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On July 6, 2009. By Fran, under Industry News.
Top 100 Retailer’s Annual Revenue: July 2008-2009
1. Wal-Mart – $405,607,000
2. Kroger – $76,000,000
3. Costco – $72,483,020
4. Home Depot – $71,288,000
5. Target – $64,948,000
6. Walgreen – $59,034,000
7. CVS Caremark – $48,989,900
8. Lowe’s – $48,230,000
9. Sears Holdings – $46,770,000
10. Best Buy – $45,015,000
—————————————————- Top Ten
11. SUPERVALU – $44,564,000
12. Safeway – $44,104,000
13. Rite Aid – $26,289,268
14. Macy’s – $24,892,000
15. Publix – $23,929,06400
16. McDonald’s – $23,522,400
17. Ahold – $21,830,000
18. Delhaize America – $19,239,000
19. Amazon.com – $19,166,000.
20. TJX – $18,999,505
21. J.C. Penney – $18,486,000
22. 7-Eleven – $16,681,000
23. Pilot Travel Centers – $16,500,000
24. Kohl’s – $16,389,000
25. Alimentation Couche Tard – $15,583,000
—————————————————- Top Twenty Five
26. H.E.B – $14,647,680
27. Gap – $14,526,000
28. Meijer – $14,321,000
29. Staples – $14,153,851
30. Toys “R” Us – $13,724,000
31. Love’s – $12,450,000
32. Dell Global Consumer – $11,529,000.
33. Yum! Brands – $11,279,000
34. Valero – $10,528,000
35. Dollar General – $10,457,668
36. Starbucks – $10,383,000
37. Office Depot – $10,353,398
38. BJ’s Wholesale Club – $10,027,366
39. Army Air Force Exchange – $9,900,000
40. Apple Stores/iTunes – $9,655,000
41. A&P-Montvale – $9,516,186
42. Limited Brands – $9,043,000
43. The Pantry – $8,995,626
44. GameStop – $8,805,897
45. Quik Trip – $8,640,300
46. Nordstrom – $8,573,000
47. RaceTrac Petroleum – $8,000,000
48. Whole Foods Markets – $7,953,912
49. Travel Centers of America – $7,658,379
50. Menard – $7,500,000
—————————————————- Top Fifty
51. Winn-Dixie Stores – $7,340,000
52. QVC – $7,303,000
53. Darden Restaurants – $7,223,000
54. Bed Bath & Beyond – $7,208,340
55. Dillard’s – $6,988,440
56. Family Dollar – $6,983,628
57. Giant Eagle – $6,749,103
58. Verizon Wireless – $6,697,000
59. Aldi – $6,633,500
60. AutoZone – $6,522,706
61. Ross Stores – $6,486,139
62. Hy-Vee – $6,200,000
63. Defense Commissary Agency – $5,800,000
64. Albertsons – $5,367,185
65. Blockbuster – $5,287,900
66. Foot Locker – $237,000
67. Advance Auto Parts – $5,142,255
68. Barnes & Noble – $5,121,804
69. Save Mart – $5,100,480
70. Pet Smart – $5,065,293
71. AT&T Wireless – $4,925,000
72. Trader Joe’s – $4,896,000
73. Sherwin-Williams – $4,834,897
74. Wegmans Food Markets – $4,668,480
75. Big Lots Columbus – $4,645,283
76. Dollar Tree Stores – $4,644,900
77. Casey’s General Stores – $4,687,895
78. Neiman Marcus Group – $4,600,536
79. Luxottica Retail – $4,549,459
80. Susser Holdings – $4,239,883
81. RadioShack – $4,224,500
82. Dick’s Sporting Goods – $4,130,128
83. Sheetz – $4,106,700
84. WinCo Foods – $4,000,000
85. OSI Restaurant Partners – $3,962,857
86. OfficeMax – $3,957,000
87. Bass Pro Shops – $3,930,000
88. Michaels Stores – $3,817,000
89. Roundy’s Supermarkets – $3,788,262
90. Stater Bros. Holdings – $3,741,254
91. Harris Teeter – $3,664,804
92. Raley’s – $3,659,488
93. Brinker International – $3,628,594
94. O’Reilly Automotive – $3,576,553
95. Burlington Coat Factory – $3,542,000
96. Abercrombie & Fitch – $3,540,276
97. Belk – $3,499,423
98. Collective Brands – $3,442,000
99. Wawa – $3,395,700
100. Williams-Sonoma – $3,361,472
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On June 22, 2009. By Fran, under Industry News, Tech Talk.
