Listening and talking to many retailers, most traditional “nonessential” companies report they have lost close to half of their revenue in the first half of this year due to the impact of COVID-19. Given the temporary closing of stores and the slow reopening, revenues will continue to be a challenge, as will cash flow. Current
Retailers are understandably wondering what consumer behavior will look like as the economy opens up again. Will people venture back to stores and restaurants, or will they still be afraid that they could be exposed to the novel coronavirus? Will those who have tried online shopping for the first time during the early days of
For retail companies that sell essential merchandise and remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic, the crisis has created new exigencies that are testing their mettle. With consumer preferences and shopping patterns undergoing sudden and dramatic shifts, stores have had to scramble to meet unprecedented demand, while at the same time doing everything they can to
NEW YORK — The coronavirus pandemic is disrupting the retail industry on multiple fronts. As the disease began to spread in the United States and globally earlier this month, retailers had to deal with interrupted supply chains, sick employees, empty shelves and the possibility that consumer spending in retail stores will plummet as containment efforts
Retailers can expect no letup on competitive pressure in the year ahead. But as they continue to battle across formats and trade classes for market share, at least the economic pie they are fighting over appears likely to keep getting bigger. That is good news for retailers for a couple of reasons. On the political
NEW YORK — As the holiday shopping season gets under way, the latest forecasts suggest that consumer spending will be up this year. But retailers are taking no chances, offering special deals and free shipping to get customers to shop their stores or websites. Walmart announced this month that it is expanding its product assortment
HOUSTON — The storm battering much of southeast Texas since Friday is expected to cost the consumer and retail sectors at least $1 billion in lost sales, according to an initial estimate by Planalytics Inc. “This represents revenue that is lost and will not be made up later,” the Berwyn, Pa.-based provider of “business weather
The recent holiday season turned out to be a pretty merry one for retailers, preliminary figures suggest. And while consumers are shifting more of their shopping to online venues, they also continue to flock to brick-and-mortar stores, and even once again proved willing to fight the crowds to take advantage of Black Friday deals. That
NEW YORK — Retailers expect the Republican Party takeover of the executive and legislative branches of government on January 20 to impact several issues important to the industry, including health care, trade and taxes. As the nation’s second-largest private-sector employer, retailers have closely tracked implementation of the Affordable Care Act over the past six years
NEW YORK — The nation’s retailers and suppliers can take heart from early indications that the 2016 holiday shopping season will bring good cheer. Millions of Americans have already turned their attention to the holidays, according to the Holiday Consumer Pulse Poll from Rubicon Project Inc., a provider of technology to automate the buying and
NEW YORK — Most retailers see online retailing as a critical part of their growth strategy, but that does not mean they can afford to neglect their brick-and-mortar stores. And in recent weeks a number of chains have detailed the sizable investments they plan to make in their physical stores this year. Dollar General Corp.,