Sales

Retail sales inched up 1.2 percent in July as Americans loaded up on electronics

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Families preparing for a virtual school year powered sales of laptops, webcams, headphones and other electronics by 23 percent

Sales of big-ticket items like cars fell in July, as cash-strapped Americans pulled back on many categories of spending.
Sales of big-ticket items like cars fell in July, as cash-strapped Americans pulled back on many categories of spending. (David Zalubowski/AP)
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August 14, 2020

Retail sales grew a disappointing 1.2 percent in July, following two months of sharp gains, raising worries about a renewed wave of economic pain as enhanced unemployment benefits expire for millions of Americans.

Consumers pulled back on big-ticket items like cars, building materials and sporting goods in July, but spent more on food, gasoline, and health and beauty products, according to numbers released Friday by the U.S. Commerce Department. Spending increases were generally modest, with one exception: Electronics and appliance stores saw a 23 percent increase from June as families stocked up on laptops, headphones and webcams to prepare for a virtual start to the school year in many parts of the country.

“Gains were extremely uneven,” Diane Swonk, chief economist at Grant Thornton, wrote in a note to clients. “Retail sales showed signs of slowing in July, which underscores our concern that the rebound is losing momentum.”

Overall consumer spending inched up to $536 billion, from $529.4 billion in June.

The uptick follows two months of surprise growth — retail sales surged a record 18.2. percent in May, and 8.4 percent in June — after steep drop-offs the previous two months. Retail sales fell 8.3 percent in March and 14.7 percent in April.

The pandemic has plunged the nation into the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. And though there are signs that the wealthy have recovered, economists say it probably will take years for the rebound to reach most Americans. More than 30 million people are collecting unemployment benefits, with Black and Hispanic families among those who have been hardest hit by the crisis.

A federal boost to unemployment benefits, which provided an additional $600 a week to jobless Americans, expired at the end of July, leaving millions of households struggling to make ends meet. Lawmakers have yet to agree on what the next stimulus package would include, or when it might take effect. Meanwhile, more than 100,000 small businesses have already permanently closed, and many others have furloughed or laid off huge swaths of their workforce.

“While households are spending, they are anxious about their health and economic well-being, so they are being pragmatic,” said Jack Kleinhenz, chief economist for the National Retail Federation, an industry trade group. “We have to remember that there’s uncertainty about economic policy and that the resurgence of the virus is putting pressure on the fledgling recovery.”

More than 5.2 million novel coronavirus cases have been recorded since the pandemic began in the United States. More than 164,000 Americans have died, including nearly 1,500 deaths recorded Wednesday — the largest single-day count since mid-May.

Analysts say consumer spending patterns have shifted during the pandemic, as more shoppers buy online and rethink their purchases of discretionary goods like apparel, handbags and jewelry. At least a dozen major retailers — most of them mall-based chains or department stores — have filed for bankruptcy since April. Grocery stores, meanwhile, are doing brisk business as Americans increasingly do their dining at home.

Apparel retailers, which typically get a big boost from the back-to-school surge, have seen demand drop in many parts of the country, as parents hold off on buying new clothes and shoes for their children.

“Where shoppers elected to spend their money remains very uneven,” said Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail. “While online apparel is performing very well, visits to clothing shops, especially those located in malls, are extremely suppressed. Impulse buys are down and spending on certain categories, like workwear, has all but been wiped out.”

Vehicle sales, which surged earlier in the summer as Americans bought used cars, dipped 1.2 percent in July. Furniture sales remained flat from June, while spending at building materials and garden stores fell 2.9 percent and dropped 5 percent at sporting goods and hobby stores.

The coming months will be crucial for retailers, analysts say, as they try to make up lost ground during the back-to-school and holiday shopping seasons, which are typically the two largest sales periods of the year.

“A lot is up in the air right now — is school going to be virtual, is it physical, is it a hybrid of the two?” said Marie Driscoll, a managing director at Coresight Research, a retail advisory firm that is predicting that back-to-school sales will slump by as much as 11 percent this year. “Not knowing the answers to those questions makes it hard for both consumers and retailers.”

The Washington Post

July Increase in Retail Sales Continues Recovery from Coronavirus Pandemic

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WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Retail sales continued to recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in July, growing more slowly than the month before but adding to the strong turnaround seen since this spring’s declines, the National Retail Federation said today.

“Retail sales for July were another positive step in the right direction as our economy continues to slowly reopen”

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“Retail sales for July were another positive step in the right direction as our economy continues to slowly reopen,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Americans are showing their continued resilience and willingness to spend in the face of this unprecedented pandemic and government actions to date have clearly supported consumers and the economy in this process. Retailers all across the country have demonstrated that their stores and supply chains can be operated safely and effectively for associates and their customers by following established guidelines and protocols. We encourage Congress and elected leaders at all levels of government to enact policies that support consumers and keep the economy open.”

“Retail sales are starting the third quarter on a solid footing considering the nosedive we saw this spring, but we have to remember that there’s uncertainty about economic policy and that the resurgence of the virus is putting pressure on the fledgling recovery,” NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said. “While households are spending, they are anxious about their health and economic well-being, so they are being pragmatic. The amount of uncertainty about forecasting is huge as we look toward the second half of the year, and what happens with the economy comes down to what the coronavirus allows us to do.”

The U.S. Census Bureau said today that overall retail sales during July were up 1.2 percent seasonally adjusted from June and up 2.7 percent year-over-year. That follows an 8.4 percent month-over-month increase in June. Retail sales have been climbing after a record monthly drop while most stores were closed in April.

