Customer Growth Partners

Providing actionable insight to build shareholder value through field-based customer and company research & analysis.

Customer Growth Partners

Providing actionable insight to build shareholder value through field-based customer and company research & analysis.

Customer Growth Partners In The Media

Retail Sales Slow in February Freeze

Fashion stores lost out as overall retail sales fell worse than economists projected, but there could be some hope ahead.

Source: wwd.com/business-news/financial/february-2020-retail-sales-covid-department-store-mall-1234779729/

U.S. Retail Sales Rose Strongly on Stimulus in January

U.S. shoppers boosted spending by 5.3% in January, the first increase in four months, buoyed by recent virus-related stimulus payments.

Source: www.wsj.com/articles/us-economy-january-retail-sales-coronavirus-recovery-11613503145?mod=hp_lead_pos1

Target Is Winning the Pandemic Race

Here’s why and what other retailers can learn from the big-box giant.

Source: wwd.com/business-news/business-features/target-pandemic-retail-winner-1234719937/

Target Corp. Reveals Strength During Holiday 2020

Comparable sales at Target Corp. bucked the coronavirus malaise plaguing most retailers buy notching a gain of 17.2%.

Source: www.forbes.com/sites/sharonedelson/2021/01/13/target-corp-reveals-strength-during-holiday-2020/?sh=4bc66a754623

Amazon Prime Day Tops $3.5 Billion

The two-day event was bolstered by being rescheduled from July to October this year.

Source: wwd.com/business-news/retail/amazon-prime-day-3-5-billion-1234635829/

Big-Box Stores, Worried About Amazon, Were Ready for Coronavirus

Nearly six months into the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S., big-box retailers are emerging as winners while competitors struggle.

Source: www.wsj.com/articles/big-box-stores-worried-about-amazon-were-ready-for-coronavirus-11598273456

New York City Retailers Welcome Back Shoppers but Challenges Loom

Upscale retailers including Nordstrom Inc, privately owned Saks Fifth Avenue and jeweler Tiffany & Co reopened their large New York City flagship locations on Wednesday with reassuring signage and sanitizer stands to calm shoppers worried about the coronavirus pandemic.

Source: www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/06/24/business/24reuters-health-coronavirus-usa-retail.html?searchResultPosition=1

U.S. Retail Sales Rose Record 18% in May

Shoppers opened their pocketbooks in May as states eased coronavirus-related restrictions on businesses and consumers.

Source: www.wsj.com/articles/shoppers-returned-in-may-likely-spurring-increased-retail-sales-11592299802

J. Crew Blues: The Bankrupt Retailer Looks to the Future

With its Chapter 11 filing Monday, the retailer is set to get new owners and a slimmer profile.

Source: wwd.com/business-news/financial/j-crew-bankrupt-madewell-coronavirus-retail-fashion-1203627125/

Neiman Marcus Becomes 2nd Major Retailer to Seek Chapter 11

Neiman Marcus has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the first department store chain and second major retailer to be toppled by the coronavirus pandemic.

Source: www.nytimes.com/aponline/2020/05/07/business/bc-neiman-marcus-bankruptcy.html?searchResultPosition=4

Pandemic’s Crushing Retail Impact: Is There Any Light?

Amid the health crisis, some retailers see pockets of positive shopping online and some enduring post-pandemic trends.

Source: wwd.com/business-news/retail/pandemic-retail-1203553881/

Nebraska mall plans to reopen despite climbing virus cases

An upscale outlet mall near Omaha plans to reopen later this month even as the number of coronavirus cases and deaths continues to grow in the state

Source: www.washingtonpost.com/business/nebraska-mall-plans-to-reopen-despite-climbing-virus-cases/2020/04/14/2524e13e-7e9f-11ea-84c2-0792d8591911_story.html

Retailers, Brands Hitting New Lows Amid Mounting COVID-19 Anxiety

Businesses are hoping online activity increases as people stay home and social distance.

Source: wwd.com/business-news/retail/retail-covid-19-anxiety-1203539774/

Saturday Shopping Sets U.S. One-Day Sales Record, Analyst Says

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-12-23/super-saturday-shopping-sets-one-day-sales-record-analyst-says

Santa Getting Into Gear as Retail Traffic Picks Up

With Christmas nearing, retail sales are gaining momentum.

Source: wwd.com/business-news/retail/holiday-shopping-picking-up-1203401188/

Customer Growth Partners: Back-to-school poised for best growth since 2011

American consumers are ramping up their spending, just in time for the critical back-to-school season.

