2024年，美國門店關閉數量激增69%

2024年，門店關閉數量激增69%。以下是關閉數千家門店的零售商。

作者：Aimee Picchi，編輯：Anne Marie D. Lee，2024年12月12日
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/retailers-closing-stores-surged-2024-family-dollar-cvs-big-lots/

美國藥店關閉導致藥店荒漠化 03:13
對於一些大型零售商來說，今年的假日季可不是什麽愉快的假期。

根據研究公司CoreSight的最新數據，截至2024年11月底，美國零售商已宣布將關閉超過7100家門店，較去年同期激增69%。報告發現，今年迄今為止，已有45家零售商申請破產保護，而2023年全年共有25家零售商破產。

在消費者支出看似強勁、有助於提振美國經濟增長之際，門店關閉數量激增。然而，一些零售商報告稱，疲於應對通脹的購物者正在減少消費，或在尋找促銷和特價商品時變得更加挑剔。

沃爾瑪等零售商正在想方設法吸引資金緊張的購物者，而其他連鎖店則舉步維艱。塔吉特上個月表示，其最近一個季度的收益和銷售額低於預期。Family Dollar和CVS Health在幫助消費者節儉方麵苦苦掙紮，是關閉門店數量最多的公司之一。

GlobalData分析師尼爾·桑德斯在談到今年門店關閉數量激增時告訴CBS MoneyWatch：“零售市場的增長不足以讓所有參與者都取得好成績，這就是我們看到結果兩極分化的原因。”

他補充道：“然而，許多關閉門店的連鎖店麵臨的問題不僅僅是經濟問題。他們的產品主張可能不正確，他們的產品可能不符合消費者的需求，而且他們可能沒有以正確的方式應對競爭威脅。”

哪些零售商正在關閉門店？
根據 CoreSight 的數據，關閉門店數量最多的零售商包括折扣連鎖店和藥店。

藥店關閉是一個長期問題，據美聯社援引匹茲堡大學的數據報道，自 2019 年以來，已有超過 7000 家藥店關閉。這導致美國許多地區出現藥店荒漠，一些居民無法在附近找到藥店來配藥和購買其他保健產品。

桑德斯指出，總體而言，折扣店類別正在增長。CoreSight 的研究發現，Dollar General 和 Dollar Tree 都宣布將在 2024 年開設數百家新店。然而，桑德斯在12月4日的一份研究報告中指出，今年大麵積關門的Family Dollar未能吸引對價格敏感的消費者，其門店的“銷售環境不佳”。

他補充道，零售業格局明年可能趨於穩定，但2025年可能還會有更多門店關閉。

“零售商正在努力理順財務和運營。在經曆了幾年的混亂之後，今年是變革的一年，”他指出。“我認為這些事情往往呈周期性變化，目前我們正處於門店關閉的下行周期。”

美國零售額在冬季嚴寒中創下近兩年來最大降幅

作者：Lucia Mutikani 2025年2月14日
摘要
1月份零售額下降0.9%
12月份銷售額增速從0.4%上修至0.7%
核心零售額下降0.8%；12月份增速上修
工廠生產下降0.1%；汽車產量下降5.2%
華盛頓，2月14日（路透社）——美國1月份零售額創近兩年來最大降幅，可能受嚴寒天氣、野火和汽車短缺等因素拖累，表明第一季度初經濟增長急劇放緩。
但美國商務部周五公布的零售額降幅超出預期且全麵下滑，可能並未反映出消費者支出的實質性轉變，因為此前消費者支出也經曆了連續四個月的大幅增長。
在此注冊。

12月份零售額的大幅上修，在一定程度上緩解了該報告帶來的衝擊。經濟學家還指出，在年初，很難從數據中剔除較大的季節性波動，這在1月份的消費者通脹報告中也得到了體現。
他們仍然預計美聯儲不會在下半年之前恢複降息。唐納德·特朗普總統政府的一些政策，例如對進口產品征收廣泛的關稅，已經給經濟蒙上了陰影。
海軍聯邦信用合作社的企業經濟學家羅伯特·弗裏克表示：“降幅很大，但一些緩解因素表明無需擔憂。”
美國商務部人口普查局表示，上個月零售額下降0.9%，為2023年3月以來的最大降幅，此前12月零售額上修為增長0.7%。路透社調查的經濟學家此前預測，零售額（主要為商品，且未經通脹調整）將下降0.1%。零售額增長