NRF’s calculation of retail sales – which excludes automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants in order to focus on core retail – showed July was up 1 percent seasonally adjusted from June and up 10 percent unadjusted year-over-year. NRF’s results are different from the Census Bureau’s figures because of the categories excluded by NRF.

The July numbers were part of a strong trend: NRF’s numbers were up 7.1 percent unadjusted year-over-year on a three-month moving average and up 4.7 percent for the first seven months of the year.

Just over half of retail categories saw month-over-month gains and three-quarters saw year-over-year increases. The biggest monthly gain came at electronics and appliance stores, which are selling more computers for home offices and online learning because of expected school closings, along with more appliances associated with home improvement spending and higher home sales.

Specifics from key retail sectors during July include:

  • Electronics and appliance stores were up 22.9 percent month-over-month seasonally adjusted but down 2.3 percent unadjusted year-over-year.
  • Clothing and clothing accessory stores were up 5.7 percent month-over-month seasonally adjusted but down 19.6 percent unadjusted year-over-year.
  • Health and personal care stores were up 3.6 percent month-over-month seasonally adjusted and up 3.1 percent unadjusted year-over-year.
  • Online and other non-store sales were up 0.7 percent month-over-month seasonally adjusted and up 25.8 percent unadjusted year-over-year.
  • Grocery and beverage stores were up 0.2 percent month-over-month seasonally adjusted and up 12.8 percent unadjusted year-over-year.
  • Furniture and home furnishings stores were unchanged percent month-over-month seasonally adjusted but up 0.5 percent unadjusted year-over-year.
  • General merchandise stores were down 0.2 percent month-over-month seasonally adjusted but up 3.1 percent unadjusted year-over-year.
  • Building materials and garden supply stores were down 2.9 percent month-over-month seasonally adjusted but up 16 percent unadjusted year-over-year.
  • Sporting goods stores were down 5 percent month-over-month seasonally adjusted but up 18.9 percent unadjusted year-over-year.

About NRF

The National Retail Federation, the world’s largest retail trade association, passionately advocates for the people, brands, policies and ideas that help retail thrive. From its headquarters in Washington, D.C., NRF empowers the industry that powers the economy. Retail is the nation’s largest private-sector employer, contributing $3.9 trillion to annual GDP and supporting one in four U.S. jobs — 52 million working Americans. For over a century, NRF has been a voice for every retailer and every retail job, educating, inspiring and communicating the powerful impact retail has on local communities and global economies.

More Temporary Coronavirus Business Closures Turning Permanent, Yelp Reports

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KEY POINTS

  • Only 24% of the businesses that were closed in April had reopened by July 10
  • Permanent closures now account for 55% of all closures
  • Of the 26,160 restaurants and bars that were closed in July, 15,770 plan to stay that way permanently

A Yelp analysis indicated Wednesday fewer businesses are closing temporarily as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, but permanent closures are growing. At the same time, data indicated the number of COVID-19 cases increased as consumer interest in restaurants, bars, nightlife and health clubs rose.

U.S. cases of coronavirus began surging as states lifted restrictions imposed in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, especially in the South and West where instances initially were low in the spring and restrictions were lifted rapidly.

The U.S. has recorded nearly 3.9 million coronavirus infections and nearly 142,000 deaths from COVID-19. Nearly 58,000 new cases were reported Tuesday along with more than 470 deaths.

Yelp reported in April 175,000 businesses had closed because of pandemic lockdowns. As of July 10, that number fell to 132,000, indicating only 24% of those businesses had reopened. And although temporary closures are falling, permanent closures are growing, accounting for 55% of all closures since March 1.

Of the 26,160 closed restaurants and bars in July, 15,770 have closed permanently.

Among retail businesses, 29% of the 26,119 closures are permanent.

“How durable the improvement in retail spending will be is directly related to how widespread the resurgence in COVID-19 cases becomes,” NRF chief economist Jack Kleinhenz said in a press release. “All eyes are on the infections that are accelerating in many parts of the country and they pose a serious threat to recovery.”

Retail sales for June were up 7.5% compared to 18.2% in May, the Census Bureau reported. Restaurant and bar sales for June totaled $47.4 billion, $18 billion under prepandemic levels, the National Restaurant Association reported.

Yelp data indicated the 10 states with the largest increases in COVID-19 cases in June and significant increases in consumer interest in restaurants, bars and nightlife, and gyms were Florida, Idaho, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Arizona, Texas, Georgia, Kansas and Alabama.

Massachusetts, Michigan, the District of Columbia, New York, Connecticut, Maryland, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Virginia and Illinois not only had the largest decreases in COVID-19 cases but showed flat interest in restaurants, bars, nightlife and health clubs.

Yelp said there also has been a shift in consumer trends since May. Interest in alcohol-related activities is up while grocery interest is down. Formal wear and bridal shops also saw growing interest, as is axe throwing, escape games and boxing.

Additionally, there is growing consumer interest in urgent care and emergency rooms.

International Business Times

July retail market: US sales jump 7.5% in June; bankruptcies hit 3-year high

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U.S. retail sales rose more than expected for the second consecutive month in June as the economy reopened, but experts say recovery remains uncertain given the new spikes in COVID-19 cases.

Retail and food services sales jumped 7.5% during the month, surpassing the consensus estimate of economists polled by Econoday of a 5.2% rise.

“June’s numbers show that retail spending is fueling the economic recovery,” Jack Kleinhenz, chief economist at the National Retail Federation, or NRF, said in a statement. “How durable the improvement in retail spending will be is directly related to how widespread the resurgence in COVID-19 cases becomes.”

