While top-line retail sales data for September increased by 0.7%, beating analyst expectations of a 0.2% decline, food-focused categories remained only slightly up from August. Grocery sales were up by 0.7%, and restaurants, a proxy of food and drink places, were up 0.3%. The relatively flat numbers reflect consumers remaining in a holding pattern coming ... READ MORE >
Consumer Products
From retail to restaurants, the consumer products industry includes many sectors and subsectors. The industry also involves many well-known brands with loyal customers and employees, and ownership structures ranging from family-owned businesses to public and private equity-backed companies.
Retail sales defied expectations, continuing to rise in September
Retail sales defied expectations in September, rising in back-to-back months and highlighting the resilience in consumer spending amid supply shortages and the surge of the delta variant. Such strong sales numbers helped to offset some of the impact from rising prices in the Consumer Price Index for September released earlier this week. We continued to ... READ MORE >
Managing a supply chain: The short and long game for consumer goods companies
Persistent bottlenecks throughout the global supply chain continue to stand in the way of middle market consumer goods companies’ ability to take full advantage of robust consumer demand. And while the challenges these companies face are not unique to the middle market, midsize businesses will need to leverage nimble strategies to navigate disruption and ... READ MORE >
Buy later, pay later: Consumers postpone purchases amid high prices
The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index rose slightly to 71.0 in September, following a nine-year low of 70.3 in August as consumers felt the impact of the delta variant and rising prices. The report, released on Friday, signals a temporary shift in spending as consumers delay purchases of homes and big-ticket items like vehicles and ... READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Strong back-to-school retail sales may signal positive holiday season
In what retailers hope is a preview of the holiday shopping season, retail sales from the critical back-to-school month of August increased by 0.7% on the month, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday. When autos are excluded, that gain was a robust 1.8%. The August figure easily beat the Bloomberg consensus forecast of a 0.8% ... READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Middle of the supply chain feels outsized impact of rising food costs
While U.S. core and headline inflation came in below expectations, according to the latest Consumer Price Index release, it will be well into next year before consumers see this inflation slowdown in their grocery bills and restaurant tickets. Retailers and distributors are continuing to feel the pinch of rising costs throughout the supply chain. The CPI ... READ MORE >
Already hot ‘buy now, pay later’ space gets a big boost from Amazon
Amazon, which has been slowly adding financial services products to its portfolio, has entered the hot “buy now, pay later” space. Last Friday, the e-commerce giant announced its partnership with Affirm, a buy-now-pay-later platform that allows customers to pay for purchases in installments. This partnership means customers shopping on Amazon will be able to ... READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Apparel goods pricing takes a mid-summer slide
The Consumer Price Index—which has indicated elevated pricing on apparel goods earlier this summer—appears to be declining on a year-over-year basis, according to Department of Labor data released Aug. 11. While topline CPI remained static at 5.4%, year-over-year CPI on apparel goods continued a downward trajectory in July to 4.2%, compared with 4.9% in ... READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Retail sales dip reflects shift in spending habits
A decline in retail spending in July may signal a shift in spending habits as consumers straddle a strengthening economy and virus-related concerns. Retail sales declined 1.1% in July compared to June, with the biggest decreases coming from motor vehicle and parts dealers, as well as non-store retailers (a proxy for e-commerce), which declined 3.9% and ... READ MORE >
Four ways retailers and restaurants can manage current inflation and labor pressures
As the economic recovery from the pandemic-induced recession continues, consumer demand is high and the opportunity exists for a strong holiday retail and restaurant season. But these sectors are facing two significant headwinds: inflation and challenges finding qualified labor. During the recession, there were many signals that demand would be strong ... READ MORE >