Source: chainstoreage.com/finance-0/customer-growth-partners-back-to-school-poised-for-best-growth-since-2011

Online surge and long lines mark the start of Black Friday sales

U.S. shoppers hit department stores on Thanksgiving evening and spent $1.75 billion online by 5 p.m. ET as a strong economy and rising wages drove a solid start to the holiday selling season.

Source: www.cnbc.com/2018/11/23/online-surge-and-long-lines-mark-the-start-of-black-friday-sales.html

Edward Lampert’s Plan for Sears: Smaller Stores, Less Apparel

Edward Lampert, who steered Sears into bankruptcy and kept it alive with a $5.2 billion offer for its assets, says he will sell or sublease some of the 425 remaining stores, devote extra space to tools and appliances, and open more smaller stores.

Source: www.wsj.com/articles/edward-lampert-shares-his-plan-for-sears-after-bankruptcy-11550053801

Walmart and Target Push Essential Advantage

The big-box retailers strengthened their leading positions in a retail world turned upside down by COVID-19.

Source: wwd.com/business-news/business-features/walmart-target-essential-retail-covid-pandemic-digital__trashed-1234779226/?cx_testId=5

CGP Forecast: Record Year Ahead for Retail

Customer Growth Partners said despite the pandemic, Americans are “resilient” shoppers.

Source: wwd.com/business-news/retail/retail-2021-forecast-8-1-percent-customer-growth-partners-1234728431/

Christmas Retail Sales Spike for Some, But Not Fashion

Department stores and specialty retailers posted continued sales declines in December, the end of a very tough year.

Source: wwd.com/business-news/financial/christmas-sales-store-clothing-december-nrf-fashion-1234697917/

Black Friday Weekend Meets Modest Expectations in a Swirl of Highs and Lows

E-commerce and hardline sales rose dramatically during the Thanksgiving weekend period, keeping many major retailers on track for mid-single-digit holiday gains.

Source: wwd.com/business-news/retail/black-friday-retailers-highs-and-lows-1234665072/

Business Likes Prospect of Split Government — and More Gridlock

Source: www.bloombergquint.com/politics/divided-government-would-mean-gridlock-and-business-likes-that

U.S. Retail Spending Picked Up Strongly in September

American shoppers boosted their spending on vehicles, clothing and many other goods, a bright spot amid signs the economic recovery remains fragile.

Source: www.wsj.com/articles/us-economy-september-retail-sales-coronavirus-recovery-11602786924

Walmart Announces Membership Service in Attempt to Compete With Amazon

Walmart+ will cost $98 a year to receive free delivery for orders over $35. The company hopes to build on the success of its pickup grocery business.

Source: www.nytimes.com/2020/09/01/business/walmart-plus-membership.html

Apple re-closes some stores, raising economic concerns

Appleâs Friday decision to close stores in four states with surging coronavirus cases highlights a question that other businesses may soon face: Stay open or prepare for more shutdowns

Source: www.washingtonpost.com/health/apple-temporarily-closing-11-stores-because-of-health-risks/2020/06/19/e9f4cf86-b254-11ea-98b5-279a6479a1e4_story.html

US Shoppers Returned With Vigor in May in Partial Rebound

American shoppers ramped up their spending on store purchases by a record 17.7% from April to May, delivering a dose of energy for retailers that have been reeling since the coronavirus shut down businesses, flattened the economy and paralyzed consumers during the previous two months.

Source: www.nytimes.com/aponline/2020/06/16/business/bc-us-retail-sales-1st-ld-writethru.html

Coronavirus Lockdowns Trigger Rapid Drop in Retail Sales, Factory Output

U.S. lockdowns to contain the coronavirus pandemic prompted record monthly drops in retail spending and industrial output, as consumers pulled back sharply on shopping and eating out and factories suffered a sharp drop in demand.

Source: www.wsj.com/articles/coronavirus-lockdowns-trigger-record-spending-drops-on-shopping-eating-out-11589535000

U.S. Retail Crisis Deepens as Hundreds of Thousands Lose Work

Furloughs by Macy’s and Gap will affect the majority of their work forces, and show how the pandemic will devastate many retailers.

Source: www.nytimes.com/2020/03/30/business/coronavirus-retail-furloughs-macys

Macy’s just dealt a big blow to the struggling American mall

Hundreds of American malls are struggling. Their troubles just got worse.

