Insight Report | March 25, 2019 Premium February 2019 UK Retail Sales: Fragmented Sectors Drive Strong Total Growth, But Core Sectors Show SoftnessThe Office for National Statistics reported a strengthening of retail growth to 4.0% year over year in February 2019, supported by a 3.5% increase in volumes. Read More
Insight Report | March 19, 2019 Premium February 2019 US Monthly Retail Traffic and In-Store Metrics Report: Traffic Decline EasesUS store-based traffic and sales declined in February, while the conversion rate grew 0.4 percentage points. Average transaction value (ATV) grew 1.8%, slower than the 5.5% growth reported in January. Read More
Insight Report | March 15, 2019 Premium February 2019 US Same-Store Sales: Costco Comps Decelerate, Buckle and Cato Comparable Sales FallIn February, Costco’s same-store sales growth showed a sequential slowdown. The company posted accelerated growth in e-commerce comparable sales. Adverse weather conditions, holiday shift and forex currency fluctuations negatively impacted Costco’s performance. Read More
Insight Report | March 14, 2019 Premium Insights from China: Slowing Growth, Further Opening of China’s Economy, and Demands to Accelerate the Digital Transformation — Key Points from China’s “Two Sessions”In our weekly series Insights from China, we curate ongoing developments to distill what international brands and retailers need to know about China to succeed in the country. We cover areas such as policy, consumer behavior, consumer sentiment, government regulations and the competitive landscape – as they affect international companies selling to Chinese consumers or looking to enter the market. Read More
Insight Report | March 13, 2019 Premium January 2019 US Retail Sales: Retail Rebound, Supported by Strong Sales at Home-Improvement StoresTotal retail sales excluding fuel and automobiles increased 3.7% year over year in January, growing substantially from the revised 0.1% year-over-year decline reported for December. Read More
Insight Report | March 7, 2019 Premium January 2019 Monthly Consumer Update: US, UK and ChinaEach month, we round up key metrics that reflect consumer demand in the US, the UK and China. In these updates, we focus on direct, leading indicators of the health of the consumer economy. Read More
Insight Report | February 22, 2019 Premium January 2019 US Monthly Retail Traffic and In-Store Metrics Report: Post-Holiday Fatigue and Inclement Weather Drive Underwhelming January TrafficAll regions posted sales and traffic declines in January compared to the same period last year. The Midwest registered the largest year-over-year decline in traffic of all regions at 17.5%, owing to severe weather conditions. With warmer and wetter conditions, the South experienced the lowest decline, at 5.8%. The Midwest also recorded the largest year-over-year in-store sales decline among all regions, down 16.8%, whereas the West, which enjoyed warmer and drier conditions, reported the smallest decline, down 1.4%. 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
Insight Report | February 18, 2019 Premium January 2019 UK Retail Sales: Solid Growth for Grocery and ClothingJanuary was a solid month for the core sectors of grocery and clothing, though the substantial department stores/mixed-goods retailers sector turned negative; the latter may not surprise watchers of John Lewis’s weekly sales figures, which ranged from meaningfully negative to mildly positive across most of January. Read More
Insight Report | February 18, 2019 Premium December 2018 US Retail Sales: Year-Over-Year Growth Slows to Just 1.0% as Most Sectors Experience a Sluggish DecemberOur measure of core retail sales is non-seasonally-adjusted sales excluding gasoline and automobiles. This metric increased by just 1.0% year over year in December, slowing dramatically from the growth in preceding months, including a 5.2% uplift in November. This resulted in total holiday-period sales coming in at $693 billion, up by just 2.9% year over year. Read More
Insight Report | February 12, 2019 Premium January 2019 US Same-Store Sales: Costco Misses Consensus, L Brands Comps DeclineCostco’s January comps misses expectations but e-commerce continues to shine Read More
Market Outlook | January 31, 2019 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. Read More
Flash Report | January 30, 2019 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. Read More
Insight Report | January 29, 2019 Premium New Retail Briefing # 2: Alibaba Steps Up Partnerships, NetEase Kaola Opens Flagship StoreAlibaba launched the “A100 Strategic Partnership” program in January 2019 to help partner brands digitalize by giving them access to resources within its ecosystem so participating brands can access Alibaba services in 11 areas to enhance online-offline business integration. Alibaba will also assign a dedicated team to serve each participating brand. Read More
Flash Report | January 29, 2019 Register for Free Access Legacy UK Retailers Tesco and Marks & Spencer Think Radically to Expand Margins and Revive Revenue GrowthIn a press release on January 29, Tesco confirmed plans to close fresh-food counters in around 90 stores, with 700 further stores retaining a “full or flexible” counter offer. It will also simplify stock management at store level, close store canteens and make job cuts at its head office. The company estimates that up to 9,000 roles could be impacted but it expects up to half of these people could be redeployed. Read More
