
The Retail Mergers And Acquisitions That Can Get Done Now

1 month ago | forbes.com | Richard Kestenbaum

In 2022, a majority of economists we spoke with predicted a recession within a year. But when you talked to CEOs, they all said the same thing: “I don’t see it. Business is good, orders are good, prospects are good.”Now the world’s a different place. Economists are predicting a recession again but the reaction from CEOs is not your 2022 reaction. When you listen to them plan, they talk about cutting marketing budgets and reducing staff.
A Musk-Related Merger Helps Reveal The Future Of AI-Driven Retail

1 month ago | forbes.com | Richard Kestenbaum

Elon Musk recently made headlines with the surprising announcement of a merger between two companies he owns, xAI and X (formerly Twitter). xAI, co-founded by Musk, is known for its artificial intelligence chatbot named Grok. Grok competes with other artificial intelligence chatbots you likely heard of including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google DeepMind’s Gemini, Perplexity and others.
Retail And Consumer Are Hanging On A Knife’s Edge Right Now

1 month ago | forbes.com | Richard Kestenbaum

It’s not hyperbole to say that the retail and consumer industries have never been in as precarious a state as they are in right now. Depending on who you ask, orders for the back-to-school season are nearly done being placed with suppliers abroad. Wholesale orders for the Christmas/Holiday season, which now begins for consumers as early as September, will be mostly complete in the next four to six weeks.
How Retailers Can Respond To Consumer Anxiety On Tariffs, Uncertainty

2 months ago | forbes.com | Richard Kestenbaum

Declining consumer confidence, the resulting consumer hesitation to purchase and the uncertainty surrounding tariffs is adding to pressure on retailers. What to do? While cost increases are inevitable if tariffs come, pricing isn't the only factor influencing consumer decisions. Retailers that invest in smarter strategies — including personalization, technology adoption, and elevated service — can cushion the impact of tariffs while building long-term loyalty.
How Tariffs Are Helping To Clean Out Old Inventory Profitably

2 months ago | forbes.com | Richard Kestenbaum

The uncertainty surrounding tariffs is creating paralysis in retail supply channels. Wholesalers can’t tell retailers what the price of their products will be. That leaves retailers stuck — they can’t place orders and they can’t afford to have empty shelves. A Solution That No One ExpectedAlmost every wholesaler and brand has a problem they don’t like to talk about: old inventory. That’s product that they couldn’t sell or they ordered too much of it and it’s outdated, out-of-fashion and unsalable.
This Fashion Startup Is At The Center Of A $500 Million Fraud Crisis

2 months ago | forbes.com | Richard Kestenbaum

Axios reported earlier this week that fashion tech company Caastle is virtually broke and its founder, Christine Hunsicker, is being accused of financial misconduct, according to Axios’ anonymous sources. Axios says the company told prospective investors that it generated $519 million in 2023 revenue and that the actual number was $15.7 million. If you haven’t heard of Caastle, it presented as one of the most interesting startups in the fashion business.
The New Printemps Store In New York Is Fun

Mar 21, 2025 | forbes.com | Richard Kestenbaum

I was prepared not to like the new Printemps store in New York before I saw it. After all, how did these French retailers think they could just drop into New York, in the financial district no less, and turn sophisticated and jaded New Yorkers’ heads? The U.S. is a tempting market, it’s the largest consumer market in the world but it’s also the graveyard of European brands and retailers who’ve come here to make their business grow.