A Middling Muddle
A question: How is home doing at retail these days?
Answer: That depends on the retailer.
During the years of the housing bubble, home textiles - and home furnishings generally - were hot pretty much across the board. The category actually began to sag ahead of the market collapse. During the worst of the recession, home textiles sales sank pretty much everywhere, with the rebound beginning at TJX and Ross Stores.
Since then, the performance has been spotty, good at some retailers, improving at others and a continuing drain elsewhere.
The recent round of quarterly retail reports only confirmed that trend.
Ross: Home once again failed to hit the mark, a performance the company blamed on weak execution.
TJX: Rival Ross may have lost its home mojo, but the category is still pumping at TJX formats.
Stein Mart: After a few years in the wilderness during which the company attempted various strategies, home finally hit the pace during the quarter, with (lo and behold) linens as one of the strongest categories.
Big Lots: Home - a winner during the darkest days of the recession - was soft, even though top-of-bed was good.
Walmart U.S.: The home department generated a slender comp gain, but it marked the third consecutive positive quarter following 2½ years of negative comps in the department. Basic goods drove the results.
Target: Home textiles were a leader in the department, which is still struggling to recapture its former glory.
Kohl's: The home department not only lagged the rest of the store, it was among the weakest divisions.
Dollar General: Home was hearty during the quarter, with window treatments a standout.
Williams-Sonoma: The home furnishings conglomerate racked up another boffo quarter, with textiles a leader at several of its nameplates.
Bed Bath & Beyond: The country's largest home textiles retailer also posted a strong quarter, but said its outlook for the second half is cautious. A red flag or just another case of the retailer's notorious paranoia?
JCP: Under construction.
When you speak with suppliers about how their core categories are faring at retail the story is much the same - uneven on an account by account basis.
Obviously, we are still waiting for the rising tide that will lift all boats.
Sara commented:
we've embarked on a meulinnilm of rapid, buffeting change. Specifically, “ society can never hope to settle down as in past ages. The social ship has steamed out of the sheltered bays of established tradition and has begun its cruise upon the high seas of evolutionary destiny; and the soul of man, as never before in the world’s history, needs carefully to scrutinize its charts of morality and painstakingly to observe the compass of religious guidance”And;“Mechanical inventions and the dissemination of knowledge are modifying civilization; certain economic adjustments and social changes are imperative if cultural disaster is to be avoided. This new and oncoming social order will not settle down complacently for a meulinnilm. The human race must become reconciled to a procession of changes, adjustments, and readjustments. Mankind is on the march toward a new and unrevealed planetary destiny. We face a moral crisis, the financial crisis is but a symptom.Only on a weekend would I dare to post such things. But after last week, it helps me remember what's really important.
Takashi commented:
ya, and that's BEST case scenario! haha with all the debt and devaeitivrs, if these jack-offs can stop the deflationary depression, i will be surprised. with the global awakening, i see formal breakdown crisis (whether locally, it's up to us). the only way hyper/inflationary cogent working markets scenario plays out is global police state, imho.the one good thing about the elite's success so far in the plan is that with success comes more evidence of success. the blood trail is sufficiently spread now that most significant minutiae issues in folk's lives they tell me i can more easily determine a plan of attack to lead them by the hand showing how that issue ties in with broader social issues that also have more evidence in themselves now. so, it's easier for me to get others' to see how their me' issue is not really that at all.it's now a first step (yelling in the dark doesn't count). i still get glazed or cross looks and stupid come-backs from the real sheep i know, but they have ears, and now i'm able to better quickly summarize for them (they like 60 second or less answers still, ).
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