BigResearch reports Walmart as top destination for linens, draperies though Target grows share

-- Home Textiles Today, 3/12/2010 9:19:00 AM

Worthington, Ohio – In the home linens and draperies category, more than one in five consumers are going to Walmart to make their purchases. But in the past year, Target was the only major chain that increased its shopper traffic for these goods, according to BigResearch’s recent executive briefing report.

These are just some of the results stemming from BigResearch’s latest Consumer Intentions & Actions Survey, for the week of March 2 through 10. BigResearch polls more than 8,000 consumers each month to provide insights and identify opportunities in a fragmented and transitory marketplace.

With 21.0% of shoppers concentrating their soft home purchases at Walmart, the discount department store “continues to trump big box Bed Bath & Beyond,” which attracts 12.8% of sales in the linens/bedding/draperies category, BigResearch said.

JCPenney captures 8.2% of the business followed by Target at 7.1% and Kohl’s at 4.8%. 

But more importantly is that among these home retailers, only Target is seeing a net customer gain, according to this month’s Consumer Migration Index (CMI) by BigResearch for the linens/bedding/draperies (L/B/D) category, which tracks those who have immigrated to a store – new customers within the past year – against those who have emigrated or left within the past year.

“Walmart is facing a customer deficit, with a -4.2 CMI rating. Other L/B/D retailers are facing negative CMI ratings as well – Bed Bath & Beyond, JC Penney, Linens ‘n Things, Kmart – while Target, with a +1.4 CMI rating, is the lone retailer enjoying a net customer gain,” according to the study.

Seven in 10 shoppers, or 71.5%, say that price dictates where they shop for linens, bedding and draperies, followed by selection (47.0%), quality (41.6%), and location (35.5%).