From PVH CEO: Retailers must 'plan for the worst and hope for the best' · · CNBC Television
“I consistently said that over the next I prior to this virus that over the next five to six years you would retail is going to go through a monumental change and in two areas consolidation at the retail level and then the supply level grams and retailers I think you would have see that you will see more and more consolidation but also store closures. And I think over time I was anticipating that 20 to 25 percent of stores over the next five years would occur retail square footage just too much in the United States but I think today that five to six years is now we're talking about two to three years and I think it will put there will be winners and losers there will be casualties along the way.”
On , Emanuel Chirico, Former Chairman & Chief Executive Officer at PVH CORP, spoke about retail industry transformation during PVH CEO: Retailers must 'plan for the worst and hope for the best' on CNBC Television.
Emanuel Chirico, former chairman and CEO of PVH, discussed the company's response to the coronavirus pandemic and social justice issues in a June 2020 CNBC interview. He described the U.S. as being "ripped apart by systemic racism" and said PVH needed to improve in recruiting, training, and representation at leadership levels, stating the company would set "meaningful targets" within three months. Chirico also addressed inventory challenges, noting that 2020 would be "a mess" and that the company aimed to manage cash and inventory to be competitive in 2021. He mentioned that PVH had $1.8 billion in liquidity but had implemented furloughs and salary reductions due to shareholder pain. In earlier appearances, Chirico commented on trade policy and business performance. In December 2019, he said tariffs on apparel would result in higher costs for consumers and criticized the uncertainty of U.S.-China trade policy, noting that PVH had reduced its China sourcing for the U.S. from 35-40% to 10-15% over five years. In 2018, he described the business as the strongest he had seen in 25 years, with strong online growth and robust European performance. At a 2019 Concordia College event, Chirico said profitability was necessary for sustainability and that "made in America" was not practical for the apparel industry, arguing the U.S. should compete in high-tech robotics rather than labor-intensive garment production.