Madrid - what retail crisis? Amid a major retrenchment by American companies such as Gap Inc., J. Crew Group Inc. and Nordstrom Inc., one player continues to defy gravity: Zara. And the rapid-fire design-and-production system that has allowed the Spanish giant to outpace rivals is now giving it a powerful platform to succeed online, an outlet that has confounded its lumbering rivals.

What if manufacturing came back to the U.S., and there weren't enough people to fill the jobs?

How do U.S. executives view the future of manufacturing?

Walk into a Sears these days, and you'll see an icon of American retailing collapsing before your eyes.

Amazon.com Inc. just put another crack in the foundation that underlies traditional retail.

With its tidy racks of dress shirts, trousers and sweaters, the Ministry of Supply shop on Boston's Newbury Street looks, in many ways, similar to other clothing stores.