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