Company Earnings Update | January 11, 2019 Register for Free Access Seven & i (TSE: 3382) 9M19 Results: Struggling at Home, Silver Lining in Overseas Convenience StoresJapan-based retailer Seven & i reported net sales of ¥4,110.6 billion for the nine months ended November 30, 2018, up 15.8% year over year. Operating income came in at ¥304.3 billion, up 2.9% year over year. Gross margin on net sales decreased by 200 basis points to 19.6% and operating margin fell by 60 basis points to 6.0%. Diluted EPS was ¥176.53, up 4.7% year over year. Below, we outline the performance of convenience store operations, superstore Ito-Yokado, food supermarket York-Benimaru and department store Sogo & Seibu. Read More
Company Earnings Update | January 11, 2019 Register for Free Access Marks & Spencer (LSE: MKS) 3Q19 Update: A Weak Quarter for Food and Clothing AlikeOn the management call, CEO Steve Rowe noted that the third quarter was “challenging.” He said that “market conditions were tough, particularly in November when footfall and online visits both dropped significantly,” he said. Rowe said the sales growth was in line with the company’s expectations and was “steady” in the first half. The company reduced inventory volumes, resulting in 25% less stock going into the December sale. Rowe pointed to an increase in sales of entry-level clothing products, saying “customers are looking for value, and we’re providing that.” The company lowered prices on 227 food products and stripped out “complex and confusing” promotions. Read More
Company Earnings Update | January 11, 2019 Register for Free Access B&M (LSE: BME) 3Q19 Trading Update: UK Growth Is Hit by a Tough NovemberB&M U.K reported a 1.6% decline in comparable sales, below the 0.9% growth in first half and missing the Street Account consensus of a 0.2% decline. After what the company called a “difficult November,” December B&M U.K. comps strengthened to 1.2%, while U.K. same-store cash gross margin was down in November but bounced back in December. Group sales grew 12.1% year over year to £1.09 billion, slightly above the consensus of £1.08 billion, while total U.K. sales grew 4.5% year over year to £874.5 million. B&M’s Jawoll chain in Germany grew revenues 5.5% at constant currency, while its Heron Foods chain in the U.K. grew revenues 12.6%. Read More
Company Earnings Update | January 10, 2019 Register for Free Access Sainsbury’s (LSE: SBRY) 3Q19 Trading Update: Lower Holiday Promotions Weigh on Top LineDespite the declines, CEO Mike Coupe believes grocery was “solid,” general merchandise outperformed the market and that clothing “performed well” in the quarter. General merchandise sales grew “strongly” over the “key Christmas weeks” (unspecified) and outperformed the market over the quarter — but sales declined in the quarter due to cautious spending by consumers and the company’s decision to reduce promotional activity around Black Friday. Read More
Company Earnings Update | January 9, 2019 Register for Free Access Morrisons (LSE: MRW) Holiday Trading Update: Wholesale Drives Growth; Retail Sales Impacted by Uncertainty£700 million of annualized wholesale supply sales expected ahead of initial end-2018 guidance. £1billion of annualized wholesale sales expected “in due course.” Further £4 million of incremental profit from wholesale, services, interest and online. In the second half, management expects lower costs of both Morrisons.com expansion and accelerated wholesale supply. Net debt will remain at a low level, consistent with the company’s capital discipline and the principles of capital allocation. Read More
Event Presentation | January 9, 2019 Premium Understanding the Asian Retail Market (CES)This presentation describes Coresight’s CORE framework for AI in retail plus eight things we can learn from China. Read More
Market Navigators/Market Outlook | January 8, 2019 Premium Sector Overview: European Retail — Germany’s Shoppers Cut BackApparently alarmed by world events such as Brexit and tariff wars, and in a context of slowly climbing inflation, German consumers have retrenched their discretionary spending. Read More
