The Wall Street Journal reports that “Thomas Stemberg, founder of the office superstore giant Staples Inc., (which) helped pioneer the concept of category killers,” now plans to “bankroll a new generation of specialty retail chains with small footprints and narrower focuses” by creating “a new $300 million venture-capital fund to invest in retailers.”
- KC's View:
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I love these two quotes from Stemberg:
• “Most categories have been killed.”
• "The predominance of our opportunity will come from America becoming more and more segmented in its demographics. Many needs aren't being met."
Which mean, I think, that the real winners in the future will be the companies that see consumer opportunities in new and unusual ways, creating and recognizing needs rather than just responding to the obvious.
Makes sense.
