Shadowing Practice: Why Retailers Are Shrinking Their Assortments - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
85 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Retailers across the board are slashing assortments.
2
You may notice when a product is no longer carried at your favorite store or online.
3
And when companies start talking about it on their earnings calls, you know it's happening at a wider scale.
4
SKUs, or stock keeping units, are unique codes assigned to every product to keep track of inventory.
5
Let's say you want to buy this jacket.
6
Its SKU number might indicate the manufacturer, product type, color, and size, with a series of numbers and letters.
7
Companies like Dollar General, BJ's Wholesale Club, Lululemon, and Under Armour are either planning to cut
8
or have already cut skews at their stores in an effort to improve their financials.
9
But how can intentionally reducing the number of products, and in some cases even intentionally shrinking revenue, ultimately help a business turn things around?
10
amount.
11
Public companies typically want to show investors growth, quarter after quarter.
12
And one of the ways brands can grow sales is by adding more products.
13
But what happens when those products don't sell?
14
Well, it can lead to discounting, which in turn hurts profitability.
15
That product can also end up at off -price stores like TJ Maxx, which can hurt a brand's reputation.
16
If you have zero discounting, you're not taking enough fashion risk.
17
If you're not taking enough fashion risk, why do you exist?
18
And so you absolutely need to discount.
19
But discounting needs to be fixing mistakes.
20
It needs to be done quickly.
21
It needs to be done somewhat invisibly.
22
And then we need to move on.
23
There's a reason I believe the off -pricers are such compelling business models.
24
TJ, Ross Stores.
25
These businesses allow companies, allow big brands to sell product invisibly.
26
When a brand isn't selling its products at full price, that means less profit.
27
It's one of the reasons Lululemon has been struggling lately.
28
From 2024 to 2025, the company grew sales by about $500 million, yet its operating profit fell by about $300 million.
29
The company acknowledged the negative impact of markdowns in recent earnings calls.
30
It said it cut North American SKUs by 15%.
31
You can reduce assortments and then try to make up for that revenue by selling more of your signature items.
32
Or a brand can acknowledge that its revenues need to shrink too.
33
The goal here is to increase the price of your remaining products, in turn selling less of them, but making more profit on each one.
34
Lulu has a long way to go.
35
And simply cutting skews, simply saying we need to have better product is not the answer if you're too large.
36
The absolute best product can still be dilutive if there's too much of it in the market.
37
And Lulu last year did $6 .5 billion of American sales.
38
3 to 4 billion dollars in revenue is where companies generally hit a healthy saturation level.
39
It's a level where they can be large and still cool.
40
Nike is an exception to this rule.
41
One of the reasons why is because of its ability to sell distinctively different brands, like Jordan.
42
While the company doesn't specifically break out its U .S sales, it did around 20 billion dollars in North America in 2025.
43
Nike is in the midst of a massive downturn, and while it's almost certainly not going to bring domestic sales down to that $3 -4 billion level,
44
it's actively working to clean up its product offerings.
45
We made meaningful progress across the business through rebalancing the product portfolio, driving momentum and growth in performance,
46
while reducing classic footwear franchises by more than $2 billion.
47
For big box stores like BJ's and small box stores like Dollar General, the goal of assortment reduction is different.
48
These retailers carry thousands of individual brands
49
so removing certain products is more of a defensive move it simplifies inventory management
50
and allows stores to refine what they're offering from a brand perspective
51
if you were of something the more expensive it can be
52
when you shrink a box when you take a retailer
53
and say i'm going to focus more on curation you're getting smaller
54
but you're trying to re -establish why someone's walking into your box in the first place
55
and so it does get better but it doesn't necessarily help your bottom line as much, it's more protecting.
56
In an earnings call from June 2025, Dollar General said the elimination of 1 ,000 SKUs from the
57
previous year opened up more shelf space for its best -selling products.
