Product details

River Bend Trading was a small retail firm located at the Interstate 90 exit to Columbus, Montana. It offered a mix of men and women''s clothing lines with a ''classy, sporty'' look. The owners, Mary Blankenship and Lois Frerck, were equal partners. With annual sales of $425,000 in 2001, Lois and Mary''s concern was cash flow - paying their bills, making a reasonable living, and increasing the value of the business. One vendor accounted for nearly 50 percent of River Bend Trading''s total sales. By January 2002, the business was ''flat lining'' - retail''s typical near death experience in the first quarter when sales were slow; and Lois and Mary were considering how they might reduce their dependency on their primary vendor. Equally important, was the need to improve their relationship with the vendor.