Holiday Bites: Holiday-Season Inventory-to-Sales Ratios Lag Pre-Pandemic Levels

• Although US retail inventory-to-sales ratios have increased in 2022, they have yet to match pre-pandemic levels, according to the US Census Bureau.
• For the holiday season specifically, the average inventory-to-sales ratio was 1.44 in pre-pandemic 2019 and has steadily dropped since.
• The overall figures conceal that some retailers are inundated with stock due to a gross imbalance in expected demand and delayed receipts of merchandise for prior seasons.

As part of our 10-week Countdown to Holiday 2022 series, we assess the impact of the supply chain crisis and excess inventory issues on major US retailers this holiday season. Click the image below to read the full report.