Research Topic

At a time when most private equity firms are growing increasingly cautious about investing in retail, one firm is going against the grain.   Sycamore Partners is raising its biggest-ever fund, which it will use to invest primarily in retail, CNBC reported. The firm is looking to raise between $3 billion and $4 billion, according to the report.    The news comes a month after Sycamore closed on its $6.9 billion acquisition of Staples, which it is splitting into three parts.  

Off-price retailers will remain among the top performers in the U.S. retail industry during the next 12 to 18 months.   That's according to a new report from Moody's Investors Service. The outlook is not as positive for department stores, which will continue to struggle as they seek to level the playing field with both off-price and online vendors.  

Following suit of older generations, younger shoppers want to pay for purchases with credit cards.    Specifically, Gen Z (ages 18-24) and Gen Y (ages 25-34) are comfortable using credit to make purchases, and overwhelmingly prefer credit cards to monthly payment options, according to new data from Vyze, a provider of cloud-based financial technology solutions.   

For all the buzz about buy-online-pickup-in-store, not that many retailers are actually deploying the service.   

Online-only retailers may be taking a toll on omnichannel companies, but traditional companies are finding ways to fight back.   This was according to “Brick-and-Mortar Retailers Fight Back: Winning Strategies to Compete with Online-Only Players,” a report from Applied Predictive Technologies (APT).  

As Whole Foods Market continues to slash prices at its stores, the chain is attracting competitors’ shoppers — including those from Walmart.   This was according to “Competitive Impact of Lower Prices at Whole Foods,” a report from data intelligence firm Thasos Group.   

One of the most closely watched holiday forecasts has good news for retailers.   The National Retail Federation said it expects holiday retail sales in November and December to increase between 3.6% and 4% for a total of $678.75 billion to $682 billion. In 2016, up from $655.8 billion last year. The NRF forecast, which excludes automobiles, gasoline and restaurants, would meet or exceed last year’s growth of 3.6% and the five-year average of 3.5%.