Despite some positive news on the growth of department store sales and the return of foreign tourists, rising consumer prices set alarm bells ringing in September, suggesting that Japanese consumers in general are cutting back on spending and may be at their breaking point. In addition, the reduction in the volume of footwear imports and the impact of the country’s monetary policy on the cost of imported goods is another sign that footwear retail is unlikely to improve by the end of the year. The Government has been taking measures, but the outcome shouldn’t be seen until 2024
Despite signs of a certain resilience from consumers over the summer, companies are taking a cautious approach for the rest of 2023. The long deceleration in footwear inflation came to a halt in August, so if the trend recedes, wage increases will have to follow suit, or the positive outlook for footwear retail could be jeopardised. It’s not surprising how carefully retailers are managing their inventory at the moment: neither too much nor too little
The Seattle-based online giant posted a strong performance in the third quarter of 2023, with profits rising significantly to 9.9 billion USD from 2.9 billion USD in the same quarter of 2022
Despite confirming its 2023 profits guidance, the online retailer has lowered its GMV and revenue outlook revenue on the “expectation of continued pressure on demand for the rest of the year”
The Seattle-based online retail giant announced the expansion of the Prime Air drone delivery system to customers in Italy and the UK by the end of 2024. A third US city will also be covered
The European Commission (EC) has “unconditionally” approved Farfetch’s acquisition of a 47.5% stake in Yoox Net-a-Porter. The EC was the last regulatory authority required to give authorisation
Confidence indicators are a red flag for retail at the moment, especially on the retailers’ side. The slow decline in inflation is likely to have a negative impact on consumer prices in the clothing and footwear segment, which will undoubtedly continue to limit consumers’ purchasing power; even the fall in import prices is not entirely positive news, as it will take time to translate into reality. Only the online channel seems to be more optimistic about the times ahead
In the first half of the year, amidst a challenging macroeconomic environment, the French-based retailer reported a decline in GMV and sales, but an improvement in its profitability
After a somewhat mixed performance over the summer, highly impacted by short-lived events such as the postponement of sales due to the riots or August’s heatwave, some signs suggest that retail in France could improve next year. Consumers seem to be less pessimistic about rising prices and their personal financial situation. But it all comes down to the trajectory of inflation, and whether food and energy prices will effectively ease until the end of the year
The UK-based resale sneaker platform is expanding into European markets by starting to roll out dedicated language websites and introducing a series of currencies
The UK-based luxury platform posted a small drop in revenue in the second quarter of 2023, as compared to the same period of 2022, while profits remain in the red zone since the first quarter
After a strong first quarter, the Seattle-based online retail giant continued its positive trajectory, once again reporting net sales and profit growth in the second quarter of 2023
The German-based online retailer posted an 87% increase in EBIT in the second quarter of the current year from the same period in 2022, despite a slight decline in GMV and revenue
The growth rate of footwear consumer prices has largely outpaced that of the overall prices. This is not a good sign for the footwear sector, as discretionary items are always the first to be discarded by consumers, but it is not all bad news. The truth is consumer confidence has rebound at the start of the year, private consumption has shown some resilience and the return of tourists is a welcoming sign. Perhaps most surprising is the fact that the volume of imports has not been affected by the weakening of the yen. It remains to be seen how the outlook will unfold
The German-based company challenges its designation as a “Very Large Online Platform”, under Article 33 of the Digital Services Act (DSA), which obliges it to manage systemic risks