BBY, KSS, PLCE, & WSM Have Clearly De-Emphasized Facebook Fan Growth in 2012

Social media is fast becoming the most effective approach to boost brand awareness, understand the customer, get feedback, as well as direct traffic to a company’s web site and/or stores.

We like to track the Facebook activities and monthly fan base growth for the retailers and brands that we follow (and many others). See attached.

It is worth noting that out of the 188 retail chains/brands covered in this survey, the following were the largest percentage gainers of ‘fans’ in terms of year-to-date growth through April 2012:

Sunkist Soda (DPS) Dress Barn (ASNA) Big 5 Sporting Goods (BGFV) Men’s Wearhouse (MW) 7UP (DPS)

246.6% 235.2% 123.0% 112.1% 109.4%

 
Naturally, some of the above retailers/brands have a small base. Therefore, let’s look at the largest percentage gainers of ‘fans’ in terms of year-to-date growth through April 2012 for brands with greater than 1.0 million ‘fans’ (excludes those in the Top 5 list above):

Burger King (ex-BKC) Amazon (AMZN) Fanta (KO) Bennetton (BNGPY.PK) Ebay (EBAY)

106.4% 91.5% 86.4% 84.6% 79.9%

 
Conversely, it is worth noting that out of the 188 retail chains/brands covered in this survey, the following were the lowest percentage gainers of ‘fans’ in terms of year-to-date growth through April 2012:

Playtex (HBI) Casual Male (CMRG) Kohl’s (KSS) Hanes (HBI) Children’s Place (PLCE) Office Max (OMX) Best Buy (BBY) Cache (CACH) Lucy Activewear (VFC) Gymboree (ex-GYMB) Pei Wei Asian Diner (PFCB) Dr Pepper (DPS) Pottery Barn Kids (WSM)

1.7% 2.3% 2.8% 3.2% 5.2% 5.5% 6.3% 7.2% 7.3% 7.5% 7.8% 8.4% 8.4%

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Let’s be honest. Management teams are always putting their best foot forward. Press releases and conference calls are filled with Truthiness.

Each week, we’ll challenge “managerial spin” and offer some news and commentary about the retail industry. You are encouraged to provide any feedback to info@RetailGeeks.com.

Here are some quick thoughts re: earnings releases this week from the following companies:

Click to Open PDF

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Each week, we highlight five articles of interest focusing on the retail/consumer space. Enjoy.

Macy’s CFO Talks Coupons and Customers at Barclays Conference Click to Open PDF

Ms. Hoguet points out the obvious flaw in JCP’s strategy.
Date Published: Friday, April 27, 2012
Source: WWD

Penney’s Sued Over ‘Fair and Square’ Design Click to Open PDF

Apparently, JCP’s fair and square mantra does not apply to the company’s relations with its vendors.
Date Published: Thursday, April 26, 2012
Source: WWD (more…)

Each week, we highlight five articles of interest focusing on the retail/consumer space. Enjoy.

Next Generation: Millennials Seen Driving Retailing Click to Open PDF

Good overview of the retail industry today. It will be interesting to see if the initiative by Macy’s to turn 292 stores into fulfillment centers is a winning long-term strategy.

Date Published: Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Source: WWD

Gap China Remaining Optimistic Despite Naysayers Click to Open PDF

Paul French, a senior analyst at Mintel, minces no words. He believes Gap China is struggling.
Date Published: Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Source: WWD (more…)

Reminder: We like to look at the Commerce Department data on a comp basis (year-over-year change). Hey, it’s government data, so caveat emptor. See Full Report Here.

Big picture, our favorite measure of “what’s happening at the mall” (excludes Motor Vehicles, Gasoline, and Building Materials) suggests a +4.8% year-over-year sales improvement in March 2012 versus LY. This represents a slight acceleration versus the +4.7% growth rate in February 2012.

The most compelling category specific storylines in March 2012 were:

• March 2012 represented the 29th consecutive month of positive year-over-year growth for our favorite “mall” measuring stick.

• The following categories reported a sales deceleration in Q1 2012 versus Q4 2011: Electronics & Appliance Stores, Food & Beverage: Grocery Stores, Health & Personal Care Stores, Gasoline Stations, Motor Vehicles & Parts Dealers, and Non-Store Retailers. All other categories reported an acceleration of year-over-year sales growth in Q1 2012 versus Q4 2011.

• The dramatic sales growth deceleration in the Health & Personal Care Stores category continued in March 2012.

• The year-over-year growth rate of Gasoline Stations was only +7.6% in March 2012 versus LY. This represents the lowest YOY growth rate since October 2009.

• After 24 consecutive months with year-over-year sales growth in the double digits, the Non-Store Retailers again reported a relatively modest +HSD growth rate in March 2012.

• Building & Garden Equipment Supplies Dealers again reported impressive year-over-year growth in March 2012 (+14.1% in March 2012 follows +12.5% in February 2012). Comparisons in April 2012 will be much easier to lap (inclement weather in April 2011).

• Unlike Building & Garden Equipment Supplies Dealers, Furniture & Home Furnishing Stores reported a sharply decelerating YOY growth rate in both February/March 2012.

 
Recent monthly “Big Picture — what’s happening at the mall” year-over-year results:

July 2011 August 2011 September 2011 October 2011 November 2011 December 2011 January 2012 February 2012 March 2012

+6.6% (+11.1% 2-year) +5.9% (+10.9% 2-year) +6.0% (+11.1% 2-year) +6.0% (+11.3% 2-year) +5.2% (+11.3% 2-year) +4.8% (+10.2% 2-year) +5.0% (+10.7% 2-year) +4.7% (+10.2% 2-year) +4.8% (+10.2% 2-year)