Cracking the American market: Dan Cate on the operational realities of retail expansion

On this episode of Talking Shop, I’m joined by Dan Cate, CEO and Founder of SoldThrough.

Dan is a heavyweight retail executive who has spent decades steering the merchandising and digital operations of America’s most iconic retail institutions, from Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale’s to Century 21 and Lord & Taylor. Today, through his platform SoldThrough, Dan helps international fashion brands cross the Atlantic and crack the notoriously brutal U.S. retail landscape.

We’re breaking down his journey from the shop floor to the C-suite, the operational indicators that prove a brand is truly ready for international expansion, and how to navigate a fragmented American market without destroying your margins. We also discuss how to balance localised inventory with central efficiency, and the one non-negotiable metric that tells you a product has found genuine market fit.