Holiday Wrap: Retailers Overcome Uncertainties, Sales Meet Expectations
By David Moin
This year’s calendar and mostly dry weather benefited retailers and enabled them to reach modest goals.
Though as picky and discount-driven as ever, consumers shopped enough over the course of the season to enable retailers to come out with low-single-digit sales gains, meeting expectations. . . .
Mass merchants, off-pricers, outlets, home repair and active/athleisure retailers fared the best this holiday, among them Walmart, Target, Costco, T.J. Maxx, Lululemon, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Academy Sports + Outdoors and Amazon, retail sources told WWD. The National Retail Federation projects a 3 to 4 percent year-over-year growth in sales during November and December, excluding inflation, translating to a spending range of $957.3 billion to $966.6 billion. . . .
In most categories, however, retailers benefited from the largely dry, unseasonably warm weather during the holiday season, favorable for driving to malls. Retailers also benefited from the calendar, with “Super Saturday” falling two days before Christmas, giving consumers a whole weekend before the holiday for last-minute gift shopping. In addition, retailers unleashed holiday campaigns and promotions as far back as October, stretching out the season. . . .
Evan Gold, executive vice president of Planalytics, which forecasts weather and uses that to help retailers in their planning, said, “It was the warmest Super Saturday in at least 10 years. It was very dry. There was nothing stopping people from getting to the stores, but from a seasonal demand perspective, outerwear, sweaters, hats, gloves were down because of the warmth, and in many cases the demand was shifted to home goods and gift cards,” Gold said. “It’s still going to be warm for most of this week and into next week but most of January will be colder than last year. It will be a good opportunity to clear winter goods.” . . .