Retail Innovation Continues To Improve As Budgets And Margin Grow

Over 40,000 attendees gathered at Jacob Javitz convention center in New York City for the annual big show (see Figure 1.) The show kicked off with a keynote from BJ’s Wholesale Club Chairman, President, and CEO Chris Baldwin. Chris conveyed the impact of retail on the economy with $2.6 trillion in US GDP, one third of Americans starting their first job, and one in four jobs in the U.S. Despite the stereotypical grim outlook, Baldwin noted that retailers had 2,000 net new store openings in 2018.