SPDR® S&P Retail ETF

Comparing the economic performance with economic expectations and the previous cycles gives investors an idea of whether the economy is expanding or contracting.

For October, service sector activity rose at a pace not seen since the inception of the report. The non-manufacturing index reached a lifetime high of 60.1.

The story behind Macy’s attractive yield Macy’s (M) operates Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s stores. The company’s sales fell between 2013 and 2016. Revenue fell 5% in 2016, compared with 4% in 2015. Online shopping and discount stores have wreaked havoc on brick-and-mortar stores, leading to store closures. Narrowing gross margins and rising impairments, store closing costs, and […]

US Dollar index reaches a 14-month low The US Dollar Index (UUP) continued with its fall as investors preferred major peers. In the week ended July 21, the US Dollar Index closed at 93.78, falling 1.7% from the week prior. It is headed for its fifth consecutive month of loss this year. Conflicting news from […]

China’s economy surprised the markets when it rose 6.9% year-over-year (or YoY) in 2Q17. This rise was the economy’s biggest in the last six consecutive quarters.

The US Dollar Index (UUP) closed at 94.9, depreciating by 0.90% last week.

Lowe’s Companies (LOW) operates 2,129 home improvement and hardware stores in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Intangible assets are nonphysical and nonmonetary in nature, which makes it hard to measure and manage them. They can be worth more to a company than tangible assets.

Dollar General (DG) must maintain an efficient supply chain in order to juggle hundreds of products in over 13,000 stores in 44 states across the United States.

Dollar stores follow a small-box format to maintain low costs. Target customers are typically lower- and middle-income families.

Dollar General (DG) operates dollar stores that offer a variety of inexpensive merchandise, including home products, seasonal products, consumables, and apparel.

In 2Q16, mass merchandiser Target (TGT) reported a 7.2% decline in its top line to $16.2 billion. Target’s 2Q16 revenues were affected by lower traffic and higher variability in sales patterns.

Retracting monetary accommodation on time is crucial as well. This was the chief reason why three dissents took place in the September FOMC.

SuperValu’s stock is currently trading at $5.36, which is 42% below its 52-week high.

Few companies have the kind of ubiquitous presence that 3M Company (MMM) likely does in your everyday life.

Smart & Final stores have a smaller physical footprint than other warehouse clubs and grocery chains, but they offer a larger SKU selection.

Let’s discuss Smart & Final Stores’ (SFS) main strategies regarding pricing, private labels, expansion, distribution, and merchandising.

Despite relying on dealers to sell its iconic tractors for almost a 100 years, Deere & Company (DE) began consolidating its dealer network in the mid-2000s.

Casey’s has a strong, differentiated, low-risk business model. In fiscal 2015, 82% of its stores were in areas with populations of fewer than 20,000 people.

Casey follows both organic and inorganic expansion strategies for its growth. In fiscal 2015, the company opened 45 new stores and acquired 36 stores.

Dollar Tree (DLTR) (XRT) (XLY) is pretty consistent for extracting organic growth from its business, seeing growth in the mid-single digits over the years.

The US food retail industry comprises of store formats that range from small grocery shops and convenience stores to large supermarkets and club stores.

The Fresh Market follows both competitive and differentiated pricing strategies.

As of October 25, 2015, The Fresh Market had 180 stores across 27 states.

Whole Foods has developed the 365 format in order to compete with value-based organic food retailers like Trader Joes and mainstream retailers Wal-Mart.

Signet launched a new collection called Ever Us in October 2015. It’s meant to meet the need for jewelry that represents the bond between two people.

With the increasing focus on health and wellness, the organic food channel has grown at more than twice the pace of the conventional food channel.

Conventional supermarkets make up 65%, grocery and mass merchandisers make up 25%, and natural and gourmet make up 6% of the supermarket industry’s sales.

Walmart (WMT) is a mass merchandiser. It’s the world’s largest retailer. It has over 11,100 stores in ~27 countries. It has a market cap of over $275 billion.

At the end of fiscal 2015, Tiffany had a total inventory of $2.4 billion and inventory turnover of 0.73x, implying potential low sales and excess inventory.

Tiffany & Co. has presences to differing degrees in the Asia-Pacific, Japan, Europe, and Other regions.

Tiffany & Co. is a holding company that operates through its subsidiary companies. The most notable is Tiffany & Company, a jeweler and specialty retailer.

Signet Jewelers’ well-known, exclusive brands aim to influence consumers in their buying decisions. Sterling Jewelers thus provides 32% branded assortments.

Signet aims to advance its vertical integration, including the sourcing and manufacturing of rough diamonds, which should help improve its supply chain.

Organic products are no longer available solely at farmers’ markets and specialty stores but are now available at local and traditional grocery stores.

Whole Foods spends less on advertising and marketing than conventional supermarkets, relying on word-of-mouth recommendations and customer testimonials.

We will do a SWOT analysis for Kroger (KR) and look at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for the company.

Kroger’s (KR) revenue reached an all-time high of $108 billion in fiscal 2015, which ended January 31, 2015, up by 10.3% from fiscal 2014.

In 2013, grocery stores accounted for 90% of the country’s food and beverage store sales, while supermarkets accounted for 95% of the total grocery store sales.

The Kroger Co. (KR) is the largest supermarket chain in the US by revenue, operating 2,625 supermarkets at the end of fiscal 2015, which ended January 31, 2015.

Coty operates in over 130 countries through key distribution channels in both the prestige and mass markets channels.

Nike is expecting sales through wholesalers to grow at a mid- to high-single compounded annual growth rate over the next five years through fiscal 2020.

2Q15 marked the 26th consecutive quarter of positive same-store sales growth for Ross Stores. Its last fall in same-store sales growth was in the 4Q08.

Coty plans to expand with a multipronged strategy that includes digital marketing efforts through websites, brand sites, social networking campaigns and blogs, and e-commerce.

Coty sells its products through a multichannel distribution strategy across several price points in prestige and mass market channels of distribution.

In the last fiscal year, Nordstrom’s revenue growth was 7.7%, a substantial number when compared to its peers.

JCPenney (JCP) sells merchandise and provides certain services to consumers through its department stores. The company also sells its products through its website at jcpenney.com.

Lululemon’s same-store sales performance was healthy in 2Q16. There’s been a reversal in the negative trend that dogged the retailer for much of last year, particularly in its brick-and-mortar channel.

MO’s tobacco business segment consists of smokeable and smokeless tobacco products. The company’s smokeable tobacco companies include PM USA and Middleton.

Over the last five years, Family Dollar was able to generate a five-year CAGR revenue of 7.2%. That looks decent when you look at it alone. But let’s compare it to its peers.