June marked the third straight month of comparable store increases for national retailers. The important trend we see is regular price retailers across many sectors, especially apparel, are showing strong comparable growth. Department stores are attracting their customer – Nordstrom led the charge with a 14.1% comp store increase. Best Buy's most recent quarter release boasts a 7% comp increase and Advance Auto Parts' most recent quarter led their segment with a 7.7% comp increase. Footwear and specialty retailers like Brookstone (+14.1%) are posting double-digit growth.

The overall increase was in the 3% range but there are certainly chains on both sides of that number. This is a sharp contrast to 2009 where there was month-after-month of sales declines. We clearly have more consistent consumer activity for the first half of 2010 as evidenced by the national chain results. You may view our consolidated nationwide sales summary by clicking the below link.

Unemployment
According to the Labor Department, U.S. total payroll decreased by 125,000 positions in June, while the unemployment rate declined to 9.5 percent. Included in the total payroll drop was a decrease of 225,000 temporary U.S. Census jobs. Total private employment actually increased by 83,000 positions, up from the gain of just 33,000 in May.

For the first time this year, the number of long-term unemployed (those without a job for more than six months) declined, dropping 12,000 between May and June.

Recruiting
Your competition is upgrading their talent. Activity continues to accelerate. Currently employed, high demand candidates are now willing to consider change for the right opportunity. This is a significant market change from a few months ago. If you haven’t already, I would encourage you to develop a relationship with our team. They’re the finest retail specialists in the Retail search industry!


Click here to view June Retail Sales Results

After two straight months of double-digit comparable store increases the attached May results reflect a solid, yet more competitive growth trend. Specialty apparel, department stores and several other segments showed encouraging gains. Comp store sales reflect the most consistent consumer demand that we’ve seen since early 2009.

Unemployment
The Labor Department reported improved unemployment at 9.7% vs. 9.9% for the May period. Management, professional and related occupations remained unchanged at 4.5% for May. A Careerbuilder® survey revealed that 40% of employees plan to change jobs this year, based largely upon a belief that they’ve been doing more than one job as a result of downsizing. Compensation was also sited as a factor in their decision to make a change.

Recruiting
At Retail Search Group the month of May was the largest volume month in the past year. Each Director’s practice is very busy, and the activity is accelerating. The best performing retail brands are reacting to their business by attracting best-in-class candidates. These retailers are investing in rapid ROI assets – top talent that steps into the role and moves their business quickly. Retail brands with the best people will dominate comp store sales – but when has that not been the case!

Click here to view May Retail Sales Results

If you haven’t already, I would encourage you to develop a relationship with our team. They’re the finest retail specialists in the search industry. They are:

Kim Franchi, Director Field Operations Recruiting, kim@retailsearchgroup.com

Joan Cartelli, Director, Buying & Merchandise Recruiting, joan@retailsearchgroup.com
Leona Williams, Director Planning & Allocation Recruiting, leonaw@retailsearchgroup.com
Steve Olson, Director Finance & Accounting Recruiting, steve@retailsearchgroup.com

Last month the industry showcased two straight months of double-digit comparable store increases. For April the comp store sales trend remains strong, fueling a dramatic change in retailer hiring activity.

At a 3.2 percent annualized rate, the first quarter’s GDP growth still exceeded the 2.8 percent average growth the U.S. has seen over the last 25 years. For the first quarter of 2010 consumer spending grew by 3.6 percent, and more impressively, business investment in equipment and software grew by 13.4 percent. Tony McKinnon, president of MRINetwork cautions the overly-conservative “Business investment goes hand-in-hand with headcount increases.”

New Store Growth
We continue to talk with major retailers every day who are planning expansion for 2010 and 2011. These announcements of new store openings make a clear statement that, "We're competitors in our space. We're not planning to lose market share in 2010 so we're moving ahead with openings."

Recruiting
Relocating high demand candidates continues to be a challenge for your HR Professionals. When creatively approached and presented in the right way this challenge can be overcome and a top candidate delivered. How much time are you dedicating each month to interviewing top talent from your competitors?

If this idea appeals to you then contact one of our Certified professionals. Your call may build a relationship that changes your career for the better.

Click here to view April Retail Sales Results