Wellness is remaking the evolving retail sector, and a new GWI Initiative will explore the new opportunities, from researching consumer drivers for purchasing wellness-related products and services to identifying the value of creating wellness experiences in both digital and physical retail spaces. The Initiative Chair is Whitney Austin Gray, PhD, SVP of Delos, who has deep experience in the intersection of health and built environment. The Vice-Chair…
A new meta-analysis (49 studies) published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings indicates that yoga practice that emphasizes mental relaxation and breathing techniques can have as much of a positive impact on high blood pressure as aerobic exercise: It results in blood pressure reductions as large as 11/6 mmHg, equal to or exceeding those reported for aerobic exercise training. When yoga didn’t emphasize breathing techniques and…
A recent Los Angeles Times article by Jessica Roy explores how millennials, Gen Z and younger Gen Xers are replacing formal religion with practices such as tarot, astrology, meditation, energy healing and crystals. The author notes they don’t particularly care if you think it’s “woo-woo” or weird. One expert pointed out the trend of people “cooking up their own spiritual or religious stew” is a…
MONTHLY BAROMETER – WELLNESS EDITION Remember “Chimerica”—the notion that China and the US were so intertwined that they would end up forming just one entity? The assumption that the world they created was our inevitable future became so entrenched in the minds of most decision-makers that it became one of the central tenets of the investment world… until it ceased to be. Irrespective of how…
Talking about adaptability and ever-changing business conditions, there is one trend to watch: the way in which the “at-home” fitness revolution is about to squeeze traditional gyms and even upmarket studios. One warning signal: Last year, SoulCycle (upmarket: It charges more than $20 per hour) withdrew its application to launch an IPO, citing market conditions. It hasn’t reinstated it yet, despite many wellness businesses successfully…
People Don’t Care if Their Clothes Are New Anymore – Quartzy, June 28, 2019 Investors: Pay attention! Overall, the idea of “ownership”—clothes, cars, art—is not what it used to be, and, in today’s economy, pre-owned goods are a booming business on the cusp of even more explosive growth. This is shown in particular by the performance of RealReal, a secondhand luxury fashion retailer whose shares…
