Retail Update, July 2010

Summary

The recovery should survive its summer of uncertainty. The uncertainty that threatens the U.S. outlook is evident in shoppers’ spending intentions, which stalled in June after more than a year of steady improvement. Spending plans especially weakened among mid- to upper-income households as their stock market investments took a beating at the end of May and into June in response to European debt jitters. But shopper confidence should track higher with investor confidence as global economic jitters slowly die down. The European Union bank stress tests—even if flawed—will mark a key step toward resolving a European debt crisis that has driven economic uncertainty worldwide.


Table of Contents

Recovering Uncertainly
Retail Growth Holds Its Ground

List of Tables

Company vs. Industry Performance
Retail Sales Excluding Auto and Fuel Channels
Intentions to Spend More, the Same, or Less in the Coming Month
New Orders for Durable Goods
U.S. Employment by Industry
Mortgage Rates vs Refinancing Applications
Price Inflation by Retail Channel
June 2010 Industry Sales Growth
June 2010 Same-store Sales Growth
Industry Performance Channel charts -- Clothing & Department Stores, FDM, Homegoods
Company Performance charts -- Softgoods, FDM
Most Recently Reported Monthly Retail Sales



For more information, contact Maybelle Trocio-Ball at mtrocioball@retailforward.com.