Insight Report | February 21, 2019 Premium A Look into Starbucks’ Mini App on Taobao and Alipay: All Services in One Lite App As the Companies Deepen Their CooperationStarbucks steps up digital efforts in China, working with market giants Alibaba and Tencent’s WeChat as upstart Luckin Coffee nips at its heels. Read More
Flash Report | February 21, 2019 Register for Free Access Sainsbury’s-Asda Merger In Doubt: Is It Time for Sainsbury’s to Refocus?On February 20, 2019, the CMA published its provisional findings on the merger of Sainsbury’s and Asda, indicating that it could be a bad deal for consumers, through “a poorer shopping experience, and reductions in the range and quality of products offered.” The commentary was a shot across the bow for Sainsbury’s, which is effectively acquiring Asda, and throws the deal into serious doubt — driving down Sainsbury’s share price some 15.5%. Read More
Market Outlook | February 21, 2019 Premium Sector Overview: Mass Merchants — Dollar Stores Expand, Mass Merchandisers Digitalize and Costco Widens Its Lead Among Warehouse ClubsAs store closures resume in earnest in 2019, dollar stores are bucking the trend, expanding rapidly. Look for technology to be a deciding factor in the coming years as brick and mortar companies integrate online and offline offerings. 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
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
Flash Report | February 13, 2019 Register for Free Access Ocado’s First Fully Automated Distribution Center Destroyed by Fire, Threatening Confidence in Its Robotics OfferingFire devastated UK online grocery retailer and technology provider Ocado Group’s first robotic distribution center in Andover, England, which handled 10% of total capacity. Read More
Insight Report | February 12, 2019 Premium New Retail Briefing #3: Walmart China Eyes Retail Innovation; A.S. Watson and Unilever Agree to New Retail PartnershipsWalmart China launched the Omega8 initiative in January 2019 to serve as a proof of concept (POC) platform that lets tech startups test newly designed technology applications in a real retail environment. Walmart reported over 50 startups signed up for the initiative. Walmart will train these companies in a variety of retail operation skills. Walmart said its existing 400 offline stores in China will act as testing grounds for startup technology before rolling out to mass market. This Omega8 initiative shows Walmart’s ambition of leveraging tech startups for its own digital innovation, and understanding of the Chinese market. Ben Hassing, Senior Vice President of Walmart China said, “Walmart has worked with many technology startups not only to propel our business in China, but also to understand the Chinese market and China in greater depth.” 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
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 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. 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
Company Earnings Update | January 29, 2019 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%. 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
Deep Dive | January 28, 2019 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. Read More
Company Earnings Update | January 25, 2019 Register for Free Access Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) 4Q18 Results: Sales Slow, New Strategy to Guide GrowthThe personal care segment reported sales of $2.2 billion, down 2% year over year, and operating profit of $436 million, down 11% due to higher input costs and operating expenses as well as currency exchange effects. Higher sales volumes drove North America sales, increasing 4% year over year, driven by growth in Pull-Ups training pants, GoodNites youth pants and Depend adult care products. Developed markets outside North America saw sales decrease 4% while net selling prices dropped slightly. Read More
