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US Retail’s Updated Gift Card Guidelines: Accounting for Breakage and Bankruptcy

US retailers witnessed a surge in gift cards sales in 2020. We discuss how US retailers account for gift cards under the updated revenue recognition model issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). We cover how retailers record sales and redemptions of gift cards, as well as the two methods of accounting for unredeemed gift cards under FASB’s Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 606 update. We also explore retailers’ liabilities toward gift card holders in the event of bankruptcy and liquidation.

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The New Value Retailers: Online Marketplaces Challenge Brick-and-Mortar Budget Formats

The value retail sector is expanding beyond traditional brick-and-mortar budget formats (including discount variety retailers such as dollar stores) with the emergence of online value marketplaces. We see the growth of these e-commerce platforms as presenting challenges to predominantly offline retailers in the value retail sector. We discuss the key online players, with a focus on the US, the UK and China.

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Earnings Insights 4Q20, Week 3: Walmart and CVS Health Remain Strong, While L’Oréal Sees Recovery

Our weekly Earnings Insights reports feature highlights from recent management commentary at major US retailers as they report fourth-quarter 2020 earnings. This week, there are highlights from companies that reported in the week ended February 21—namely, beauty brand owner L’Oréal, drugstore retailer CVS Health and mass merchandiser Walmart.

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US Consumer Tracker: Where Are High-Income Consumers Cutting Spending? (Full Report)

Our latest survey report provides a detailed update on US consumers’ behaviors, concerns and expectations, with a focus on the implications for retail. This week, we explore consumer spending on different categories by income level. We present findings on what activities consumers have done in the past two weeks and what product categories they had purchased in-store and online in the past two weeks. Our consumer survey was undertaken on February 15.

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Coresight Research x Blue Yonder Retail Insights: US Retailers Prioritize Local Sourcing While Consumers Demand Faster Delivery

Coresight Research and Blue Yonder conducted two surveys in early January 2021 to understand US retailers’ strategies around local sourcing and the impact of Covid-19 on US consumers’ shopping behaviors. We discuss our findings in this report, including insights into the degree to which retailers’ perceptions and strategic priorities are aligning with consumer expectations in the current environment.

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