The strength of retail sales at the end of September prompted us to project that, “With September being a bell weather month for holiday sales we have every reason to believe that holiday 2011 could generate the strongest sales growth since the recession’s beginning in 2007.” We’re happy to report that’s exactly what’s happening.

Retail sales on Black Friday climbed 6.6% this year to an estimated $11.4 billion, according to ShopperTrak, which tracks foot traffic at malls and stores. Last year, sales climbed just 0.3% to $10.7 billion, which was a record one-day sales amount at the time, according to the company. According to the NY Times, retail purchases on a per-shopper basis increased by 9.1%.

Nationwide retailers deserve high marks for promoting the kickoff of their largest selling season by adding valuable shopping time for the customer, who responded by taking advantage of the Thanksgiving Day weekend shopping window. The customer is ready to return to their favorite stores and shop. One facet of the Great Recession is ending as we’ve known it.

Fashion Leaders
The home store leader for 2011 is Pier 1 Imports. The assortments are spectacular and reflect the talent of a world-class merchant team. Their 7.0% comp store growth for 3rd quarter will likely shine brighter in the 4th. And Tiffany’s brand continues to speak loudly, with 19.0% growth in their 3rd quarter.

Talent Wars
The Talent Wars are on. This would be a good time to discuss budgets to support your HR team’s recruiting efforts for 2012. Expect them to seek support if you want top talent from the marketplace.

International retail markets are expanding rapidly. We have placed several executives into international divisions in the past months. Call us if you need support in this area.

Since 1985 we’ve placed virtually thousands of retail professionals. Our portfolio of retail brands speaks for itself. Is your brand a Client partner?

Our highly tenured retail team delivers recruiting expertise in the following areas:

Retail Field Operations
Human Resources
Buying and Global Product Development
Retail Finance & Accounting
Merchandise Planning & Allocation
Distribution Services
Retail Multi-Channel Marketing
Visual Presentation

Click here for November National Retail Sales Results

Consumer retail spending in October continued to be solid, with many retailers reporting good comparable store increases. Limited Brands reported a 6% rise in same-store sales and raised their quarterly Wall St. outlook. Victoria’s Secret led the charge with a 9% comp store increase.

Thomson Reuters released that some 11 retailers were slightly off Wall St. estimates. That said, most retailers still generated excellent growth. Joel Bines, managing director at Alix Partners released to the Associated Press, “It’s still a solid performance.”

The department store sector continues to demonstrate its focus on fashion, with Nordstrom posting 5.4% growth, even after +10.7% in September. Dillard's was the October leader with an 8% increase. And Neiman Marcus also continues as a leader, closing their most recent quarter with an 11% increase.

Based upon slow and steady Washington politics the American consumer is expecting few changes to unemployment or money policy through 2011. We believe holiday sales 2011 will continue this solid volume trend, with potential for the strongest sales growth since holiday 2007 of the Great Recession.

Fashion and Home Gaining Momentum
Fashion is the pacing element for apparel retailers. Chicos FAS continues as a fashion leader with +12.9% for October. In the younger strata Buckle and Abercrombie led their segments with +8.9% and +9.0% growth, respectively. The sameness represented at GAP is attracting little attention. Unfortunately, Gap’s death spiral continued with a -6% performance. Pier 1 continues to dazzle with +10.8% for their most recent quarter.

Talent Wars
Our business is helping our Client partners attract top talent away from their competition. That process becomes more complicated when the candidate has several different offers to consider or a home to sell, or both. The Talent Wars are on.

If your HR professionals are having a challenging time filling positions it’s simply a product of a more complicated market. Dedicated recruiting professionals may be a solution. We ask the tough questions up front so that finalists are ready to accept an offer if one is generated. If your HR team is getting their offers turned-down on mission-critical positions then it may be time to engage our services.

The leading retail brands engage our services because we deliver the top performing candidates. We cold call and attract the best talent from the competition, then deliver them to our Client partners. Be a part of the winning retail team, be a part of Retail Search Group. Since beginning in 1985 we’re in our 26th year dedicated to attracting and placing retail professionals.

