Tag: retailer

Ep 39: Department stores need more than touch-ups

What’s going on here? A slew of retail earnings the past two weeks makes clear that while Americans continue to shop, they increasingly aren’t ringing registers at department stores. Department stores turned in disappointing first-quarter results: Sales at Kohl’s fell 3.4% (far steeper than the expected 0.2% drop); Penney’s same-store sales dropped 5.5% (worse than the expected…

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Ep 35: Take It To The Bank

What’s Going On Here? The Bank of England (BoE) followed its US counterpart in keeping the UK’s interest rates unchanged. But despite lowering its economic growth forecast, it may still increase rates later this year. What Does This Mean? The UK’s central bank now think the country’s economy won’t grow at all this quarter (compared with its 0.2% growth prediction in March). A still-uncertain Brexit…

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Ep 26: Tesco Eats It

What’s Going On Here? Tesco (UK’s 100-year-old largest retailer), reported weaker-than-expected sales growth thanks to a rotten grocery market. What Does This Mean? Tesco’s UK sales grew only 0.4% last quarter (down from 1.7% in the previous one). Sales in central Europe fell by 5%. Tesco (like other retailers) pointed to the weather: an unseasonably cold May and the previous hottest-since-records May was a…

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Ep 23: Inditex Shows Its Knees

What’s Going On Here? Inditex (world’s biggest clothing retailer and owner of Zara) – reported a fancy quarterly performance. What Does This Mean? Inditex faced the same challenges as Ted Baker last quarter, whereby unusually cold weather hampered customer demand for its lighter spring wares. Inditex didn’t slash prices to boost sales (it’s got a reputation for rarely discounting). Instead, its industry-leading supply chain…

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