Market Insights

As a former store owner, avid consumer and general retail junkie, I really get excited when I walk through a store and find myself thinking “WOW! Look at THIS.” More than once, when really excited, the “Wow!” in my head has extended to my mouth, occasionally to my embarrassment, but more often to either agreement from my fellow shoppers or the appreciation from nearby employees.

Tax hikes, minimum wage, and healthcare, oh my.

Some of the details are vague, but businesses and individuals selling items via Amazon.com experienced a generally successful holiday season.

Early results from the most recent reader poll at HBSDealer.com shows that employees with four decades of experience might not be as rare as you might think.

After more than 100 votes were tallied, 37% of readers say the longest-serving employee at their company has worked for 40 or more years.

Sales are up. Is it time to expand? The answer is not as easy as you think. Here are some points to consider on some of the most common ways to expand:

Expanding product lines/service offerings

More than a fifth of the world’s retail sales occurred in the United States this year.

A new study from The Freedonia Group is forecasting global demand for power tools to reach $32.9 billion by 2018, indicating a growth rate of 4.8% per year.

Responding to the Commerce Department's September housing starts data -- up 15% from August -- the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) said tight lending conditions continue to depress the market. 

Nationwide housing starts rose 15% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 658,000 units in September, the strongest pace of residential construction since April 2010.