Our highly tenured retail team delivers recruiting expertise in the following areas:

Retail Field Operations
Human Resources
Buying and Global Product Development
Retail Finance & Accounting
Merchandise Planning & Allocation
Distribution Services
Retail Multi-Channel Marketing
Visual Presentation

Click here for October National Retail Sales Results

Consumers continue to exceed projected spending patterns, delivering a 5.1% overall increase for September. This is significantly above the 4.6% increase projected for the month by Thomson Reuters. With September being a bell weather month for holiday sales we have every reason to believe that holiday 2011 could generate the strongest sales growth since the recession’s beginning in 2007.

High-Highs
Fashion right retailers continue to dominate, separating themselves from those floundering in yester-year merchandising strategies. Fashion department stores are competing head-to-head with fashion specialty. Saks delivered 9.3% comparable store growth for September. Macys just delivered a young men’s fashion line that boldly positions them as the one to watch. Macys delivered a 4.9% increase for September. Nordstrom posted 10.7% growth for September, contrasted to Gap’s -4.0% performance. Expect significant changes to Gap’s Merchant team to stop the bleeding. Limited brands up 11.0% and Buckle up 10.3%. Consumers are spending!

And, fashion is selling in home store as well. Pier 1 led the home area with a 10.8% increase for September. Visit a store and you’ll understand why – coordinated fashion statements abound.

The Mainstream
Discount retailers like Costco continue to dominate their spaces. Costco delivered 12% growth for September.

Some Fall Short
JC Penney continues to slide, with sales down 0.6% for September. This is a stark contrast to Target +5.3% and Kohl’s +4.1% for the same period. JCP is failing to deliver the fashion content needed to attract customers into their stores. Fashion talent delivers the right assortments – an area JCP needs to scrutinize closely.

Retail Employment Growing
Seamus Kelleher, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at MRI Network, shared that, “A variety of retailers saw modest employment gains, including food and beverage, health and personal care, and general merchandise stores. In total, retail trade added 13,600 positions, a relatively small gain on its 14.5 million workers, though the types of stores that are seeing gains is telling.” And, gains across the industry are broad based. For example, Tiffany posted 22% comparable store increase for second quarter.

Talent Wars
The Economist just dedicated an entire issue to The Quest for Jobs. The U.S. is facing a huge talent shortage. Competition for experienced management is increasing rapidly. Workers are demanding more of employers in the form of both cash and non-cash compensation. Expect to see more of this through the balance of 2011 and 2012. If your organization is active in succession planning the time invested will yield an excellent return in the coming years.

The leading brands in retail engage our services because we deliver the top performing candidates. We cold call and attract the best talent from the competition, then deliver them to our Client partners. Be a part of the winning retail team, be a part of Retail Search Group. Since beginning in 1985 we’re in our 26th year dedicated to attracting and placing retail professionals.

Our highly tenured retail team delivers recruiting expertise in the following areas:
Retail Finance & Accounting
Buying and Global Product Development
Merchandise Planning & Allocation
Retail Field Operations
Human Resources
Distribution Services
Retail Multi-Channel Marketing
Visual Presentation

Click here for September National Retail Sales Results

August sales show that consumers are continuing to spend despite concern expressed around consumer confidence. In fact, overall August sales increased 4.4%. Some 11 of 25 retailers tracked by Thomson Reuters exceeded their sales expectations. One word separates those with strong comparable store numbers, and its “fashion.” Check out the attached list and you’ll see that fashion is selling across the board for both apparel and home store.

High-End Highs
Nordstrom posted a 6.7% comp store increase, followed closely by Macys with a 5% increase. Saks turned in a 6.1% increase. Limited brands led the fashion pack with impressive 11.0% comparable store growth.

The Mainstream
Wholesale retailers like Costco and BJ’s continue to dominate their spaces. Costco delivered 11% growth while BJ’s came forward with 11.5% comp store growth for August.