Meanwhile, nine retailers went bankrupt in late June through mid-July period, including vitamin seller GNC Holdings Inc. and retailer RTW Retailwinds Inc. The year-to-date bankruptcy count has already surpassed the number of filings in 2019 and 2018, according to an S&P Global Market Intelligence analysis.

Retail sales

U.S. retail and food services sales increased in June over the prior month to a seasonally adjusted $524.31 billion, according to a report released July 16 by the U.S. Census Bureau. This follows a revised 18.2% rise in May.

Several U.S. states, especially those in the Southeast and West, began reporting spikes in COVID-19 cases in June. The resurgence has prompted several states to either pause their reopening plans or shutter certain businesses.

The increase in retail sales in June “solidified the recovery that started in May and confirmed the strong — though uneven — snapback in demand,” Lydia Boussour, senior U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, said in a note. “Sadly, the alarming trajectory of the virus nationwide has put in question the sustainability of the recovery in consumption.”

NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said the sales figures are encouraging and “reflect continued progress in the right direction.”

The jump in retail sales was driven by clothing and clothing accessories store sales, which rose 105.1% from May to $17.1 billion in June. Spending at electronics and appliance stores increased by 37.4% during the month to $7.05 billion.

Furniture and home furniture stores registered an increase of 32.5% in sales to $9.58 billion. Sales at gasoline stations rose 15.3% month on month to $33.63 billion, while spending on food services and drinking places jumped 20% to $47.43 billion.

“[W]hile today’s report gives the illusion of a fearless consumer spending lavishly, the reality is more sobering: consumers are increasingly fearful amid new spikes in COVID-19 cases and a looming fiscal cliff,” Oxford Economics’ Boussour said.

Meanwhile, nonstore sales, the category that includes e-commerce, decreased 2.4% to $82.80 billion in June. But on a year-on-year basis, online spending rose 23.5%.

“We do expect online sales to continue their extraordinary upward swing as consumers get comfortable adding more product categories on their online shopping list,” Moody’s Vice President Mickey Chadha said in a note.

Marwan Forzley, CEO of global payments firm Veem, said the “modest” monthly decline in online spending does not come as a surprise. “We are living in very volatile times with heightened uncertainty, which is bound to make some consumers cautious when it comes to spending money,” he told Market Intelligence via email.

Forzley added that the coronavirus crisis has changed the mindset of online spending. “Spending now starts online and is complemented offline as opposed to the pre-COVID mindset of starting the buying process offline first. I think that mindset shift will continue to fuel the relevance of e-commerce, online payments, supply chain payments and global payments at large,” he said.

The U.S. Labor Department separately said Thursday that unemployment claims in the U.S. declined to 1.30 million in the week ended July 11 from 1.31 million in the previous week.

Matthew Eidinger, fintech specialist at Cambridge Global Payments said in a note that the data on both consumer spending and the U.S. labor market should be “taken with a grain of salt,” as the rise in the coronavirus cases stands to threaten state reopening efforts across the entire Southern belt.

“Efforts to rollback economic reopenings could mean a loss of the momentum the economy has built up throughout May and June — prompting another wave of business closures and corresponding layoffs, which could threaten the recovery,” Eidinger said.

Consumer prices

The Consumer Price Index, or CPI, rose 0.6% in June from the previous month, data released July 14 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed.

Prices advanced 0.6% year on year.

The core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, increased 0.2% in June, registering its first monthly rise since February. Food prices rose 0.6% month on month, while energy prices increased 5.1% during the month.

Prices for apparel increased by 1.7% in June versus the prior month. Prices for men’s and boys’ apparel rose by a seasonally adjusted 2.4%, while prices for women’s and girls’ apparel rose by 0.9%.

Bankruptcy

Nine Market Intelligence-covered U.S. retail companies went bankrupt in late June and early July, bringing total year-to-date bankruptcies to 38.

The year-to-date figure now outnumbers the total number of bankruptcies in 2019 and 2018. In 2019, 32 retailers went bankrupt, while 2018 saw 33 companies going bankrupt.

The analysis includes companies with a primary industry classification of retailing, household and personal products, or consumer durables and apparel, and a secondary classification of retailing. Public companies included in the list of companies with public debt must have at least $2 million in either assets or liabilities at the time of the bankruptcy filing. In comparison, private companies must include at least $10 million.

GNC Holdings filed a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 on June 23. At the time of filing, GNC said it is pursuing a dual-path process that will allow the company to restructure its balance sheet via a stand-alone plan of reorganization or a sale of the company.

RTW Retailwinds, which owns apparel retailer New York & Co., filed a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 on July 13 with plans to close most, if not all, of its stores. The company has launched the liquidation process and is evaluating strategic options, including the possible sale of its e-commerce business and related intellectual property.

Last month, RTW Retailwinds ranked 14th out of the 15 retail companies with the highest odds of defaulting within a year, according to Market Intelligence’s fundamental probably of default model.

Apparel brand Brooks Brothers Group Inc., founded in 1818, filed for bankruptcy July 8. The company listed both its assets and liabilities in the range of $500 million to $1 billion. A venture between mall owner Simon Property Group Inc. and apparel licensing firm Authentic Brands Group LLC will provide $80 million in bankruptcy financing to Brooks Brothers, according to The Wall Street Journal.

BHS Foodservice Solutions, which sells restaurant equipment and supplies, on June 26 filed a voluntary petition for liquidation under Chapter 7.

