February 1, 2019 Store Tracker Databank Members Weekly Store Openings and Closures Tracker 2019, Week 5: Things Remembered on Verge of Bankruptcy, Williams-Sonoma May Close 80 StoresYear to date in 2019, U.S. retailers have announced 1,678 store closures and 1,399 store openings.
February 1, 2019 Company Earnings Update 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.
February 1, 2019 Company Earnings Update Register for Free Access H&M (STO: HM-B) FY18 Results: Logistics Upgrade Proves a Drag on ProfitsFor 1Q19, the company expects markdowns to be around 1 percentage point lower compared to the year-ago period and expects to see continued improvement in inventory, led by strong collections and increased full-price sales. Net sales for the period December 1, 2018 to January 28, 2019, increased 4% year over year in local currencies. In FY19, the company plans to open around 335 new stores, of which around 240 will be H&M stores. H&M plans to close 160 stores. The company will open new logistics centers outside Madrid and north of London at the end of 2019 or beginning of 2020.
February 1, 2019 Company Earnings Update Register for Free Access LVMH (ENXTPA: MC) FY18 Results: Fashion and Leather Goods Set the PaceLVMH full-year sales rose 9.8% to €46.8 billion. Currency exchange rates adversely impacted full year sales results by (400) bps. Online sales rose approximately 27-28%, to €3.7 billion and now represent 8% of consolidated 2018 revenues. Fashion and leather goods set the sales pace, achieving 15% organic growth in 2018. The Louis Vuitton brand has surpassed €10 billion annually and the fashion and leather goods segment now represents 39% of consolidated 2018 revenues, up from 36% in 2017.
January 31, 2019 Insight Report Premium US Holiday Comparable Sales Update: Department Stores See a Slowing Trend While a Number of Specialty Retailers ShineTwo big-box retailers, Costco and Target, posted strong numbers in the holiday season. Costco reported total same-store sales growth of 6.1% for December, which was below the 9.2% growth posted in November, but ahead of the consensus estimate of 4.8%. Costco grew its e-commerce sales by 13.6%. Target Corporation reported that comparable sales in the combined November and December period grew 5.7%, compared to 5.1% growth in the third quarter of fiscal 2018. Results were driven by positive store comps and comparable digital sales growth of 29%. Target expects that fiscal 2018 will be the fifth consecutive year in which its digital sales will grow more than 25%. Target gave guidance for fourth-quarter comparable sales growth of approximately 5%.
January 31, 2019 Company Earnings Update Register for Free Access eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY) 4Q18 and FY18 Results: Steady Growth, More Returns for ShareholderseBay reported revenues of $2.88 billion in 4Q18, up 6.3% year over year and beating the consensus estimate of $2.86 billion recorded by Bloomberg. GMV was $24.6 billion, up 1% as reported and 2% on a currency-neutral basis. Gross margin increased 31 basis points to 78.5% and operating margin decreased 82 basis points to 23.7%. Non-GAAP diluted EPS increased 20.3% to $0.71, beating consensus of $0.68.
January 31, 2019 Market Navigators/Market Outlook Premium Sector Overview: North American Food Retailers — Cross-Channel Retailing Is Emerging as the Dominant ModelEach Sector Overview report provides an analysis of a particular retail sector or consumer market. This report covers the North American grocery sector, concentrating on the US. Our coverage focuses on supermarket retailers with some discussion of other grocery channels. Mass merchandisers, warehouse clubs and discount stores are covered in a separate Sector Overview report.
January 30, 2019 Flash Report Register for Free Access Walgreens Boots Alliance Bags Over 60 Shopko Stores After Bankruptcy Court Approves BidsGeneral merchandise retailer Shopko filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on January 16, 2019. The company attributed its petition for financial restructuring to “excess debt and ongoing competitive pressures.” The retailer stated it would close an additional 38 stores this year, in addition to the 67 previously earmarked for closure, relocate 20 optical centers to freestanding locations and auction off its pharmacy business.
January 30, 2019 Flash Report Register for Free Access Unilever Expands Home Care Portfolio with the Acquisition of The LaundressOn January 28, Unilever announced it had acquired The Laundress, a premium detergent and fabric care company headquartered in New York. The Laundress was founded in 2004 by Gwen Whiting and Lindsey Boyd after two years of research yielded a non-toxic line of laundry and home cleaning products. The portfolio now includes over 85 eco-friendly products. Unilever said The Laundress will continue to operate from its New York City headquarters and that the two founders will remain in place to lead the business and operate the brand’s flagship store in New York.
January 29, 2019 Company Earnings Update Register for Free Access Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL) 4Q18 Results: Driving Growth Through Acquisition, Innovation and ProductColgate-Palmolive reported net sales of $3.81 billion for the three months ended December 31, 2018, down 2.1% year over year but ahead of the consensus estimate of $3.78 billion recorded by StreetAccount. Group organic sales, which exclude the effects of currency movements, acquisitions and divestments, increased 2.0%. Operating income came in at $900 million, down 3.6% year over year. Gross margin decreased 70 basis points to 59.1% and operating margin fell 36 basis points to 23.4%.
January 28, 2019 Question of the Week Free Report How Big is the Apparel and Footwear Market in the US, China and Western Europe?Question of the Week January 28 2019 – How Big is the Apparel and Footwear Market in the US, China and Western Europe?
January 28, 2019 Insight Report Premium December 2018 Monthly Consumer Update: US, UK and ChinaRetail Sales: The U.S. government shutdown means that December retail sales figure are not yet available. In November, year-over-year growth in retail sales excluding automobiles and gasoline remained broadly stable at 5.1%. In November, grocery store sales were up 3.0% and clothing store sales up were 4.1%; department store sales were down 0.2% year over year.
January 28, 2019 Deep Dive Free Report 10 Retail Trends for 2019: Get Ready for Retail ReinventionGet ready for better stores and better retailing. We expect 2019 to be a year of reinvention — and not just for the retail sector as a whole, but for physical stores in particular. As we outline over the following pages, we anticipate that the year will be marked by spectacular retail, fast retail and smart retail.
January 28, 2019 Flash Report Register for Free Access Super Bowl Retail Preview: US Shoppers to Spend $14.8 Billion on 2019 Game FestivitiesThe biggest spenders are those aged 35–44, who say they will spend an average of $123.26. The lowest are those 65 and older at $40.97. Viewers in the Northeast plan to spend the most, at an average $94.89, followed by the West at $84.01, the South at $79.09 and the Midwest at $69.24 — not surprising given the two teams playing are based in the Northeast and Southwest.
January 25, 2019 Insight Report Premium December 2018 US Monthly Retail Traffic and In-Store Metrics Report: Traffic Recovers After an Early-December LullU.S. store-based traffic and sales declined in December, while the conversion rate declined by 0.7 percentage points, according to RetailNext. ATV grew 3.1%, maintaining its strong showing since October. The rate of product returns climbed significantly, by 1 percentage point, its biggest increase since November 2017.