58
By March 2026, the SKU reductions reached over 1 ,500 products, which the company said provided benefits to the overall supply chain.
59
The team is looking at continued SKU rationalization, albeit probably more surgical in nature as we move forward
60
but it is still our ultimate goal to grow sales at or above the rate of inventory growth overall.
61
Reducing assortments is much easier said than done.
62
Box stores risk losing customers to competitors with more offerings.
63
BJ's actually acknowledged that a previous attempt to cut SKUs was unsuccessful.
64
We didn't prosecute that opportunity in the right way.
65
We just cut SKUs, which cut sales, and then we added some SKUs back and
66
so really what we're doing is removing unnecessary choice think about traditional soda we don't carry cans
67
and two liters of the same product anymore For individual brands, on the other hand, cutting revenue can be intentional.
68
Under Armour's stock is down significantly over the past five years.
69
Its revenue has also fallen by nearly a billion dollars, and its operating income, a key measure of profitability, has turned negative over the past couple of years.
70
Under Armour shrunk their skews by 25 % over the past few years and plans to cut another 25%.
71
In an August 2026 earnings call, the company acknowledged that its problems would not be solved by chasing unhealthy sales volume
72
or short -term revenue today we're managing for quality fewer products with greater purpose tighter execution
73
and a clearer reason to buy this mandate to the organization is incredibly straightforward real will sell
74
so much more of so many less products at a much higher full retail price under armor feels like it has
75
tried many times it's had multiple fits and starts of acknowledging that it may be a better business as a smaller business, and those are the words that management says,
76
so far in the results, it seems very much a working process.
77
But it's hard.
78
You can't shrink in a half measure because it's very hard to do, and the worst thing you could do is try and give up.
79
Cutting products can also make a brand less accessible.
80
If, for example, you cannot afford to shop at a store paying full price but frequent their clearance section, the company may lose you as a customer as they work to reduce markdowns.
81
And that may be deliberate, despite how difficult it may be to turn away that additional revenue, because your discounted purchase wasn't a very profitable sale for the company in the first place.
82
It's hard for a company ever to say we need to shrink anything, but it's dramatically harder to say we need to shrink revenues.
83
For brands, the more people you get, the less exciting the story becomes.
84
For more people you get, the less specialized the product becomes.
85
And so, so frequently we find that brands hit a peak, a healthy peak, extend past the peak by forcing it, and then find their way back down pretty harshly.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Same Channel
C11
The Race To Power AI Is Reshaping America's Electric Grid
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
How Cheap Mortgages Are Backfiring On Homeowners
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
Watch AI Dock A Boat
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
Why 7-Eleven Failed In Indonesia
University Students
B217
How AI Is Killing The Value Of A College Degree
Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
B21
Why Corporate America Is Spending More On Security
Business EnglishWorking Adults
B22
Inside Bracket22, A Trading Firm Powered By Al Agents
Business EnglishWorking Adults
B24
Why The Airline Business Is Broken
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B21
Why Hyundai’s Investing $26B In The U.S.
Business EnglishWorking Adults
B22
Why Even High Earners Are Living Paycheck To Paycheck
Business EnglishWorking Adults
B24
How Walmart Is Beating Everyone In Groceries
Business EnglishWorking Adults
B25
Inside The Real Estate Rush Behind AI
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B23
How Working For Google, Amazon, And Microsoft Lost 'Dream Job' Status
Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
B27
How Walmart Is Hoping Its New Tech Will Help Shoppers And Employees
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B26
How Chinese EVs Won Brazil — And Left U.S. Automakers Behind
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B22
Why Airline Ticket Prices Are Unlikely To Go Down
Travel EnglishWorking Adults
B21
Where Did Americans’ Savings Go?
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B22
How Chinese Luckin Is Taking On Starbucks In the U.S.