Other companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the period leading up to July 16 include home decor retailer Old Time Pottery Inc.; clothing retailer Lucky Brand LLC; Muji U.S.A. Ltd., which sells clothing, household goods and food items; and Sur La Table Inc., which operates a chain of stores that sell cookware, cutlery, dinnerware and other products.

Employment

The retail sector in June gained about 740,000 jobs, a 5.42% month-on-month increase, to 14.4 million jobs, according to a July 2 monthly report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Employment at clothing and clothing accessories stores increased 35.64% in June to 767,200 jobs. These stores gained 201,600 jobs during the month.

Furniture and home furnishings retailers added 84,200 jobs, up 28.30% from the previous month to 381,700.

Sporting goods, hobby, books and music stores registered an increase of 17.84%, or 65,500 jobs during the month to 432,700 total. General merchandise stores added 108,100 jobs, a month-on-month increase of 3.66%.

Vulnerability

A July analysis of the one-year probability of default scores identified 15 public retailers with scores ranging from 32.2% to 11.8% and corresponding implied credit scores of “ccc-” to “ccc+.”

The calculated one-year probability of default remained unchanged for all of the companies on the list except Merion Inc. and Twinlab Consolidated Holdings Inc.

Merion, which provides health supplements and personal care products, saw its one-year probability of default rise to 32.2% from 31.2% in June. The probability of default for Twinlab Consolidated Holdings increased to 24.7% from 24.2% the prior month.

All the retailers on the list held on to their spots, but Trans World Entertainment Corp. moved up one place to No. 14 after RTW Retailwinds filed for bankruptcy. This change also introduced a new company to the list: Kirkland’s Inc., a specialty retailer.

Kirkland’s on June 4 reported a pretax loss of $27.7 million for its first quarter as the coronavirus pandemic affected sales.

S&P Global’s Fundamental Probability of Default Model provides a fundamentals-based view of credit risk for corporations by assessing both business risk — including country risk, industry risk, macroeconomic risk, company competitiveness and company management — as well as financial risk, such as liquidity, profitability, efficiency, debt service capacity and leverage. For a more thorough review of the model, see the PD Model Fundamentals – Public Corporates white paper.
S&P Global

 

‘Pretty Catastrophic’ Month for Retailers, and Now a Race to Survive

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March brought a record sales plunge as the coronavirus outbreak closed stores. A long shutdown could leave lasting changes in the shopping landscape.

Retail sales plunged in March, offering a grim snapshot of the coronavirus outbreak’s effect on consumer spending, as businesses shuttered from coast to coast and wary shoppers restricted their spending.

Total sales, which include retail purchases in stores and online as well as money spent at bars and restaurants, fell 8.7 percent from the previous month, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. The decline was by far the largest in the nearly three decades the government has tracked the data.

Even that bleak figure doesn’t capture the full impact of the sudden economic freeze on the retail industry. Most states didn’t shut down nonessential businesses until late March or early April, meaning data for the current month could be worse still.

“It was a pretty catastrophic drop-off in that back half of the month,” said Sucharita Kodali, a retail analyst at Forrester Research. She said April “may be one of the worst months ever.”

The resulting job losses continue to mount. Best Buy, which has 125,000 employees over all, said Wednesday that it would furlough 51,000 hourly store workers beginning Sunday, including nearly all of its part-time staff.

And in the months ahead, the question is how quickly spending will bounce back once the economy reopens, and how many businesses will survive until then.

People who lose jobs won’t quickly resume spending once businesses reopen. And those willing to spend may be reluctant to congregate in malls, restaurants and other businesses that rely on face-to-face contact.

Michelle Cordeiro Grant, chief executive and founder of Lively, a lingerie brand acquired by Wacoal last year, said it wasn’t clear how customers would want to shop and “what the new culture of shopping in physical retail will be.”

“Do they want to have a different type of fitting-room experience?” she mused. “Do they want our associates to wear masks and to be offered a mask? What is the try-on situation?”

When demand does rebound, it might come too late for some retailers, many of which were struggling even before the pandemic because of changes in mall traffic and a long-term shift to online sales.

The disruptions from the pandemic may ultimately hand more power to retailers able to continue operating stores during the crisis.

“It’s only going to cause a shakeout of a lot of retailers, and I think long term it just means that some of these big guys get less competition,” Ms. Kodali said. “The less competition they have, the worse they can treat everybody, whether it’s a supplier, a customer or an employee.”

Economists often distinguish demand that is deferred because of a crisis from demand that is destroyed. Retail probably has some of each. Someone who needs a new dishwasher might put off the purchase but will probably buy one eventually. But an office worker who puts off a springtime wardrobe refresh might just skip a year, meaning those sales are simply lost.

“Pent-up demand is what drives recoveries, and the good news there is we will come out of this with some degree of pent-up demand,” said Ellen Zentner, chief U.S. economist for Morgan Stanley. She added, however, that there are “a lot of caveats.”

Apparel retailers, in particular, seem to be preparing for a substantial amount of destroyed demand. Deborah Weinswig, founder of Coresight Research, an advisory and research firm that specializes in retail and technology, said she had spoken with retailers who were preparing for holiday sales to be 40 percent lower than last year.

Gap, which has been trying to rehabilitate its namesake brand in recent years with limited success, said it would continue “aggressively” closing the brand’s stores.

“This crisis will absolutely set a new baseline for what component of the fleet we want to keep,” Katrina O’Connell, Gap’s chief financial officer, said last week on a conference call with analysts and investors.