Source: www.msn.com/en-us/finance/companies/macys-just-dealt-a-big-blow-to-the-struggling-american-mall/ar-BBZGx72

Macy’s to Close 125 Department Stores, Exit Weakest Malls

The department-store operator is cutting back in an admission that a fifth of its locations cannot thrive as shoppers buy more online and make fewer trips to malls.

Source: www.wsj.com/articles/macy-s-to-close-125-department-stores-exit-weakest-malls-11580850007

Simon Property Group in Deal to Acquire Rival Taubman Centers Inc.

The combination makes strategic sense to Wall Street, but consumers will have the final vote.

Source: wwd.com/business-news/retail/simon-property-group-acquire-taubman-centers-inc-1203475772/

Sears Plan to Get Out of Bankruptcy Has a Familiar Ring

The retailer says it will do more of what it has been doing in recent years: closing stores and borrowing more money from its controlling shareholder.

Source: www.nytimes.com/2018/10/15/business/sears-bankruptcy-plan.html

Retailers Rejoice: Christmas Shopping on ‘Super Saturday’ Will Likely Beat ‘Black Friday’ This Year. The Reasons Why

With Christmas on a Tuesday, shoppers get an extra weekend before traveling.

Source: fortune.com/2018/12/19/retailers-christmas-shopping-super-saturday-beat-black-friday-2018/

Forecasting 5% Retail Sales Growth For 2019: Johnson

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/audio/2019-02-07/forecasting-5-retail-sales-growth-for-2019-johnson-radio

Strong Economy Can’t Save Macy’s From Retail Shifts

The strong U.S. economy wasn’t enough to give many mall-based retailers a strong year-end boost, as Macy’s and others posted tepid holiday sales, fueling a selloff in retail stocks.

Source: www.wsj.com/articles/macys-lowers-annual-guidance-following-slower-holiday-sales-11547128500

Billion-dollar Bragging Rights, Fashion’s New Benchmark

How many billions does a company need to be taken seriously?

Source: wwd.com/business-news/financial/retail-billion-dollar-club-1203096676/

Holiday Spending Comes Up Worse Than Expected

Government data has been revised to show a bigger December drop.

Source: wwd.com/business-news/government-trade/holiday-spending-worse-than-originally-thought-1203081933/

Holiday Retail To See 5.8% YoY Growth: Customer Growth (Radio)

Annual Retail Sales Forecast Is 8.1%: Customer Growth (Radio)

Holiday Retail To See 5.8% YoY Growth: Customer Growth (Radio)

U.S. Retail Sales Fell 0.7% in December as Covid-19 Cases Rose

Consumers continued to hold back on retail spending during the December peak of the holiday season as the country confronted a surge in coronavirus infections.

Source: www.wsj.com/articles/us-economy-december-retail-sales-coronavirus-recovery-11610676272

Holiday Retail To See 5.8% YoY Growth: Customer Growth (Radio)

Joanne Crevoiserat Marks New Era for Tapestry As Permanent CEO

Crevoiserat, who has been serving as interim ceo since July, is the first woman to lead the fashion company that houses the Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman brands.

Source: wwd.com/business-news/financial/joanne-crevoiserat-named-tapestry-ceo-1234647516/

May Retail Sales Bounce Back 17.7 Percent From April

Still down sharply from a year earlier, retailers started to come back to life last month.

Source: wwd.com/business-news/financial/may-retail-sales-bounce-back-17-7-percent-from-april-1203654327/

J.C. Penney’s Survival: What Are the Odds?

Bankrupt J.C. Penney has a fighting chance to recover in the eyes of some but not all retail experts.

Source: wwd.com/business-news/retail/j-c-penneys-survival-what-are-the-odds-1203634710/

COVID-19 Response: Stores Closed Now May Never Reopen

Retailers are re-examining the criteria for keeping their stores open and are accelerating closings.

Source: wwd.com/business-news/retail/coronavirus-store-closings-1203627955/

âPretty Catastrophicâ Month for Retailers, and Now a Race to Survive

March brought a record sales plunge as the coronavirus outbreak closed stores. A long shutdown could leave lasting changes in the shopping landscape.

Source: www.nytimes.com/2020/04/15/business/economy/coronavirus-retail-sales.html

Coronavirus Pandemic Widens Divide Between Online, Traditional Businesses

The new coronavirus pandemic is amplifying gains for businesses that cater to customers online, while businesses reliant on more traditional models fight for survival.

Source: www.wsj.com/articles/coronavirus-pandemic-widens-divide-between-online-traditional-businesses-11585733402