Deep Dive | January 18, 2019 Premium Aldi and Lidl in the US: Aldi Climbs the Grocery RankingsAldi is America’s eighth-biggest grocery retailer by estimated 2018 revenues, according to Euromonitor International. It has grown revenues by an estimated CAGR of 12.7% over the past five years. After a shaky start in the U.S. market, Lidl has diversified into a range of store formats. Lidl is continuing to open stores at a steady pace, and its recent acquisition of the 27-strong Best Market Chain suggests a renewed impetus to grow its footprint in the U.S. Read More
Event Coverage | January 16, 2019 Register for Free Access NRF 2019 Day 3: Hearing About Mission-Driven Brands, China’s Digital Leadership and How Inclusion Can Fuel GrowthOver the course of the day, we heard multiple panelists emphasize that consumers want to know what companies and brands stand for, and not just what they are selling. Companies are increasingly taking stands on social and political issues and we expect this trend to continue into 2019. In 2018, Dick’s Sporting Goods took a stand on gun control; Patagonia has a long heritage of being a mission-driven company and has given over $100 million to support environmental issues including air, water, and soil. The company also announced it would donate all the proceeds of the recent corporate tax cut to entities that combat climate change, saying the environment needed the money more. Read More
Insight Report | January 15, 2019 Premium US Holiday Comparable Sales Growth Results: A Mixed Picture So FarAs US retailers report comparable sales for the 2018 holiday season, we’re seeing a mixed bag of results. Some retailers such as Costco and Boot Barn did well, reporting strong comparable sales growth and beating consensus estimates. Retailers such as Target, Barnes & Noble and Buckle showed sequential comparable sales growth improvement, but not as strong. Comparable sales at Macy’s and L Brands weakened sequentially. Read More
Insight Report | January 15, 2019 Premium New Retail Briefing #1: JD.com and Alibaba RestructureOn December 21, 2018, JD.com announced it would restructure its operations with JD Mall, the company’s main revenue-generating unit. JD Mall will be divided into three business departments, including serving customers; business support services; and, infrastructure control and risk management. JD.com said in its announcement that the new structure will enable it to better focus on customers. JD Mall’s restructuring also aims to diversify its management team and assuage investors that Liu Qiangdong, JD’s founder and CEO, is not the only person driving decision-making at the company. Read More
Event Coverage | January 14, 2019 Register for Free Access NRF 2019 Day 1: The Big Apple’s Big Show Does Not DisappointRich Roll, author and athlete, set the tone for the panel discussion The Wellness Revolution: Consumer Behavior in a New Retail Era, when he outlined what he sees as the secret of success for his podcast. “One reason (it) works is because it is honest and unpolished,” noted Roll. “We are starved for connection and something that is real.” Roll started a health and wellness podcast The Rich Roll Podcastmidlife after spending part of his career as a corporate attorney. Each of his podcasts has an average of 250,000 to 750,000 downloads, and he’s totaled over 50 million downloads. He encouraged retailers to embrace corporate culture that values honesty and integrity. Read More
Flash Report | January 14, 2019 Register for Free Access Alibaba Strengthens Its Presence in Digitalization Consulting with A100 Partnership ProgramAlibaba has grown from simple online marketplace to a digital commerce powerhouse, with operations in sales, marketing, product delivery, supply chain, logistics and data analytics — pretty much the whole nine yards. At an event in Hangzhou, the company announced the launch of a new collaborative program called A100. Read More
Store Tracker | January 10, 2019 Databank Members Reviewing 2018 U.S. and U.K. Store ClosuresIn the U.S., major retailers closed 5,524 stores and opened 3,083 stores during 2018. By sector, apparel specialist stores led the pack with 766 closures; Payless ShoeSource contributed 408 of these closures. 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
Insight Report | January 2, 2019 Premium November 2018 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: wage growth, price changes and retail sales growth. Metrics for November include: Read More
Insight Report | December 24, 2018 Premium November 2018 UK Retail Sales: Unexpectedly Strong NumbersThe Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported surprisingly solid retail growth for November, despite downbeat commentary by some major UK retailers. Read More
Insight Report | December 19, 2018 Premium November 2018 US Retail Sales and Traffic: Retail Sales Growth Slows and Traffic Declines SignificantlyTotal US retail sales including automobiles and gasoline increased 4.0% on a year-over-year basis in November, according to the US Census Bureau. This was slower growth compared to October’s 4.5% year-over-year growth. Read More
Event Presentation | December 13, 2018 Premium 2018 Holiday Homestretch (Planalytics)US 2018 Holiday Homestretch:- Favorable Macro Backdrop Continues 2. Estimate 3%–4% Holiday Sales Growth 3. Early Results Bode Well for Holiday Spending 4. Sales Up, Store Traffic Down & much More Read More
Insight Report | November 30, 2018 Premium October 2018 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: wage growth, price changes and retail sales growth. Read More
Insight Report | November 28, 2018 Premium Singles’ Day 2018: Assessing the Slowdown in Total E-Commerce GrowthAccording to data from China-based data services firm Syntun, the total transacted gross merchandise value (GMV) across various e-commerce platforms on Singles’ Day totaled ¥3 billion ($45.2 billion). Alibaba continued to take the lead in the overall sales in this year’s Singles’ Day, accounting for 67.9% market share. Read More
Insight Report | November 22, 2018 Premium October 2018 US Retail Sales and Traffic: Retail Sales Growth Strengthens and Traffic Decline EasesTotal US retail sales including automobiles and gasoline increased 4.3% on a year-over-year basis in October, according to the US Census Bureau. This was up from 3.8% year-over-year growth in September. Read More