Clothing stores were especially hard hit in last month’s plunge, with sales falling by more than half. Spending on cars and car parts fell more than 25 percent in March, seasonally adjusted. Sales at gas stations, pushed down by low oil prices as well as reduced commuting, fell 17 percent. The exceptions were grocery stores, pharmacies and other sellers of essential items, which had a surge of demand as consumers stocked up.

Previously, the largest one-month drop in retail sales came in the fall of 2008, when the financial crisis led spending to plunge nearly 4 percent for two straight months. Sales ended up falling more than 12 percent before they began to recover. But as bad as that downturn was, sales never ground to a halt the way they have in recent weeks, said Jack Kleinhenz, chief economist for the National Retail Federation.

“It was a very severe contraction, but the gears of the economy were still working,” he said.

The rebound this time will probably look different as well, Mr. Kleinhenz said. After the last recession, it took a while for consumers to feel that their jobs were secure and that they could resume spending. Now there will be the added hurdle of assuring shoppers of their physical safety.

“The fear can be as damaging to the economy as the disease itself,” he said.

What happens to retail matters to the broader economy. The sector accounts for more than one in 10 U.S. jobs; only health care employs more. Its stores generate billions of dollars in rent for commercial landlords, ad sales for local media outlets, and sales-tax receipts for state and local governments.

If retailers survive and can quickly reopen and rehire workers, the eventual economic recovery could be relatively swift. But the failure of a large share of businesses would lead to prolonged unemployment and a much slower rebound.

Economic policymakers in Washington have been trying to avoid that kind of cascade of business failures. The $2 trillion emergency package passed by Congress and programs announced by the Federal Reserve include government-backed loans and grants to keep businesses afloat.

Those initiatives have gotten off to a rocky start, however, with many businesses reporting difficulty applying for loans.

“They need lifeboats, and the lifeboats aren’t getting out there fast enough,” said Diane Swonk, chief economist at Grant Thornton. “This is a time when speed matters more than bureaucracy.”

John Horrocks closed BlackBird Frame & Art, a custom framing business in Asheville, N.C., because of county orders on March 26 and anticipates it will remain closed through May. Mr. Horrocks, who owns the shop with his wife, is working with a local bank to secure a loan through the federal Paycheck Protection Program, which would help pay the staff until the business reopens.

Mr. Horrocks, 65, said that he expected to make payroll through May “without a problem,” but that “beyond that, it gets very, very difficult.”

A recent survey by a team of academic economists found that two-thirds of small-business owners said they could carry on if the crisis lasted a month, but only a third said they would survive if the disruption dragged on for four months.

“There’s no question that if it goes on for four to six months, it will be catastrophic,” said Edward Glaeser, a Harvard economist who was one of the study’s authors. “For many businesses, almost assuredly the answer will be closure.”

The steep sales drop underscores the huge role that physical stores continue to play within retailing. Even as online businesses at major apparel chains and department stores have gained ground in recent years, they can’t make up for the shuttering of malls and stores.

“We’re going to come out of this having accelerated some of the trends that were already in place,” Ms. Zentner of Morgan Stanley said. “Internet taking share from brick and mortar, that’s going to be accelerated.”

Some chains have recently rolled out contact-free curbside pickup for products. But in the long run, retailers want customers to walk around stores and talk with staff members so that shoppers take “a second bite of the apple” as they browse, said Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners, a retail consulting firm.

In a sign of the industry’s upheaval, J.C. Penney, which has more than 800 stores, did not make a $12 million interest payment due Wednesday and has 30 days before it is considered in default. A company representative said it was a “strategic decision” to forgo the payment after discussions with lenders since last year to strengthen the chain’s financial position. That has become more important with the closing of its stores, the representative said.

For many of the nation’s nearly 16 million retail workers, the standstill has meant a loss of their livelihood, often overnight.

When Mia Lupo showed up to work at Bloomingdale’s in Norwalk, Conn., on March 16, it was clear that nothing was normal. The few customers were mostly making returns or buying sweatpants to prepare for working from home. Workers were worried about their jobs, but also about their safety.

“None of us had any idea what was going on,” Ms. Lupo, 27, said. “We’re just like panicking because we’re all hourly-wage workers. We need the money, but we also don’t want to get sick and we don’t want our families to get sick.”

The next day, Bloomingdale’s parent company, Macy’s, announced it was closing its stores — news that Ms. Lupo learned on Twitter — and it later furloughed nearly all its workers. She is now awaiting her first unemployment payment.

By Sapna Maheshwari and Ben Casselman

NY TIMES

No, Online Sales Aren’t Beating Brick-And-Mortar Retail

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There are three types of lies: lies, damn lies and, apparently, retail statistics.

A recent U.S. Department of Commerce retail report showed non-store sales eclipsed general merchandise sales by a narrow margin in February, a first in the history of the government agency tracking such data. News reports on the data said e-commerce had trumped brick-and-mortar retail for the first time. But hold up, retail experts say. Most peg e-commerce to account for between 10% and 12% of all retail sales, with brick-and-mortar making up the rest. Experts Bisnow spoke to unanimously agreed on the recent wave of triumphant e-commerce headlines: fake (retail) news.  “The best way to explain it is describing your car and only talking about the tires,” JLL Americas Retail President and CEO Greg Maloney said. “It’s a total misrepresentation of general retail sales and zeroing in on something insignificant that doesn’t tell the story in order to glorify a headline.” The problematic reporting stems from how the Department of Commerce labels retail categories. Non-store sales include online sales, but the category also includes other retail sectors like vending machines and mail-order catalogs. General merchandise, despite the widespread-sounding term, is only a portion of brick-and-mortar sales and excludes automobile sales and food and beverage transactions. Comparing general merchandise to non-store sales as a proxy for brick-and-mortar retail to e-commerce transactions isn’t a fair fight. “Non-store sales are not a true measure of pure e-commerce sales,” National Retail Federation Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said. “This just suggests more work needs to be done in better understanding data and what these terms mean.”