At a time when supermarket profits remain slow because of rising labor and energy costs customer shopping has changed. Popular supermarkets around the country are forecasting for new lower-price campaigns.
In-store promotions, coupons, BOGO (buy one get one free) have hit the isles full throttle as the looming economy has not lifted its hold on purse strings. Household budgets tighten as smart shoppers watch for national-chain coupons and sales.
Ralphs, Vons, Albertsons, Kroger, Safeway and Supervalue have all jumped into action trying to forgo short-term plans to build longer relations and better customer service through promotions and discounts. National-brand food manufacturers are working with grocers by cutting their own prices to gain buying power. National brands have been targeted as thrifty consumers have turned to store-brand, the old standby no-frills as famous maker products are just too expensive.
Offering deep discounts and coupons on maker brands is all triggered to bring the consumer back to what they are accustom to, before the economic slide. Common foods and goods are the most discounted that has been seen so far. Staples such as breads, dairy, baby food, lesser cut meats and produce will get the most attention for racking up the sales.
The dollar store concept has finally come to the grocer. More & more Dollar Days, Saturday Specials and the like have become common ground among leading supermarkets. The iconic Sunday circular has gotten larger, bolder with more to clip, cut and redeem.
There was a time when the supermarket was a Mecca for in store freebies like china or collecting a set of canisters with weekly stamps, holiday bucks and more. This brought people back each week or month, and was enjoyable, making grocery shopping fun.
All this sounds good for the consumer and just might get even better. Competition has grown strong among theses food giants, all ready with a new plan on just how to keep their local weekly fans.
Moreover, with sales and completion outdoing the other, restaurant sales have dropped as consumers have skipped restaurant trips to make more meals at home.
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On June 4, 2009. By Fran, under Industry News.
Grills, big screen televisions and many other toys that Dad’s only dream about have gotten a head-start this year. Father’s Day advertisements and sales has been an aggressive push for retailers for this summer holiday.
Consumers are expected to spend $9.4 billion on gifts for Dad, or an average of $90.89 per person, down very slightly from $94.54 last year. That is not too bad considering the economic slump has affected gift giving over the past twelve months.
Consumers spend an average of $123.89 dollars or $14.1 billion on Mother’s Day as Father’s Day generally lacks behind with fewer sales every season. Not to say good old Dad is on the back burner or less important- Mom’s are just easier to shop for. With bulk of sales going toward floral senders, spa and personal care items and a slew of cutesy bric-a-brac, Father’s Day is usually the same- tie’s, cuff links, a wallet or his favorite aftershave.
Facts & sales
Handy pops who tinker with home improvements bring $522 million.
Hip Dad’s and their video games/electronics rake in a whopping $1 billion.
For the savvy man of the house, gift-cards represent a total of $1.2 billion
Four out of ten will spend Father’s Day on restaurant, brunch or dessert themed function.
Seven out of ten people will purchase a card from a drugstore or large chain stationary shop.
Dad may be the hardest of all to shop for considering the fact that he has everything already. Everything, not in material bulk like a new fishing rod or a plaza TV, but stuff one can’t shop for.
Gifts like wisdom, life experience, patience, war stories, a whole lot of understanding and plenty of criticism to boot. If we can’t give in sometimes, like say Father’s Day and tell him he is always right, then that may be the most perfect gift of all!
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On May 22, 2009. By Fran, under Industry News.
As the end of the school year approaches, seniors everywhere will toss up caps in glory of the ultimate teen experience, graduation.
