The Thread
Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Marks shares news and views from around the home textiles marketplace.
Goodbye to all that
Last week, Ross Stores and TJX Companies released their final monthly sales reports - following a steady procession of other retailers that over the past several months have also concluded there's no upside in sharing final results between quarters.Last fall, Macy's, Kohl's and Target announced they would stop issuing monthly reports in 2013. JCPenney ceased monthly reports in spring 2012 as it be... Read More
Comments (0)The World Beyond
The U.S. market and the manufacturers that serve it - not the mention the trade journalists who cover it - are so bound up in the dominance of big box retailers that we often have only a hazy understanding of all the other business that exists around the globe.So at last week's Hong Kong International Home Textiles & Furnishings Fair it was interesting to hear from some of the non-U.S. buyers abou... Read More
Comments (0)Transformation Part Deux
There's the $100 million in Martha Stewart merchandise JCPenney reportedly has riding on the water or parked in warehouses in hopes of a favorable ruling in the Macy's lawsuit. There's the $1.6 billion in 2012 home department sales. That's a consolidated number for the full home assortment. That's 11% less than JCP's home textiles sales in 2011.There's the $575 million in inventory reductions Penn... Read More
Comments (0)Transformation Part Deux
There's the $100 million in Martha Stewart merchandise JCPenney reportedly has riding on the water or parked in warehouses in hopes of a favorable ruling in the Macy's lawsuit. There's the $1.6 billion in 2012 home department sales. That's a consolidated number for the full home assortment. That's 11% less than JCP's home textiles sales in 2011.There's the $575 million in inventory reductions Penn... Read More
Comments (0)Feeling the Pressure
It's not often retail issues go viral on the Internet, but last week a photo posted on Reddit by an Australian consumer went flying around the web, generating a lot of discussion about showrooming and one store's ham-handed attempt to dissuade it.The photo depicted a sign that greets shoppers as they enter Celiac Supplies, a specialty food store in Brisbane. "As of the first of February, this... Read More
Comments (1)Make New Friends But Keep the Old
One of the most remarkable aspects of the last New York Home Fashions Market was the pronounced pivot away from the Boomer customer toward the Millennials. I wonder if this week we might see some retrenchment.I'm not expecting a comeback of capital-T "Traditional" so much as attempts to reinterpret the form.One supplier told me last week her company's customers have been asking: "W... Read More
Comments (0)Fresh Air
Everybody expected JCPenney's fourth-quarter and fiscal year numbers to stink, and they did. Nonetheless, an interesting tidbit emerged from ceo Ron Johnson's Feb. 27 webcast following the release of those results.On the subject of the shopper JCP has (Boomer) vs. the one it wants (Millennial) and the potential impact of new brand rollouts, Johnson told analysts that Liz Claiborne is the retailer'... Read More
Comments (1)There’s Something About Martha
As opening arguments began last week in Macy's lawsuit against Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and JCPenney, associates in JCP stores were already setting up portions of the new home department that was originally to be anchored by a 20,000-square-foot Martha Stewart shop-in-shop.Through a variety of newspaper reports on both projects, a few details have come to light.For the time being, it appear... Read More
Comments (0)Renaissance?
Despite the impact of JCPenney's overhaul, despite the sluggish pace of economic expansion and despite the slow recovery of the job market, a few signs point to the possibility of a fairly decent year for home furnishings sales.Start with the Jan. 17 report from the Commerce Department that found 2012 was the best year for residential construction since the onset of the housing crisis in late 2006... Read More
Comments (0)Heimtextil in Hindsight
Holiday 2012 sales may have fallen a bit short of expectations (up 3.0% versus an expected gain of 4.1%), but at the Heimtextil international home textiles show in early January, most suppliers I talked to believe 2013 will bring opportunities for growth.Not big, game-changing growth to be sure. But most said they expect the U.S. economy to steadily improve - with consumer spending rising in tande... Read More
Comments (2)That's how it's Done
Late in the afternoon on opening day of Heimtextil last week, the gentleman to my right and I were ambling through Hall 11 when we heard a thumping bass and noticed a throng of people pressing their way into the Vossen booth.The prominent German terry towel brand was throwing a fashion show. And it wasn't simply a matter of pretty young women (and one extremely fit young man) marching around in to... Read More
Comments (0)Diving into 2013
Now the busy season begins - the trade shows, the spring retail resets, the year-end financial results.The coming four months offer a number of events that bear watching.1. The debt ceiling fight in Congress. A brief tumble over the "fiscal cliff" was resolved last week, but now the federal legislature is gearing up for another debt ceiling fight. Will Congress vote to pay for expenses i... Read More
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