The Commerce Department also revises the numbers each month, and there is a good chance the razor thin margin (non-store sales were 11.813% of sales compared to general merchandise’s 11.807% of February retail sales) will change in favor of the brick-and-mortar subset, according to Kleinhanz.  “The way it was reported is misleading, and it makes some people scared,” Bialow Real Estate CEO Corey Bialow said. “By no means are online sales surpassing brick-and-mortal retail sales.”  Bialow, who is the exclusive broker for digitally native men’s suit brand Indochino across the U.S., still estimates about 12% of all retail sales are made online. But he and other retail experts expect the figure to grow in coming years as younger generations gain more purchasing power.  That doesn’t mean the growth will lead to the total demise of brick-and-mortar retail. Plenty of sales made on retailers like Best Buy or Lululemon’s websites were because customers tried the products out in stores first. It just means an omnichannel presence, both online and brick-and-mortar, will be key to courting customers.  “Brick-and-mortar is still an integral part of the online shopping experience,” Bialow said. “Amazon aside, most retail sales are being done by omnichannel retailers.”

The overlooked part of the Commerce Department report is how brick-and-mortar and online sales are converging, according to those Bisnow spoke with for this story. Digitally native brands are expanding into brick-and-mortar venues and vice versa. That movement fuels confusion in the retail industry in how sales get reported.  An omnichannel retailer like Target can easily categorize sales made online and delivered directly to customers separately from an in-store purchase. But experts aren’t as clear on the reporting of purchases made online but that are picked up in-store or when a customer goes to a brick-and-mortar showroom for a digitally native brand like Indochino or Bonobos for a fitting and makes a purchase but the delivery comes from the same last-mile warehouse used for e-commerce sales.  “It’s so cloudy and convoluted that I wish we could get away from all this,” Maloney said. “In the end, it’s all retail sales.”

April 9, 2019 Cameron Sperance, Bisnow Boston

NRF economist sees better days for retailers amid digital reinvention

Posted on by katiecmorgan

The man from Cleveland strolled into a Manhattan shop hunting for two items: an overcoat and an overview. The first would shield him from the chill. The second would provide him even more intel on the state of American retail.

Jack Kleinhenz bagged both.

“I love the social interaction of the stores,” says Kleinhenz, chief economist for the National Retail Federation and principal of Kleinhenz & Associates, a financial consulting and wealth management firm based in Ohio. “It’s entertaining for me. Of course, that’s probably because of my job.

“I like to go in and just observe. On that visit, I tried on a coat and talked to some sales associates. I asked them how things are going, what’s new and how they’re doing.”

What he heard: They’re doing better.

Kleinhenz was in New York to attend NRF 2019: Retail’s Big Show. The industry’s annual, flagship event drew nearly 40,000 people to the Javits Center in January to see, sample and sell the latest retail goods and gadgetry.

In New York, Transform sat down with Kleinhenz to hear his views on the moods of both the sellers and the shoppers.

TRANSFORM: Heading into 2019, how hungry are consumers to spend their money in the stores and online?

JACK KLEINHENZ: The consumer is in a good place.

Financially, many households are in good shape. The ratio of monthly financial obligations to disposable income is still low, equal to what we saw 30 to 40 years ago, (according to the Federal Reserve Board). I think many people generally feel more secure – as far as their jobs and their balance sheets.

More broadly, we have some tailwinds going into 2019. We’re at near full employment. Wages have been increasing. Lower gas prices put more money into people’s hands to spend. And we’ve had some tax benefits, although it will be interesting to see what happens with tax refunds.

NRF chief economist Jack Kleinhenz speaks into a microphone.
NRF chief economist Jack Kleinhenz. (Photo by Jerry Masek)

TRANSFORM: New tech is front and center at NRF 2019: Retail’s Big Show. Which of these technologies have the greatest ability to elevate the retail companies that embrace them?

KLEINHENZ: It’s a great question but it’s hard to measure right now. I am seeing some interesting applications, specifically of AI and robotics.

Among the retail startups here that are using these new technologies, I’d say 15 to 20 percent of these firms could potentially be very, very successful over time.

Just look at what they’re doing. They’re making it easier and more cost effective for the retailer – and they’re making it attractive for the consumer.

TRANSFORM: What does it say to you that so many companies are investing in digital reinvention?

KLEINHENZ: That we’re not standing still.

You know, I love this line from (former racing star) Mario Andretti: ‘If everything seems under control, you‘re not going fast enough.’And if (standing still) is the case, I think those companies have to move and they have to move fast. They can’t stand on their laurels. They can’t continue to operate as they have been.

TRANSFORM: What predictions about the digital revolution in retail have not come true?

KLEINHENZ: A few years ago, people would say: ‘Well, e-commerce is going to take over.’

What have we seen? We’ve seen a lot of convergence between e-commerce and bricks-and-mortar stores. They’re learning how they can be more effective in attracting consumers by having a store presence.

Retail firms are thinking: ‘No matter where I get sales, no matter what channel I get sales, that’s where I’ve got to go. So I have to do multiple channels.’ You’re not going to lose the consumer’s interest in actually going to a store, picking up an item, seeing and using that item in person.”

TRANSFORM: When you shop, what technologies do you use?

