This week’s commentary is drawn entirely from the big-box retail world.
Good Week: Target – The “Expect More, Pay Less” chain announced that online sales for the most recent quarter skyrocketed 34%, the result of moving aggressively into e-commerce to supplement in-store sales. By comparison, Walmart’s online sales grew only 8% during that same period.
Bad Week: Everyone Else – The continued ascent of Amazon and other online options spells continued troubles for Best Buy, Kohl’s and Sears. All three announced profits were down sharply for the quarter, with Kohl’s prepping to close 18 underperforming stores in 2016 while Sears looks to shutter as many as 50!
Cheezy Move: Walmart – The world’s largest retailer is sued after testing showed that Parmesan cheese sold under its Great Value brand contained as much as 10% wood pulp filler. A hint of oak in my chardonnay? Good. A hint of elm in my baked ziti? Non bene.