That’s why it makes sense for retailers to try to get a piece of the graduation action, since it’s a $3.9 billion enterprise, according to the National Retail Federation. That estimate for this graduation season is down from $4.37 billion a year ago, as consumers count their pennies.
Not to damper all the pomp with economic circumstance, this year graduation will still serve up plenty of back yard barbecue’s, pool parties and basic affairs rather than formal, in-house catered events. Formality for graduation has taken a backseat to more economical ways to celebrate with family and friends.
“The high school senior year is a very important year, because it’s the end of childhood and the beginning of adulthood”
Wouldn’t keys to a new car be the ultimate gift for junior as he sets off for college? Not this year son, but on a positive note, retailers such as Hallmark cards, Things Remembered specializing in personalized items and jewelry chain locations offering keepsakes still hold presence.
All together these items might not seem like a huge margin as gift cards and personal checks dominate, but still carry enough market power for this annual summer tradition.
A Retailers’ Trade Association study showed the appeal of cash is practical and needed in tight times, especially for the younger set.
Maybe a new lap top for college, career clothes for the office or helping Mom & Dad toward tuition fees. Those monetary presents will no doubt come in handy and not leave much left over this year for extracurricular activates-beer.
But hey, that’s the breaks, kid.
Along with those prized cash rewards for all the hard work and endless hours of homework, this year comes with another one, a real reality check…
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On May 20, 2009. By Fran, under Industry News.
If this blundering economy hasn’t done enough already, conflicting reports seem to always be on the top of the list. Retailers are expected to open 4,000 stores in the U.S. this year and close 3,600. Chains expected to open the most stores include Walgreen’s, Dollar General and CVS. Closing up shop, has been Bed Bath & Beyond, Circuit City and Fortunoff’s.
If all 4,000 stores are opened, store-opening activity will still be down 39 percent compared to 2007 levels.
Retailers in pet supply, dollar store, warehouse club, drugstore, grocery store and discount categories are projecting the biggest gain in stores this year while retailers in the electronics, jewelry, apparel and office-supply categories expect to see the biggest loss in store counts.
Those planning to open the most U.S. stores this year include:
- Walgreen’s (540)
- Dollar General (450)
- CVS (275)
- Dollar Tree (235)
- Family Dollar (200)
Some merchants who have either folded or are downsizing considerably:
- Circuit City (567)
- Steve & Barry’s (252)
- Jones Apparel (225)
- Blockbuster (150)
Having spent Saturday afternoon at my local mall, I noticed just how many empty storefronts stood blacked-out & baron. An eerie echo of bustling shoppers who once darted across from shop to shop, now only have to go past one or two of these darken stalls to see the dismal reality of the economy.
Let’s hope some-four odd thousand shops do open to much success & longevity, but just how much pet supplies, paper clips and industry size toilet paper can one shop for, before being a tad self-indulgent becomes discounted.
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On May 18, 2009. By Fran, under Industry News, Tech Talk.
The “EDI Label” commonly known as a UCC-128, and now re-branded GS1-128, has always been a natural extension of the EDI process. It provides a link between the digital EDI transaction and actual physical carton or pallet. This link becomes critically important to your trading partner in order to expedite the receiving of goods and the routing to their final destinations. It won’t take long to find out just how critical the integrity of these labels is when you are suddenly bombarded for invalid labeling. If your trading partner has to suffer by manually handling your shipment they will literally make you pay.
The defined layout of this label is almost standard from trading partner to trading partner but there are always exceptions. These special requirements are one of the biggest challenges that the suppliers of the retail industry faces. The format of the label will fit on a standard 4″ wide by 6″ tall label stock. The different sections of the label are often referred to as zones. Your average label will always have zones for the ‘ship from’ and ‘ship to’ addresses along with carrier details.