KLEINHENZ: I’m a multi-channel user. I go online and look at specific stores.

For successful e-commerce companies, if they can get you to their website, you become more loyal to them. That’s how they’re going to be successful rather than just having a consumer type a certain product into their browser and then seeing what that browser tells them.

For retailers, it’s all about creating that loyalty and that relationship. For me, I am a loyal customer of a number of retailers. I will shop online. But I also go to the stores. In fact, last weekend, I spent all day Saturday shopping with my wife, looking for an overcoat. And I found a good fit at a good price – a good day.”

U.S. retail-sales data go dark at a tough time for investors

Posted on by katiecmorgan
U.S. Commerce Department/Bloomberg

The U.S. growth outlook hangs more than ever on American consumers’ resilience amid stock-market swoons and trade-war tensions, but key data on their spending — the biggest part of the economy — will be missing due to the government shutdown.

Was it a gangbusters Christmas shopping season as forecasts and anecdotal evidence suggested? Were consumers making big discretionary purchases in addition to essential spending as they entered 2019, even as some surveys showed confidence was waning? The answers will have to wait, as December retail sales won’t be released as scheduled Wednesday, Jan. 16, while the Commerce Department remains closed. Failure to reopen soon also would delay personal income and spending data, due Jan. 31.

Together, those reports constitute the most widely watched measures of household consumption, which accounts for about 70% of the economy. The disruptions come at a challenging time: Plunging regional gauges of U.S. manufacturing and business surveys indicate a slowdown in growth, and some big-name retailers have issued warnings about mixed holiday results.

While the solid job market remains a bulwark and consumers are in good shape, more — not less — information is needed to assess if the economy faces bigger-than-anticipated risks, one reason investors are nervous and Federal Reserve officials have emphasized patience in raising borrowing costs.

With no end in sight for the shutdown, a burgeoning concern is that data may not just be delayed, they may also not get collected as normal, Brown said.

For now, investors and analysts will have to rely on a patchwork of data. The Johnson Redbook report showed December sales rose from a year earlier, though it tracks a limited sample of results. The Retail Economist‐Goldman Sachs weekly chain-store sales figures are another source. Other groups provide clues on individual sectors, such as the National Restaurant Association’s monthly index.

Without the government’s retail report, it’s also tough to accurately gauge how consumers are spending on big-ticket items such as cars. Meanwhile, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV’s Chief Executive Officer Mike Manley said he’s “concerned” about the shutdown’s impact on the company’s efforts to introduce crucial new heavy-duty pickups.

The delay in government-issued economic releases “introduces a greater degree of uncertainty, which typically isn’t good,” said Jim Paulsen, chief investment strategist at Leuthold Weeden Capital Management LLC. “It does create some real risk of misinterpretation” as people compensate with other, sometimes partial, sources of information, like a retail CEO’s comments.

The nuances in signals from consumers were evident in executive comments from Kroger Co., America’s biggest supermarket chain.

“They feel incredibly good about the economy but very nervous about where things are headed,” Chief Executive Officer Rodney McMullen said Sunday in an onstage interview at the National Retail Federation’s annual trade show in New York.

Credit-card results from companies including Visa and MasterCard would help fill some of the void. The Fed’s Beige Book release on Wednesday may also provide anecdotal details on spending and other parts of the economy. That’s why some investors are taking the data disruptions in stride.

Bloomberg

“In a world of big data, there are so many other ways to get a view of the consumer than the monthly numbers from the Commerce Department,” said David Sowerby, portfolio manager at the investment firm Ancora, which manages $6.9 billion.

E-commerce sales during the holiday season jumped 16.5% from a year earlier, according to Adobe Analytics, which measured online transactions from 80 top U.S. retailers.

No instruments

Still, companies depend on broader economic data to make investment decisions, and without it they’re “to a degree, flying without any instruments,” said NRF chief economist Jack Kleinhenz.

The Commerce Department’s monthly data are crucial to get a bigger picture because about 90% of retail sales come from small businesses, he said. Recently, several large publicly traded retailers such as Macy’s Inc. and Kohl’s Corp. provided discouraging updates.

“It was disappointing news, but I don’t know how pervasive that performance was,” Kleinhenz said.

The trade association itself is somewhat in the dark until the government releases the data. Without official numbers, “we can’t provide our final report this week either” on holiday spending, according to NRF spokeswoman Ana Serafin Smith.

US retail stocks on track for biggest sell-off since 2008

Posted on by katiecmorgan

Investors turn negative in spite of bullish Christmas sales forecasts

Shares in US retailers are on course for their biggest quarterly sell-off since the financial crisis, putting the sector at the sharp end of Wall Street’s mounting concerns about the global economy and President Donald Trump’s trade wars. In a sudden reversal of the cautious optimism that had crept in this year over the industry’s ability to cope with the ecommerce revolution, S&P’s index of 95 leading listed retailers has dropped 17 per cent so far this quarter.

