Consumer Attitudes & Behavior

Toano, Va. – Boston-based class action law firm Block & Leviton said it is investigating claims that Lumber Liquidators Holdings sold floors to consumers with illegal levels of formaldehyde. Independent testing conducted at two different IAS-certified laboratories has reportedly revealed formaldehyde levels as high 0.17 ppm, three-and-a-half times the government mandated maximum emission level, in Mayflower flooring.

Washington, D.C. – A sizable majority of American consumers oppose efforts by the government to impose limits on the size of soft drinks and other sugary beverages sold in restaurants, according to results of a new Gallup poll. Sixty-nine percent of 1,015 consumers ages 18 and older said they would vote against a law limiting the size of sugary beverages to 16 oz.

New York - A report released by Bloomberg on Tuesday said that confidence among American consumers in June surpassed expectations, climbing to the highest level in more than five years.

The Conference Board’s index rose to 81.4, beating Bloomberg forecasts of 75.1 and reaching the highest point since January 2008. The index reached 74.3 in May. 

North Plainfield, N.J. -- A cooler start to spring and mixed-bag of Memorial Day weekend weather in the Northeast may have contributed to less than expected year-to-date sales and traffic for some retailers, according to Levin Management’s annual mid-year Retail Sentiment Survey, which polled retailers in the firm’s 90-property, 12.5 million-square-foot shopping center portfolio.
 

New York -- A report released Thursday by Bloomberg said that consumer sentiment climbed during the week ended June 16 to minus 29.4, compared with minus 31.3 a week earlier and representing a lift after a two-month low. In fact, according to the Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index, Americans’ views on the economy were the least pessimistic in five years.

The monthly Bloomberg consumer economic expectations gauge for June held at minus 1, matching May’s reading as the best this year.

Austin, Texas – Slightly more than half of consumers (51%) said they would be more likely to buy something in-store if they received a coupon on their mobile device for that store while nearby, according to a recent mobile commerce survey from RetailMeNot and The Omnibus Company. The survey of 1,067 U.S. residents age 18 and older conducted in April 2013 also revealed:

Seattle – Six-in-10 U.S. homeowners plan to make a home improvement or addition this summer, according to the Zillow Digs Summer Home Improvement Trend and Spending Survey. Zillow cites tight housing inventory and the fact that more than 25% of homeowners in the U.S. owe more on their mortgage than their property is worth as driving factors in the popularity of home-improvement projects.

Now that Walmart U.S. derives more than 66% of its sales from food, consumables and health and wellness related categories, Kroger is more of an immediate threat than Amazon.