Company Profile | January 1, 2019 Premium Seven & i Holdings (TSE: 3382) Company ProfileSeven & i Holdings Co. Ltd. was founded in 2005 through the merger of Ito-Yokado Co. Ltd., Seven-Eleven Japan Co. Ltd. and Denny’s Japan Co. Ltd. Headquartered in Tokyo, the company operates retail, food, financial and IT businesses. Seven & i Holdings operates convenience stores, superstores, supermarkets, department stores, restaurants and other operations worldwide. The company had around 21,800 stores of various types in Japan as of Feb. 28, 2018, and around 66,200 stores in other parts of the world as of Dec. 31, 2017. Read More
Company Profile | January 1, 2019 Premium Taubman Centers, Inc. (NYSE: TCO) Company ProfileTaubman Centers is a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT), incorporated in 1973 and headquartered in Michigan. The Taubman Realty Group Limited Partnership is a majority-owned partnership subsidiary of Taubman Centers that directly or indirectly holds interests in all Taubman Centers’ real estate properties. Taubman Centers owns, leases, acquires, disposes of, develops, expands, and manages shopping centers and related interests. Read More
Company Profile | January 1, 2019 Premium JCPenney Company, Inc. (NYSE: JCP) Company ProfileJCPenney operates department stores and via its website, selling family apparel and footwear, accessories, fine and fashion jewellery, beauty products through Sephora inside JCPenney, and home furnishings. The company department stores also offer services such as styling salon, optical, portrait photography and custom decorating. Read More
Company Profile | January 1, 2019 Premium Unicharm (TSE: 8113) Company ProfileUnicharm Corp., founded in 1961 and headquartered in Tokyo, manufactures and sells baby and child care, feminine care, health care, cosmetics, household, and pet care products, as well as industrial and food-packaging materials worldwide. Read More
Company Earnings Update | January 1, 2019 Register for Free Access Next (LSE:NXT) Holiday 2018 Trading Update: Very Weak In-Store Sales; Online Sales Continue to Grow StronglyBritish fashion retailer Next reported an increase of 1.5% in total full-price sales for the holiday period from October 28 to December 29, beating the consensus estimate of 0.4%. Read More
Company Profile | January 1, 2019 Premium Casey’s General Stores (NASDAQ: CASY) Company ProfileCasey’s specifically aims to tap underserved markets in the Midwest by serving smaller communities not covered by large national convenience stores and grocery stores. The company strives to bolster store performance and traffic through digital engagement, its loyalty program and product price optimization. Casey’s is also remodeling stores and making acquisitions to increase its scale and performance. Read More
Company Profile | January 1, 2019 Premium EssilorLuxottica (ENXTPA: EL) Company ProfileEssilor Luxottica is formed by the merger of Essilor and Luxottica, two distinctive and disruptive companies in the vision care sector. Essilor designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of lenses. Its flagship brands are Varilux, Crizar, Transitions, Eyezen, Xperio, Foster Grant, Bolon and Costa. Essilor is also involved in development of equipments, instruments and services for eyecare professionals. Luxottica Group is a designer, manufacturer and distributor of fashion, luxury, sports and performance eyewear. The company operates under two segments—manufacturing and wholesale distribution in addition to retail distribution. Read More
Company Profile | January 1, 2019 Premium Ascena Retail Group, Inc. (NasdaqGS: ASNA) Company ProfileAscena is a specialty retailer offering apparel, shoes and accessories for women and tween girls under four segments: Premium Fashion, Value Fashion, Plus Fashion and Kids Fashion. The company operates approximately 4,600 stores int the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico through the brands Ann Taylor, Loft, Maurices, Dressbarn, Lane Bryant, Catherines, and Justice brands. It also sells online, including anntaylor.com, LOFT.com, louandgrey.com, maurices.com, dressbarn.com, lanebryant.com, catherines.com, and shopjustice.com. The company was founded in 1962 and is based in Mahwah, New Jersey. It was known as Dress Barn, Inc. until 2011, when it changed its name to Ascena Retail Group, Inc. Read More