The market downturn has gathered pace just as the festive shopping season gets into full swing, in spite of a series of upbeat predictions about Christmas sales. Jack Kleinhenz, chief economist at the National Retail Federation, has nudged his forecast for the holiday period higher after commerce department figures on Friday showed core retail sales surged in November by the most in a year. Investors said the sell-off, which puts the sector on track for the steepest quarterly decline since the final three months of 2008, reflected worries about gathering storm clouds for retailers next year. Luxury, middle market and budget retailers have all been hit hard. S&P 500-listed losers include upscale jeweller Tiffany, down 36 per cent for the quarter so far, and mass market chain Target, off 23 per cent. Concerns include retailers being forced to shed stock at hefty discounts, in part because they have accelerated shipments through ports to avoid being subjected to higher tariffs, which the Trump administration has since put on hold. Chad Kessler, global brand president at American Eagle Outfitters, said rivals were still being “pretty promotional” since the Black Friday sales. “It seems like a lot of retailers have kind of maintained their Thanksgiving week promotions through the month so far,” he said. Even companies thought to have successfully weathered the rise of Amazon have been caught up in the rout, including electronics retailer Best Buy, which is down 30 per cent. The sell-off has erased all gains from earlier this year, when investors drove a rally in retail stocks on signs that a strong US economy and tax cuts were helping bricks and mortar companies deal with the online threat. “People went from saying the mall is dead to the mall is back with a vengeance,” said Simeon Siegel, analyst at Instinet. “The reality is that it never died — but it was also never as healthy as people thought.” The US economy remains robust and Mr Kleinhenz now anticipates retail sales for the season to come in at the high end of the National Retail Federation’s previously issued forecast of a year-on-year rise of 4.3-4.8 per cent.

However, Michael Arone, chief investment strategist at State Street Global Advisors, said: “Investors are concerned more about the longer-term outlook for retail — and the broader structural trends, such as the shift online.” Weak economic data from Europe and Asia — figures on Friday showed retail sales in China grew at the slowest pace in 15 years in November — have meanwhile added to fears about a global downturn. Analysts also pointed to concerns that trade tensions would force US retailers to either risk volumes by raising consumer prices or absorb higher costs themselves, especially if higher tariffs were implemented next year. Executives have sought to reassure investors that they can minimise the impact on profits. Jack Calandra, chief financial officer of men’s clothing company Tailored Brands, said last week it was halving the proportion of products it sourced directly from China from 30 per cent to 15 per cent. Shares in Amazon have dropped 20 per cent for the quarter so far, paring its market capitalisation to $778bn. S&P’s Select Retail Index is equal-weighted, meaning the decline in Amazon’s stock has not had an outsized impact.

Alistair Gray

Financial Times

Retail Pundits Reveal Key Spending Themes This Holiday 2018 Shopping Season

Posted on by katiecmorgan
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(Getty Images)

A lot of people will shop for the holidays! And they’ll buy online! And they will look at their phones a lot, too!

Duh.

It’s that time of year again, folks, when we retail reporter types can sometimes spew breathless pronouncements on the sometimes not-so-revelatory predictions pundits make on the make-or-break holiday selling season, when merchants generate a disproportionate chunk of their annual sales.

Here’s some predictions worth noting. Let the games begin.

Feeling Financially Flush, Consumers Will Spend More Than They Have In Five Years

The National Retail Federation expects holiday retail sales in November and December — excluding automobiles, gasoline and restaurants — to rise between 4.3% and 4.8% over 2017, for a total of  $720.89 billion. The forecast compares with an average annual increase of 3.9% over the past five years.

“The combination of increased job creation, improved wages, tamed inflation and an increase in [consumers’] net worth all provide the capacity and the confidence to spend,” the NRF’s chief economist Jack Kleinhenz said, in a statement.

Online retail will be the most popular shopping destination, with 60% of consumers planning e-commerce gifting this holiday season, according to a Deloitte survey.

An estimated 57% of holiday dollars will be spent online, eclipsing in-store purchasing, which is forecasted to account for 36% of consumer spending.

More than 70% of shoppers surveyed noted free shipping, while two-thirds cited time savings and home delivery, as the key reasons they’ll buy online this holiday, the survey found.

Of the nearly 50% of consumers who plan to use their smartphones to shop this holiday, 67% plan to use mobile to make a purchase, up from 57% last year.

Mass merchants are the second most popular venue for holiday shoppers (52%, up from 44% in 2017). Traditional department stores and off-price retailers round out the top-four shopping destinations.

Fewer Baubles And Blouses, More Brunches And Broadway Shows

Over the last five years, U.S. consumers have diverted more of their holiday budgets to experiences such as home entertaining and socializing away from home, which now represent 40%, or $611, of  survey respondents’ planned holiday budgets, the Deloitte study found.

While physical gift purchases, from clothes to household appliances, still dominate holiday purchases, they’re down trending. The number of shoppers who plan to buy a product has dropped 11% from 2017, according to Accenture. By contrast, shoppers planning to buy an experience or service-geared gift, from a meal out and a concert ticket to a cleaning service, rose 5%.

Millennials Will Be The Biggest Spenders, Practicing Conscious Consumption

An estimated 49% of younger Millennials plan to spend more this holiday than in 2017, while only 13% of their Baby Boomer counterparts expect to spend more than they did a year.

And Generation Y’s shopping venues will reflect their belief system. For example, 54% of younger Millennials said retailers have a duty to address broader social and political issues, such as diversity, be it gender, ethnic or disability inclusion, and they will reward merchants that do just that: 51% of younger Millennials surveyed are more likely to shop at a retailer that demonstrates awareness of these issues, the Accenture study found. “Our research suggests that younger Millennials are more likely to choose one brand over another if that brand demonstrates inclusion and diversity in terms of its promotions and offers, their in-store experience, their product range, and their environmental awareness,” said Jill Standish, senior managing director and head of Accenture’s retail practice, in a statement.

I’ve been a business journalist specializing in the retail industry for over a decade, covering consumer news, company profiles and industry analysis pieces, as well as the intersection of business news and shopping, fashion and social trends.

I was the retail and con…

Barbara Thau
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