Some Fall Short
Target put their fashion foot forward and led their segment with a 4.1% increase, leaving Gap (-6.0%), Kohl’s (-1.9%) and JC Penney (-1.9%) wondering what happened. The consumer is clearly showing a preference away from basics. It takes a courageous, confident fashion team with experienced retail Buyers to deliver solid apparel numbers. Look at the August sales results and you’ll see who has the talent on board for our times. Expect significant changes at those retailers missing the August fashion train. Their numbers will likely show minimal improvement until they have the right talent to drive their business.

Slowly Getting Better
The unemployment picture has changed little, with little change expected. The good news is that consumers are spending and retail growth continues to be solid for many leading retail brands.

The Candidate Market
As we reported last month, top grading is accelerating as companies are driving extra gross margin points and sales increases. Since when in the retail business is it OK to not deliver increases in those areas? Mediocre performers rarely deliver the best financial results just as the top performers typically do. Is your team delivering to your expectations?

The leading brands in retail engage our services because we deliver the top performing candidates. We cold call and attract the best talent from the competition, then deliver them to our Client partners. Be a part of the winning retail team, be a part of Retail Search Group.

Our highly tenured retail team delivers recruiting expertise in the following areas:

• Retail Field Operations
• Retail Finance & Accounting
• Buying and Global Product Development
• Human Resources
• Retail Multi-Channel Marketing
• Merchandise Planning & Allocation
• Visual Presentation
• Distribution Services

Click here for August National Retail Sales Results

Some analysts are calling July Nationwide Retail Results "mixed" in nature. A closer look reveals that 75-80% of the retail market continued to show positive comparable store numbers. For a small percentage of retailers poor sales results for July should serve as a wake-up call. The consumer is not excited about your mix of goods or pricing strategy, or both.

High-End Highs
High-end retail continues to sizzle, with Saks putting up a 15.6% comp store performance. In good company are Macy's at 5.5% and Neiman's at 7.7% growth for July. Mercedes Benz advised that July 2011 was one of their biggest volume months of the year.

The Mainstream
Discount retailers like Costco and BJ's continue to dominate their spaces. Costco delivered 10% growth while BJ's came forward with a 9.2% comp store growth in July. Even Wet Seal generated a 7.7% increase with the young, fashion-conscious consumer. The consumer is out there shopping.

Some Fall Short
Kohl's comp stores fell 4.6% while Target posted a 4.1% increase for the same period. Compare how these two retailers transitioned customer assortments and the performance comparison becomes understandable.

Slowly Getting Better
Despite the lack of action by our administration, the unemployment picture continues to improve, though slowly. College educated unemployment slipped to 4.3% in July and overall unemployment fell slightly, to 9.1%.

The Candidate Market
Top grading has returned as companies seek to push their performance to the next level. Recessions encourage mediocre performers to preserve their jobs. But now, sales growth is on the table and it takes the best performers to deliver those extra margin points and sales increases.

During the interview process it's essential to find out if the candidate is considering another opportunity. Most are. This means that your interview process cannot drag on for weeks. Delayed decision-making on candidates opens the door to competition or worse, loosing a top candidate to your competition.

Our highly tenured retail team delivers recruiting expertise in the following areas. Calling them is the first step toward reaching your goals.

o Retail Field Operations
o Retail Finance & Accounting
o Buying and Global Product Development
o Human Resources
o Retail Multi-Channel Marketing
o Merchandise Planning & Allocation
o Visual Presentation
o Distribution Services

Click here for July National Retail Sales Results

Consumer behavior during June turned the corner. A report released Thursday by Bloomberg said that consumer confidence reached its highest level in 10 weeks, thanks to falling gas prices and despite a 9.1% unemployment rate. June sales for nationwide retailers show consistent growth in consumer spending.

Winning Retail PerformancesThe fashion winners include Limited Brands with a 12.0% comparable store increase, followed closely by Buckle, Zumiez and Abercrombie with 10.8%, 9.8% and 10.0% comp store increases, respectively. Footwear is hot, hot, and hot. Foot Locker turned-in a 12.8% increase followed closely by DSW at 10.8% for their first quarter.

