Market Navigators/Market Outlook | February 21, 2019 Premium Sector Overview: Convenience Stores — As Consumers Seek Ever More Convenience, Digitalization PrevailsThe convenience store sector is changing to adapt to consumers who live in an increasingly digitalized world who expect both quality and convenience. E-commerce, hypermarket and supermarket operators are muscling into the space, opening their own smaller retail formats. We expect consolidation as M&A activity continues. Read More
Company Earnings Update | February 20, 2019 Register for Free Access Walmart (NYSE: WMT) Fiscal 4Q19 Earnings: Beats EPS Estimates from Strong Expense ManagementWalmart reported fiscal 4Q19 revenues of $138.8 billion, up 1.9% year over year and in line with the consensus estimate. Total revenues excluding foreign currency effects were $140.5 billion, up 3.1%. Membership and other income was $1.1 billion, down 6.0%. Walmart U.S. e-commerce sales increased 43%, benefiting from strong online grocery sales. U.S. comps increased 4.2%, ahead of the 3.1% consensus estimate. Read More
Company Earnings Update | February 18, 2019 Register for Free Access Unicharm (TYO: 8113) FY18 Results: Revenue Below Consensus, China Remains a Main MarketUnicharm reported FY18 revenue of ¥688.3 billion, slightly below the consensus estimate of ¥689.2 billion and up 7.3% from FY17. Read More
Analyst Corner | February 15, 2019 Register for Free Access WEINSWIG’S WEEKLY FEBRUARY 15, 2019Eight things you need to know about retail in China: Smartphones are key, cash is going away (seriously), shopping festivals are booming, smaller cities are spending – and more. Read More
Company Earnings Update | February 15, 2019 Register for Free Access Canada Goose (NYSE: GOOS) 3Q19 Results: Revenue and EPS Beat Consensus, Raises FY19 GuidanceCanada Goose revenues up 50%, EPS up 64%, revises guidance upwards, plans two new Canada manufacturing facilities, bringing total to eight. Read More
Market Navigators/Market Outlook | February 14, 2019 Premium Sector Overview: Beauty Brands and Retailers — Global Companies are Innovating with Independent Brands to Expand PortfoliosThe $464 billion global beauty industry is seeing independent brands, diversification of traditional retailers, growth in men and children and new channels such as popups, medical retailers and pharmacies. Consumers are looking for “clean beauty” and dermocosmetics. Read More
Company Earnings Update | February 11, 2019 Register for Free Access L’Oréal (ENXTPA: OR) FY18 Results: Highest Comparable Sales Growth in Over a DecadeL’Oréal reported FY18 EPS of €7.08, up from €6.65 in FY17, but slightly below the €7.11 consensus estimate. Total revenues were €26.9 billion, up 4% year over year and above the €26.8 billion consensus estimate. Read More
Insight Report | February 5, 2019 Premium Alibaba vs. Amazon InfographicWe compare the brands and divisions of e-commerce and technology giants Alibaba and Amazon, from devices to content to logistics. Read More
Company Earnings Update | February 4, 2019 Register for Free Access Unilever (LSE: ULVR) FY18 Results: Accelerating Growth to be Priority, Followed by AgilityUnilever reported revenue of €50.98 billion, slightly behind consensus of €51.06 billion and down 5.1% from FY17 due to adverse currency impacts. Organic sales were up 2.9% year over year, driven by strong growth in Asia/AMET (Africa, Middle East, Turkey)/RUB (Russia, Ukraine and Belarus) region, yet slightly below consensus of 3.0%. Unilever noted that gross margin improved 50 bps to 43.6%, but did not disclose gross profit numbers. Operating margin rose to 24.6%, 810 bps above previous year. Unilever grew its underlying operating margin from 17.5% in FY17 to 18.4% in FY18. Diluted EPS increased 61.9% to €3.48. Read More
Company Earnings Update | February 4, 2019 Register for Free Access Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) 4Q18 Results: Beats Consensus Estimates, Guidance Below ConsensusNorth America revenues were $44.1 billion, up 18.3% year over year, posting operating income of $1.7 billion, compared to a profit of $1.7 billion in the year-ago quarter. International revenues were $20.8 billion, up 15.5% year over year, posting an operating loss of $0.6 billion, compared to a loss of $0.9 billion in the year-ago quarter. AWS revenues were $7.4 billion, up 45.3% year over year, posting an operating profit of $2.2 billion, compared to $1.4 billion in the year-ago quarter. Read More
Insight Report | February 1, 2019 Premium Revised Foreign Direct Investment Policy to Rejig the E-Commerce Playing Field in IndiaOn December 26, 2018, the Indian government unexpectedly announced a revised FDI policy for e-commerce. Since 2010, when it first allowed 100% foreign investment in business-to-business e-commerce, international firms such as Amazon set up intricate joint-venture and holding company structures to cleverly navigate the Indian e-commerce landscape. Read More
Market Navigators/Market Outlook | February 1, 2019 Premium Sector Overview: US Apparel Specialty Retailers — Collaborations Are the New NormalIn 2018, U.S. apparel and footwear specialty retailers’ sales totaled $197 billion, according to Euromonitor International, and its analysts forecast sector sales will grow at a CAGR of 3.3% to 2023, reaching $232 billion. Relative to the recent past, 2018’s results were strong. Sportswear and athleisure are driving specialty apparel and footwear sales. We see areas of opportunity in the lingerie and plus-size categories. We expect specialty retailers to continue exploring collaborations, partnerships and global expansion – particularly into China and India. Read More
Event Coverage | February 1, 2019 Register for Free Access World Bank Sees Slowing Productivity and Social Inclusion As Key Challenges for High-Growth East Asia CountriesThe success of these economies has been built on the “East Asian Development Model,” which the World Bank says includes policies and initiatives to promote export-oriented manufacturing, supported by education designed to support economic growth. However, developing East Asia still has some gaps to fill. China’s per capita GDP is only one-fifth the average for high-income economies, followed by Vietnam at just 5% and Cambodia at 3%, according to the World Bank report. When South Korea achieved high-income status in 2000, its labor productivity was 2.5 times higher and its human capital was one-third higher than China’s was in 2018. Read More
Analyst Corner | February 1, 2019 Register for Free Access WEINSWIG’S WEEKLY FEBRUARY 1, 2019Robots: Moving Beyond Warehouses into the Stores and the Streets Robots burst into the consciousness of the retail industry when Amazon acquired warehouse-robot-maker Kiva Systems for $775 million in May 2012. Since then, many other retail companies have followed Amazon’s example and deployed robots in their own warehouses. These robots are not the kind that walk and talk; they’re flat, faceless machines that scoot across a warehouse floor, delivering a shelf of goods to a fulfillment center, where a human packer then completes the order. While many imagine that warehouses and fulfillment centers are already completely automated, most operate using human-machine teams, which are likely the most efficient and cost-effective solution. Read More
Company Earnings Update | February 1, 2019 Register for Free Access Tractor Supply Company (NASDAQ: TSCO) 4Q18 Results: Beats Consensus Estimates, Guidance in Line with ConsensusTractor Supply reported Q4 revenues of $2.13 billion, up 9.2% year over year and above the $2.10 billion consensus estimate. Comps were 5.7%, beating the 3.7% consensus estimate and comprising a 3.0% increase in average ticket and a 2.6% increase in transaction count. All geographic regions and all major product categories had positive comps. Continued strength in everyday merchandise in the consumable, usable and edible categories helped drive comps, in addition to strong sales of winter and other seasonal products. Read More
