I’m going to italicize some statements from Wall Street Journal articles and comment on them below.

First image that popped up when I searched "Lane Bryant"

First image that popped up when I searched “Lane Bryant”

“He says some 40% of American women wear size 14 and above.  The plus size market in the US account for roughly $9 billion in revenue and is expected to grow strongly through 2019, according to IBISworld Inc.”

I found it somewhat haunting that with all the facts surrounding obesity that a marketing company is predicting that the plus size market will continue to get stronger over the next 4 years.

 

 

kenya-tribesmen-phone-490x250Less than 20% of Africans use the internet.  However, the continent’s youth are increasingly getting online, creating an enormous potential market.  {On taxi drivers} they also both take cash and payment via cellphone in a country where fewer than 3% of people have credit cards but more than 90% have mobile phones.  

This article was going over Uber’s expansion into Africa and the challenges for safety and payment.  If only 3% of people have credit cards, new payment methods are needed.  The general thought in Kenya is that civilians will not get into cars with people they do not know.  Other services are hiring known commodity drivers to compete with Uber.

 

 

Skechers was quite happy when Meb won the 2014 Boston Marathon

Skechers was quite happy when Meb won the 2014 Boston Marathon

Skechers accounted for 5% of the sports-footwear market…moving past Adidas AG’s 4.6% as well as the 4% notched by Asics and New Balance.  Nike Inc… accounts for 62% of athletic shoes sold in the US.  Most of Skecher’s growth has come from its walking and casual footwear segments.  

I knew Nike was big but wasn’t exactly aware of how big.  Skechers also doesn’t strike me as an athletic shoe so the 5% also surprised me.  I can’t really see myself ever trying a pair of Skechers running shoes but call me close minded.