Month of July
Traditional retail continues to show signs of a slowdown in sales or outright store closures in the US. and in Europe. We know that this is clearly due to the penetration of sector giants that have turned 100% to online sales and distribution, creating a merchandising space that nobody was using before or at least not with the scale of giants like America’s Amazon or China’s Alibaba in terms of structure and innovation. For the same reason, it is not surprising that in the US stock markets, the most battered stocks have been those of traditional retailers, but I believe that this trend will not last long: changes are being implemented at an accelerated rate, which I estimate will reduce the gap between offline and online retail in that sector.
Retailers are continuing to close brick and mortar stores this year. In fact, if you think even more stores are closing this year than last year, you would be right. There have been more announced store closings in the first half of the year than closings in all of 2018, according to Coresight Research which tracks news about store closures, openings and bankruptcies.
Global data analytics and advisory firm, Quantzig, that delivers analytics solutions to resolve complex business problems, has announced the completion of their latest merchandising analytics engagement for a leading retail chain. During the course of this engagement, the analytics experts at Quantzig adopted a comprehensive approach to help the client track and analyze factors affecting brand visibility.
This month marks 10 years of an economic expansion in the U.S. that has been seen mostly on Wall Street, less so on Main Street. It’s either tied for or is the longest recovery ever, depending on which economist you speak to, although it may have reached its limit
We’ve heard it ad nauseam at this point, “the retail landscape is changing.” Industry experts have spent plenty of time, and ink, discussing what that means and how it will all play out, but what do consumers actually want to see – and more importantly, expect – in shopping centers 10 years from now? JLL recently surveyed 1,500 U.S. consumers to find out and the results, well, were somewhat surprising.
The first thing you will reflexively do when you open the door of Katie Stack’s shop, Stitch & Rivet, is inhale. The smell of leather will undoubtedly trigger a long forgotten memory. Of curling up in your Dad’s favorite chair. Of hugging someone who always wore a bomber jacket in winter. Of a favorite wallet that, no matter how much it was battered around through daily use, only got more beautiful over time.
Retail buyers are the ultimate gatekeepers. They decide whether your brand gets, and stays, on the store shelf. Knowing how to keep retail buyers happy is essential for your brand’s success and growth. There is simply too much competition in the food and beverage space and too much at stake to gamble on buyer relationships.
Shares of Revolve (RVLV) were soaring on Tuesday. As the quiet period following the IPO has just ended, all but one analyst initiated a buy rating on the stock. Revolve’s success reflects a broader shift in women’s clothing, especially as e-commerce already accounts for 28% of all apparel sales.
The first half of 2019 was gruesome for traditional retailers. And if the first few days of July are any indication, the second half of 2019 won’t be any rosier. Four of the S&P 500 index’s five worst performing stocks in the first half of 2019 are retail companies, according to the Wall Street Journal. For the first few days of the second half of the year, those stocks have continued to drop.
As regulators get ready to scrutinize Big Tech, the companies’ rivals are standing ready to assist. In a letter dated Sunday, a group representing retailers including Walmart, Target and Best Buy shared its own concerns with the Federal Trade Commission, one of two U.S. agencies tasked with antitrust regulation.