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B26
How Amazon Delivers On One-Day Shipping
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B21
Why Timeshares Aren’t Worth It
Business EnglishWorking Adults
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
B22
131 sentences
Inside Gap Inc.’s Plan To Rewrite Its Story for Gen Z | Behind The Business
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
151 sentences
my low-consumption habits & tips
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C11
64 sentences
Don't think Fed should be hiking here, says 3Fourteen's Warren Pies
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
105 sentences
11 Affordable Menswear Pieces Worth Buying Right Now
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B217
33 sentences
Why “Buy one, get one free” isn’t a great deal
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B213
31 sentences
Why Small Luxuries Thrive During Recessions (The Lipstick Effect)
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B23
78 sentences
Business Ethics Mistakes That Cost Companies Millions
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
111 sentences
🚨 WHY YOU ARE GETTING POORER - Cost Of Living Crisis Accelerates
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B22
144 sentences
If Companies Are Desperate For Workers... Why Can Nobody Find A Job?
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B23
221 sentences
The Stock Market Is Being Used as a Dumping Ground
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
407 sentences
Why The U.S. Can’t Copy Japanese 7-Eleven | AB Explained
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Why Retailers Are Shrinking Their Assortments”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: product, brand, Sku, revenue, sale. This video has 47 sentences and 1233 words to shadow. The speech runs for 7:01. The speaker talks at a natural 176 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| discount noun | /ˈdɪskaʊnt/ | A reduction in price. |
| acknowledge verb | /əkˈnɑ.lɪd͡ʒ/ | To admit the knowledge of; to recognize as a fact or truth; to declare one's belief in. |
| earnings noun | Wages, money earned, income. | |
| inventory noun | /ˈɪn.vən.tɹi/ | The stock of an item on hand at a particular location or business. |
| retailer noun | /ˈɹiteɪlɚ/ | A retail sales company or salesman. |
| reduction noun | /ɹɪˈdʌk.ʃən/ | The act, process, or result of reducing. |
| intentionally adverb | /ɪnˈtɛn(t)ʃənəli/ | In an intentional manner; on purpose. |
| necessarily adverb | /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/ | Inevitably; of necessity. |
| reputation noun | /ˌɹɛpjʊˈteɪʃən/ | What somebody or something is known for. |
| chase verb | /t͡ʃeɪs/ | To follow at speed. |
| solve verb | /sɒlv/ | To find an answer or solution to a problem or question; to work out. |
| lately adverb | /ˈleɪt.li/ | Recently; not long ago; of late; not long since. |
| defensive adjective | /dɪˈfɛn.sɪv/ | Intended for defence; protective. |
| incredibly adverb | /ɪŋˈkɹɛdɪbli/ | In an incredible manner; not to be believed. |
| exception noun | /əkˈsɛpʃən/ | The act of excepting or excluding; exclusion; restriction by taking out something which would otherwise be included, as in a class, statement, rule. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| back down verb | To take a less aggressive position in a conflict than one previously had, or has planned to have. |
| break out verb | To escape, especially forcefully or defiantly. |
| clean up verb | To make an area or a thing clean; to pick up a mess; to tidy. |
| give up verb | To surrender (someone or something); to inform on (someone). |
| move forward verb | To cause to make progress. |
| open up verb | To open. |
| turn away verb | To rotate so as not to face someone or something. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | be done · would not be solved |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have already cut · has also fallen |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 17 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, doesn't, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: reduction /ɹɪˈdʌk.ʃən/, intentionally /ɪnˈtɛn(t)ʃənəli/, reputation /ˌɹɛpjʊˈteɪʃən/, exception /əkˈsɛpʃən/, execution /ˌɛk.sɪˈkjuː.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: intentionally /ɪnˈtɛn(t)ʃənəli/, necessarily /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/, reputation /ˌɹɛpjʊˈteɪʃən/, incredibly /ɪŋˈkɹɛdɪbli/, execution /ˌɛk.sɪˈkjuː.ʃən/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like discount, acknowledge, earnings.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.