The main key element is the SSCC-18 (serial shipping container code) commonly located in the bottom zone of the label. This is the code that gets transmitted in the EDI Advanced Ship Notice and can be used to reference the contents of the cartons. Another frequently seen zone containing a barcode on the label is the store number. This aids in the routing of the package once it arrives at a distribution center. There are some trading partners that have unique requirements. There are cases where they have asked for item specific information such as size, color and type. Additional barcoded information is sometimes also requested, such as a purchase order number or UPC number.
As a client support manager, I have seen first hand the common errors that my customers face on a day to day basis. One issue that has shown itself regularly is the reusing of SSCC-18 numbers. Most trading partner will not allow you to duplicate a shipment number within a year to avoid obvious confusion during receiving. There have also been occasions where the customer, after creating their ASN and producing their labels, need to make a change to the shipment and recreate their ASN and often forget to generate new labels with the updated carton numbers. Since there is no link between the physical box and the ASN transaction anymore, the ASN becomes useless and will most assuredly result in chargeback’s.
It is very important that your EDI system be capable of managing labels so that your process runs smoothly from beginning to end.
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On May 7, 2009. By Fran, under Industry News.
Big Love, Less Gifts: Mother’s Day Softer Sales
According to NRF’s 2009 Mother’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, Americans will spend an average of $123.89 per person, compared to last year’s $138.63. Total Mother’s Day spending is expected to reach $14.10 billion, which is slightly more than Easter.
Of the four in five Americans (83.3%) who will celebrate Mother’s Day, most people (62.4%) will purchase gifts for their mother and stepmother or wife (21.7%) and scale back on gifts for daughters (8.8% vs. 9.4% in 2008), friends (6.8% vs. 7.1% in 2008) and godmothers (1.6% vs. 2.1% in 2008) in order to save some money.
Retailers understand that people are on strict budgets, even for important holidays. Budget-friendly gift ideas will abound this Mother’s Day but less than the usual for this holiday.
The breakdown of Mom’s gift giving:
$1.9 billion in floral sales
$2.7 billion for special outings such as dinner or brunch
$2.4 billion on jewelry
$1.5 billion in gift card sales
$1.2 billion on apparel
$1.1 million for spa and personal services
$857 million on electronics
$587 million for house wares and garden
$487 for books or CD’s
“No one will forget celebrating Mother’s Day because of the bad economy, but they will put careful thought into what they buy and how much they spend this year.” –Industry insider
Considering our nation is feeling the effects of our current economic issues, Mom still gets VIP treatment. Maybe not every special lady will be showered with flowers, candy and diamonds come this Sunday, but that’s why we love her so. Who, understands more the old adage- it’s the thought that counts, then the value of a dollar, like good old Mom.
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On April 7, 2009. By Fran, under Industry News.
Diamond: A natural mineral consisting essentially of pure carbon crystallized with a cubic structure in the isometric system. Its hardness on the Mohs scale is 10, its specific gravity is approximately 3.52, it has a refractive index of approximately 2.42 and it can be found in many colors.
Call it what you may, bauble, rocks, bling – all mean the same thing, but by the end of this month, the definition will officially change. The Responsible Jewellery Council is retracting and rewriting its definition of a diamond to include laboratory-grown stones, to welcome lab-grown diamond producers.
The Gemological Institute of America, the foremost diamond research and grading body, acknowledges that these are in fact diamonds. The synthetic diamonds do have some differences that only a jeweler would be able to detect, such as different growth patterns and a lack of inclusions. Considered flaws, having diamonds without inclusions will never diminish the value. Man made diamonds are still, just a small twinkle of the diamond market and will not be mass consumed like natural stones until a few years from now.
Synthetic Diamond Facts:
- Most of lab-grown diamonds are one carat or smaller, though you can get stones up to 2 carats.
- Colorless stones are rarer in synthetics than in nature, whereas colored stones are rarer among natural diamonds.
The current economic state has shown a major shift in how consumers spend, shop and approach luxury goods, which might be a significant plus for this new market of diamonds. One thing I’m sure will never change, diamonds be it real or lab-created will still and always, be a girl’s best friend!
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On February 13, 2009. By Fran, under Industry News.
