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Gap Cancels Shipments of Summer Orders and Stops Fall Production due to the Coronavirus Pandemic: Retailers Prepare for the Long Haul

Following the temporary closure of all of its stores from March 19, Gap Inc. is reportedly going to cancel shipments of summer order and halt fall production due to the impacts of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. We outline the measures that the company is said to be taking and consider the wider disruption of the outbreak on retail supply chains.

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4Q19 US Retail Inventory Tracker: Higher Inventory Turnover Due to Solid Holiday Sales and Disciplined Approaches

In our quarterly US Retail Inventory Tracker reports, we analyze inventory trends among those US retailers listed in the Coresight 100. We look at the inventory levels of various retailers in 4Q19 and assess why levels may have changed from the year-ago period. The coronavirus crisis means 4Q trends will not be an accurate guide to 2020, but those retailers heading into the storm with cleaner stock levels will enjoy an advantage over more heavily stocked rivals.

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February 2020 Monthly Consumer Update: US, UK and China

Global consumer markets were buffeted last month as the coronavirus outbreak once limited to one country spread to become a global pandemic. Recent figures show consumer spending took a pounding in China, experienced an uncharacteristic surge in the US and grew in the UK.

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US Store Closures 2020 Outlook: Coronavirus Outbreak Set To Trigger Unprecedented Number of Closures

With a number of temporary store closures already in effect in the US due to the coronavirus outbreak, this report assesses the outlook for physical retail over the remainder of 2020. We compare year-to-date store closure data with 2019 and discuss a potential rise in bankruptcies, which may become a reality for many struggling retailers. We also predict the total number of closures we expect to see in the US in the full-year 2020.

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4Q19 US Earnings Season Wrap-Up

Fourth-quarter 2019 retail earnings show that many companies across the retail industry saw strong growth. However, our coverage of the Coresight 100 reveals that the CPG and department-store sectors bucked this trend, with the latter continuing to struggle. Companies across the board have updated their guidance due to coronavirus disruption in the supply chain and demand in Asia, but we are yet to see updates based on the spread of the virus to the US, with the nation moving closer to lockdown.

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US Off-Price Retail: Two Companies Dominate the Market

Consumer demand remains high for off-price retail in the US. We present the defining characteristics of this typically brick-and-mortar market and discuss the top retailers by US market share—including Burlington, Nordstrom, Ross Stores and TJX Companies, Inc—with two players being particularly dominant. This report also discusses the physical footprint expansion of selected retailers, the role of e-commerce, growing product categories in the market and how traditional department stores are leveraging off-price channels.

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