Department stores continue to speak to their customers. Macys delivered a solid 6.7% comp increase on $2.39B in sales, followed by Nordstrom at 7.9% and Neiman-Marcus at 12.5%. Kohl's led their segment with a 7.5% comp increase on $1.7B in sales, one of their best showings this year.

Costco continued their march with a 14.0% comparable store increase following their 13.0% increase in May. And, the home area is coming to life. Ethan Allen posted a 13.4% increase. Pier 1 and Cost Plus continued good numbers during their first quarter, with 10.2% and 5.5% comp store increases, respectively.

Yahoo Finance released that, two years after the end of the Great Recession, the auto industry is hiring again -- and much faster than the rest of the economy. Expect blockbuster reports out of new car sales. All the auto parts retailers are reporting June growth in the 5 - 6% range.

The Retail MarketplaceAnalysts polled by Thompson-Reuters expected a 4.9% rise in June same-store sales. As the numbers are coming-in it's clear that retailers are beating those estimates.

The Candidate MarketAccording to 24 Seven's Fifth Annual Salary Survey, conducted in collaboration with the American Apparel & Footwear Association, 68% of respondents plan to make a career move in the next year, with nearly half already looking for a new job. Reported by Katherine Field Boccaccio of NY.

Many executive and management candidates have been doing two jobs for some time. As downsizing occurred during 2008-2009 bonuses and pay increases were deferred. Expect these candidates to be among the first to consider changing companies in the next 12 months. Having open and honest discussions about compensation will be a powerful retention tool during 2011. Once a candidate begins interviewing with outside companies their decision to leave is largely done.

In an updated study Darrell Smith, a job front editor for the Sacramento Bee, reaffirmed that the unemployment rate for College educated candidates remains at 4.5%. This compares to high-school educated who have an overall 9.5% unemployment rate. As an employer this means your target talent is employed. Want them? You'll have to attract them away from your competitor.

Click here for June National Retail Sales Results

In contrast to the past months of consistent growth May sales growth was more selective. Costco led the pack with a whopping 13% comparable store performance, but there were several upscale department stores who also performed well. Saks delivered a 20.2% increase with Neiman Marcus up 12% and Macys at 7.4% for the period.

The Retail Marketplace
After robust April sales both Target and Kohl’s saw sales increases retreat to 2.8% and 0.8%, respectively. Consumer behavior during May was counter to the trend of earlier months, even with fuel prices softening. There is no doubt some concern about the daily swings we’re seeing on Wall Street and such activity affects consumer thinking.

In retail we have always said, “You can’t blame it on the weather.” Well, there is little doubt that some parts of the country have been hard hit by unseasonably cold, rainy weather. A couple weeks of seasonally-appropriate weather should normalize such results so expect June to return to our past year trend of strength and confidence in customer activity.

The Candidate Market
The talent pool for every retail category continues to be good. The more specialized the skills and experience wanted the longer it typically takes to locate a slate of top candidates. There is a reason why it’s called search. Bulk email campaigns are helpful but at day-end it’s calling candidates on the phone and talking with them about the value of an opportunity that really delivers rock star talent.

Expect candidates to research a company’s performance and look for competitive compensation in the offer package. We typically advise both our retail partners and the candidates being presented that they should expect some creativity to make the offer a good fit for their circumstances. The good news…because of the number of opportunities out there candidates are far more open to making a change than they were last year.

Unemployment
Current programs to impact unemployment are minimal. Retail continues to be a strong contributor to private sector job growth. College-educated professionals lead with only a 4% unemployment rate. Several Economist articles estimate that we will not see pre-Great Recession unemployment numbers for several years.

Click here for May National Retail Sales Results

We're very excited to share April Nationwide Retail Sales Results. April retail sales are now available at the below link. April continues to show strong growth across most retail channels. Easter fell 3 weeks later this year, netting an 8.9% increase overall in the Reuters Same-Store Sales Index.

