TransWorld Business Retail Round Up: May 2009
josh hunter
- June 04 2009
- 512 views
- 2 comments
In an effort to provide our readers with the most comprehensive coverage of the current retail climate as possible, Transworld Business has developed a monthly column we’re calling Retail Round Up. In this installment we examine how a sample of specialty stores and department stores are performing based on same-store sales results over that past seventeen months.
Click On Chart To Enlarge
As the chart illustrates above, May was a difficult month for both specialty and department stores. Even The Buckle, which has been incredibly successful amidst a tough economy saw it’s May comps drop to 13.4 %. While this is signifiacnatly better than the rest of the retailers in the chart, it is also the lowest comp-store sales The Buckle has seen over the past seventeen months.
Zumiez, which posted a -20.7 % comp in May, also hit it’s low point for the seventeen month time frame. As did teen retailer Hot Topic, which posted a -6.4 % comp in May.
Although the numbers were low, in most instances they were in line with what retail analysits predicted. Let’s hope Summer weather conditions and back-to-school shoppers will help turn these numbers around in the coming quarter.
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June 4th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
These stores are all pretty big retailers, but are really not action sport stores with the exception of Zumiez. How about some numbers on the action sports stores and not Hot topic. There are plenty of action sports stores out there that would not usually be covered in the business section in your local paper where you could find these gems whoever picked. I am not talking about BOB's Boards but multi door stores with credibility.
June 6th, 2009 at 4:36 am
Thomas, you only need to look down a few posts to the ActionWatch same-store report. ActionWatch has a couple hundred core surf and skate shops including some of the "big" independent chains. If you look on their website you'll see testimonials from a bunch of retailers including BC Surf and Sport and Becker.