The Retail Industry – many shaky elements before this pandemic
Like businesses in every industry, retail companies are anxiously waiting for the signal that they can re-open operations from the global pandemic. The composition of retail is as diverse as any industry and the impact of the economic hit from the coronavirus will be quite different for the different sectors within retail. We are now […]
The Incredible Shrinking Sears Company
This past week, Sears announced the closing of another 96 stores following a seemingly continual series of the same type of announcements over the past few years. It is easy to find any number of pundits pointing to various causes of the demise – online shopping being the number 1 culprit. But others have fought thru […]
Top 100 Global Retailers
With the Amazon effect being the talk of the retail world, we sometimes lose sight of all the retailers & wholesalers in the many corners of the world. Here’s a list of the top 100 retailers (by revenue) in the Global 5000. At the top of the list is Walmart at $500 billion down to […]
WPP Lower Growth Forecast Highlights Numerous Market Shifts
Various news articles this week picked up on the WPP story where the company Chairman, Sir Martin Sorrell indicated WPP’s growth this year will be minimal. Much of the reason was directed toward large consumer goods firms cutting back on their spending — which WPP and other advertising related businesses depend on. Some of the […]
Retailers – and the Amazon / Whole Foods thing
Amazon’s recent announcement of the Whole Foods acquisition sent a shiver thru the retail industry. We have read any number of articles over the past few years about the death of retail as some traditional retailers (Sears is the oft mentioned example) as internet shopping initiatives have grown by leaps and bounds. Not only do […]
Amazon and the Retail Industry Woes
The retail industry segment represents just under 10% of the Global 5000 companies and with the holiday sales tallies being reported and earnings season beginning, we are hearing the not-so-jolly news from the retail sector. This is worth a closer look. It was not a particularly strong season plus the brick & mortar general stores […]