Retail | Wholesale | Food | Beverage 2025: MURRELL, JERRY
As a young student in Michigan, Murrell’s academic struggles prompted a warning from a nun at his Catholic school: He would end up flipping burgers. It took a few years, during which he earned an economics degree from the University of Michigan, worked in life insurance, got married twice and had five sons. But eventually […]
Retail | Wholesale | Food | Beverage 2025: MURPHY, KEVIN
Murphy got his start in the plumbing industry working summers at his father’s business, Midwest Pipe and Supply, which was purchased by Ferguson in 1999. A plumbing and heating products distributor with about 35,000 employees, Ferguson reported $29.6 billion in net sales in 2024. The company made its Fortune 500 debut this year at No. […]
Retail | Wholesale | Food | Beverage 2025: WOODFIN, JACK
Woodfin’s parents, John and Anne, started Woodfin Heating in 1977 to sell heating oil, growing it into one of the largest privately held HVAC-related businesses in Virginia. A Virginia Military Institute and University of Virginia Darden School of Business alum, Jack Woodfin began working with his parents in 1995 as a retail manager. He took […]
Retailers misjudge shopper priorities, loyalties amid rising costs, said Rakuten report
More than half of consumers say they plan to prioritize products with the lowest prices when shopping in the coming months, while only 5% of retailers think shoppers will choose to trade down to lower quality products and less expensive brands.
The retail experience
Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar on Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall entertains its Tea Club members with monthly tastings, while nearby New Dominion Bookshop offers story times and “Friday Night Writes,” an event featuring emerging writers. And about a mile north at McIntire Plaza, outdoor gear and clothing consignment shop High Tor Gear Exchange has hosted outdoor equipment […]