There were initial concerns that increasing fuel costs would force a consumer retreat but such a concern has quickly faded. Our consumer economy is moving ahead so rapidly that retail market experts appear to be scrambling to keep up with trends.

Consumer Credit Highest in 2 YearsThe Fed Reserve announced that consumers used their credit cards more last month than any time since the height of the financial crisis. For a 6th consecutive month consumers increased borrowing for auto loans, furniture and electronics. The increase in credit card purchases sends a clear signal that consumers are more confident about the economy. Credit card use was up 3% last month.

The Retail MarketplaceCostco was up 12.0% after a 13.0% increase in March. Target stores pushed forward with a 13.1% increase for April. Limited Brands delivered a 20.0% increase. Macys and other department stores produced solid increases in the 10% range for April.

The Candidate MarketRock star talent is being lost to competitors because the interview process is too slow. You snooze, you lose, especially in retail.

Understanding skills is only part of the equation to successfully attract and deliver a desirable candidate in our current market. Getting creative with relocation support, incentive programs and other areas is increasingly important to attract and relocate an outstanding hire that will impact company results.

Unemployment
With unemployment for college-educated professionals continuing in the 4% range companies will continue to lose high demand candidates. For example, as companies begin to re-activate their marketing programs we are seeing a huge demand for retail marketers. The challenge is getting companies to complete the interview process on a timely basis so the candidate is not lost to another competitor's opportunity. Retailers who move aggressively to acquire talent will dominate the 2nd half of 2011. Retail has never been an industry where leaders win by taking a wait-and-see approach.

Click here for April National Retailer Sales Results

March nationwide retail sales are now available at the below link. The consumer recovery is accelerating.

Consumer Regaining Confidence
March consumer spending surprised analysts with stronger-than-expected sales despite rapidly rising fuel prices and a later Easter business. Comparable store sales rose 1.7% during March in the Reuters Same-Store Sales Index. This compares to an expected decrease of 0.7%, exceeding analysts' expectations by 2.4%. The message is clear. The consumer is regaining confidence and moving ahead.

The Retail Marketplace
Nationwide retailers continued to have good comparable store sales growth during March. Costco was up 13.0%, Limited Brands delivered a 14% increase and Saks at 11.1% up. In the fourth quarter, DSW led the footwear sector with a 14.9% increase, their second consecutive double-digit increase. In the Home area, Pier 1 and Cost Plus delivered solid 8.9% and 7.7% increases respectively.

Auto Sales Robust
Have you seen more paper dealer license plates as you're driving around? You probably have, and the reason is because auto sales are up a whopping 17% for March (AP release). Chrysler led with 31% growth for the month.

The Candidate Market
Rob Romaine, President of Management Recruiters International shared a valuable observation; "Once a passive candidate is considering a position, they're no longer passive and with each week they are more likely to be considering additional opportunities. A delay in extending an offer risks a candidate losing the enthusiasm to take the position and if they find other opportunities, it can create a bidding situation, driving up the cost." This is real. This is happening. Rock star talent is being lost to competitors because the interview process is too slow. You snooze, you lose; especially in retail.

The deal-breaker for many candidates is their home equity position. Having a "loss-on-sale" event upon selling their home is having a dampening effect upon candidate relocations. Understanding skills is only part of the equation to successfully attract and deliver a desirable candidate in our current market. Getting creative with relocation support is increasingly important to get the hire.

Unemployment
The unemployment picture shows little change. Overall, the needle is stuck around 9%. For college-educated professionals it's in the 4% range. Change here will come slowly as deficits dominate headlines. The growth in consumer activity tells us that the employed population is ready to move ahead.

Click here for March National Retailer Sales Results

Here we are, only 3 ½ weeks until the end of Q1. But wait, what happened to February! The answer is simple - everything is accelerating. Retail sales are up, along with several commodities critical to retail. There are now even inflation fears!

The Retail Marketplace
Sales are exceeding expectations. Reuter's comparable store sales index rose 4.2% for February, exceeding estimates for a 3.6% increase. Although February typically includes seasonal clearance you'll see how retailers were successful at introducing new merchandise and driving top-line sales growth. Check out the below link to February National Retail Results.

