Recent earnings reports from retailers exhibited improved inventory positions compared to a year ago. However, the comps show merchandise levels are still lagging sales by a wide margin.
Recent analysis from Gartner shows retailers with more than 50% of revenue from the online channel have logistics costs as a percentage of sales that are almost double those of their store-focused counterparts.
Elevated demand and tight capacity have highlighted the trucking market for a few months now. Recent data points and commentary suggest this dynamic may not abate anytime soon.
Increased e-commerce sales are driving the need for additional industrial warehouse space for retailers and shipping companies.
Lowe’s sees positive sales comps in 14 of 15 regions, but full-year fiscal 2020 guidance disappoints.
Lowe’s announces plans to make leadership changes and close 34 stores in Canada. The home improvement retailer increased earnings guidance for fiscal 2019.
The Home Depot, Inc. reels in full year sales expectations due to timing of investment initiatives. Management expects broad-based growth to continue as consumer discretionary spending remains steady.
A growing number of factories, warehouses, and construction sites are integrating unpowered exoskeleton devices into their operations. Workers and companies using these devices are expected to benefit from increased safety and productivity.
Morgan Stanley says that shippers with low gross margins, bulky merchandise, and relatively low cost of goods sold who outsource their transportation needs are at the mercy of rising freight costs and will face EPS headwinds in 2018.
Even as the industry steps up to help, dedicating thousands of trucks and millions of cubic feet of capacity to relief efforts, an analysis from FTR says that approximately 7% of the industry has been affected already and some of that will be affected for weeks.
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