A very small flicker at the end of the current economic slump tunnel might just lead some business to higher ground. OfficeMax, looking to lower location rents and warehouse costs with a new concept called Ink Paper Scissors. Three new Ink Paper Scissor locations, smaller in scale to OfficeMax’s warehouse design, contain about two thousand of the chains most popular products for quick get in and go shopping.
“Everyone is looking at smaller footprints now; it’s a big theme right now because traffic is down so dramatically that they can’t afford the inventory and labor for a full store.”-Industry Insider
Industries like fast food have always taken the small scale, convenience style objective by maximizing kiosk locations in malls across the country. Starbucks and Seattle Coffee have been introduced in place like bookstores, airports and hotels to increase their presence in high traffic areas where a larger restaurant would be cost prohibitive.
Applying this concept to other forms of retail could be on the horizon. Staples, Target and other business have opted for the “dollar menu” creating popular products at ninety-nine cents to lure shoppers into quick buy sales. Seasonal items such as holiday novelties, children’s toys and school supplies have done extremely well as this new concept takes hold.
The stigma of dollar store shopping has seen a tremendous upswing in sales over the last year. Besides getting more business from their regular customers, they are also seeing in influx of new customers.
“It’s not where you shop, it’s what you get. It’s the value of what you’re paying for, if it’s the same thing you paying for at Wal-Mart, you might as well as come here and get it at a better deal.”
Chains like Dollar General, Dollar Tree, and Family Dollar are offering popular name products as well as continually working with large manufactures to create special discount brands like you would find in most supermarkets.
Dollar shops have come a very long way from when they started. You can find dozens of popular brands that are not closeouts or damages, but created for the discount market.
Suppliers need to prepare for these trends by refining their logistics process, adjusting for smaller shipments to more locations. The ultimate form of specialization comes in the form of direct to consumer sales with goods being shipped by the vendor directory to the consumer, labeled as if it had come from the retailer. These specialized logistics will be required to compete in this new marketplace.
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On February 3, 2009. By Fran, under Industry News.
The constant wave of economic instability has push retailers into a world wind of store closings, employee downsizing and corporate cut backs. Marked as the second “depression” our country has seen since 1929 with holiday retail sales hitting and all time low since 1969, has the hype caused reaction to make change or overreaction, jumping ship prematurely.
Companies like KB Toys Inc. couldn’t make it through the Christmas season, and many more are expected to file for bankruptcy in the coming months. Circuit City Stores Inc., which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November, said Friday it will go out of business, closing its 567 U.S. stores. Felines Basement has just announced closings slated for February.
For the last two years, many of the best-run nation’s stores like J.C. Penney Co. had been reducing inventories in response to the consumer spending slowdown. JCrew also planned in advance by cutting down novelty color palettes of garments and focused on basics, what sells and what does not work. The Gap, Neiman Marcus also has also revamped merchandise buying, keeping stock higher on staple items rather than impulse trend merchandise.
“Before cutting, closing and hanging the sign on the front door, we are navigating new territory, predicting that the fundamental shift by consumers to spend less and save more will linger.” – Retail Insider
Overreaction to close up shop might be just poor business direction in some cases. Did Circuit City, KB Toys and so many others hit by the economic tsunami plan far in advance to brave out the coming aftermath?
The good news for shoppers, will find less cluttered stores and merchandise at lower price points. From ordinary groceries and household products to brands and apparel they could only once aspire to have, will become a close reality.
The upsides if there could be any, consumers will find stores less cluttered and see an array of products at lower prices, from ordinary groceries to jeans from brands they could once only aspire to.
The sudden reaction of Macy’s cutting seven thousand jobs to stay afloat is unfortunate. A crisis such as this economic downslide offers only two suggestions. React, cutting staff, offering discounts, reducing unpopular merchandise and keeping a firm hold over a very unwavering time.
The other choice, to overreact, shutting down locations, filing bankrupt, liquidating factories might be too late for some who should have reacted rather before then overreact when it was too late to keep heads above water.
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