DSW delivered a whopping 14.9% increase, even after a 10.1% increase in third quarter. In apparel, Limited Brands delivered another red hot 12% increase for February after a 24% January comp store performance. Ann Taylor and Coach delivered outstanding 11% and 12.6% comp store increases for their most recent quarters. The consumer is back! But they're not only buying apparel.

Everything automotive is sizzling. Car Max reported 23% increase for third quarter. Auto parts retailers Advance Auto Parts, Auto Zone and O'Reilly posted increases of 11%, 12.7% and 12%, respectively.

The boating market is coming alive quickly. The WestWinn Group of Vernon, BC shared that demand continues to be at near capacity for their popular line of Jetcraft and Kingfisher boats. Some dealers report being totally surprised by seasonal boat show sales results. For boating, this is a huge shift from the past two years.

Unemployment - Some Areas Much Stronger
There were few headlines until this weekend, when the Labor Department released U.S. Unemployment Falls From 9.0 to 8.9%. The private sector added 222,000 jobs, while the state and local level governments shed 30,000 positions.

The management, professional and related occupation unemployment rate fell from 4.8 to 4.4% year-over-year. The sales and related occupations unemployment rate also fell from 10.2 to 9.0% year-over-year. Experts advise that we should expect to see consistent slow and steady job growth, good news for the retail industry.

Click here for February National Retailer Sales Results

After a holiday season of consistent retail growth we expected the same for January. We're happy to report that retail sales growth did continue for the majority of retailers. Several retailers have announced expansion plans for 2011, validating confidence in consumer spending.

In their January summary, Chain Store Age reported, "The reports, many of which surpassed Wall Street expectations, offer encouragement that strength in consumer spending is continuing after a merry holiday season." Analysts were surprised that repeated snowstorms did little to curtail a robust January retail performance.

Unemployment
The Labor Department reported a gain of 50,000 jobs, and nationwide unemployment shrinking to 9.0% from 9.4% in January. Seasonally adjusted professional level unemployment shrank to 4.7% from 5.0%. For those with a Bachelor's degree or higher the unemployment rate decreased from 4.8% to 4.2% for the same period.

Watch Area
The auto parts retailers continue to enjoy near double-digit increases as we turn the corner into 2011. It's our belief that the new car industry is poised for an explosion of new car sales. Start watching for the dealer paper license plates - you'll start seeing more any day.

Click here for January National Retail Sales Results

The most exciting part of the retail business is seeing broad-based growth across the industry. I’m happy to report that U.S. retailers have just landed the best holiday season since 2006. There is some evidence that conservative inventory positions may have limited some retailer potential for December.

The ICSC group reported a 3.8% combined Nov-Dec comparable store sales increase. This compares to 2006 when the industry reported an increase in the 4.4% range. Think back to 2006. I don’t recall any complaints about sales that year! Although the pure December sales increase has been reported as +3.1%, when combined with the 5.8% November increase the 2010 holiday season is one that most retailers can be proud of.

In November I talked about consumers looking for good value. Although we have a few teen retailers who didn’t attract their customers with competitive value, others like Zumiez, Buckle and Abercrombie did and delivered excellent comp store increases ranging from +6.1% to +15%.

During a post-holiday tour I visited a JC Penney store to find the men’s sales area with virtually blank walls and little RTW to sell. When asked, a salesperson replied, “Our stockroom is completely empty. We sold all our clothes.” On the Monday after Christmas, Nordstrom in San Diego was swamped with eager-to-buy customers – it was a mad-house of retail activity! Nordstrom posted a +8.4% comp store performance for December. Macy’s and Kohl’s both turned in respectable increases of +3.9%.

At the end of the day it’s all good. Many retailers took advantage of their pre-holiday trend and planned inventories to support growth. Their focus on value with well-planned inventories and promotions generated solid business that will likely continue in first quarter 2011. Consumers are buying and the best retailers are giving them what they want.

Click here for November National Retail Sales Results