1月份同比下降4.2%。
上個月，美國大部分地區被暴風雪和嚴寒籠罩，而洛杉磯的山火則燒毀了整個街區。
PNC Financial高級經濟學家傑伊·霍金斯表示：“美國第二大都市區洛杉磯的山火以及美國其他地區的嚴寒天氣可能限製了實體購物活動。”
一些經濟學家推測，物價上漲和對關稅的困惑可能影響了銷售。
近幾個月來，由於預期關稅將導致商品價格上漲，消費者提前購買商品，這有助於提振零售額。但密歇根大學上周的一項消費者調查顯示，消費者信心有所惡化，2月初一年期通脹預期達到15個月以來的最高水平，因為家庭認為“現在可能已經來不及避免關稅政策的負麵影響”。
荷蘭國際集團（ING）首席國際經濟學家詹姆斯·奈特利（James Knightley）表示：“人們可能對關稅的說法感到困惑，以為關稅會立即生效，因此甚至沒有考慮購買。”
“我們需要等到2月份的數據才能知道，這是否預示著消費者更加謹慎的消費趨勢，或者僅僅是天氣因素導致的消費回落。”
對墨西哥和加拿大商品征收25%關稅的措施被推遲到3月份。對中國商品征收10%的額外關稅已於本月生效。特朗普本周責成其經濟團隊製定計劃，對所有對美國進口商品征收關稅的國家實施互惠關稅。
周五，華爾街股市表現平淡，美元兌一籃子貨幣下跌，美國國債收益率下跌。

2021年11月26日，人們提著購物袋走進美國賓夕法尼亞州普魯士王市的普魯士王購物中心。路透社/Rachel Wisniewski/檔案照片 購買許可權，打開新標簽
美聯儲維持利率不變
這些數據並未改變美聯儲將在今年晚些時候再度降息的觀點。
美聯儲1月份維持基準隔夜利率在4.25%-4.50%區間不變，自9月份啟動政策寬鬆周期以來，該利率已下調100個基點。為抑製通脹，美聯儲在2022年和2023年將政策利率上調了5.25個百分點。
零售額領跌，汽車經銷商的銷售收入繼12月份增長0.9%後，再次下降2.8%。除了天氣原因可能阻礙買家前往展廳外，庫存短缺也可能是另一個因素。
美國人口普查局的其他數據顯示，12月份零售機動車庫存已耗盡。供應不太可能改善，美聯儲發布的第三份報告顯示，1月份機動車產量暴跌5.2%。
體育用品、業餘愛好用品、樂器和書店銷售額暴跌4.6%。網上商店銷售額下降1.9%。建材店銷售額下降1.3%。家具、服裝和電子產品零售商的銷售額也大幅下降。
但報告中唯一的服務業組成部分——餐飲服務及酒吧的收入繼12月份小幅上漲0.1%後，又上漲了0.9%。經濟學家將外出就餐視為家庭財務狀況的關鍵指標。汽油價格上漲使加油站銷售額上漲0.9%。
勞動力市場的韌性仍然支撐著支出，這使得工資增長保持高位，經濟擴張也步入正軌。盡管股市有所回吐，但由於房價高企，家庭財富仍處於曆史高位。
上月，不包括汽車、汽油、建築材料和食品服務在內的零售額下降了0.8%，而12月的零售額則上修至增長0.8%。
這些所謂的核心零售額與國內生產總值(GDP)中的消費者支出部分最為接近，此前報道稱12月增長了0.7%。
經濟學家估計，經通脹調整後的1月份消費者支出持平或略有下降。強勁的消費者支出抵消了第四季度庫存幾乎耗盡對GDP的拖累。
亞特蘭大聯儲將第一季度GDP增長預期從2.9%下調至2.3%的折合成年率。上季度經濟增長率為2.3%。
RSM US美國經濟學家Tuan Nguyen表示：“經濟的基本實力基本保持不變。如果這種強勁勢頭持續下去，我們預計未來幾個月的銷售額將會反彈。”

題為“美國核心零售額月度變化”的柱狀圖，追蹤了過去一年的指標變化。1月份核心零售額下降了0.8%。
Lucia Mutikani報道；Chizu Nomiyama和Toby Chopra編輯

Store closures have surged 69% in 2024. Here are the retailers shuttering thousands of stores.

By Aimee Picchi  Edited By  Anne Marie D. Lee December 12, 2024

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/retailers-closing-stores-surged-2024-family-dollar-cvs-big-lots/?

 

 U.S. drug store closures create pharmacy deserts 03:13

It's not shaping up to be a very merry holiday season for some major retailers this year. 

U.S. retailers have announced more than 7,100 store closures through the end of November 2024, a 69% jump from the same time last year, according to recent data from research firm CoreSight. That comes as 45 retailers have filed for bankruptcy protection so far this year, compared with 25 retail bankruptcies for all of 2023, the report found. 

The surge in store closures comes at a time when consumer spending appears strong, helping to lift the nation's economic growth. Yet cracks are emerging, with some retailers reporting that inflation-weary shoppers are cutting back or becoming more choosy in searching for sales and deals. 

While retailers such as Walmart are finding ways of appealing to financially strapped shoppers, other chains are struggling. Target last month said its most recent quarterly earnings and sales fell short of forecasts. Family Dollar and CVS Health, which have struggled with economizing consumers, are among the companies with the largest number of closures.

"There is not enough growth in the retail market for every player to do well, which is why we are seeing polarized results," Neil Saunders, an analyst with GlobalData, told CBS MoneyWatch about this year's surge in store closures. 

He added, "However, many of the chains closing stores are those that have problems which go beyond the economy. Their propositions might not be right, their offers might not be what consumers want, and they might not have responded to competitive threats in the right way."

Which retailers are closing locations?

Retailers with the largest number of store closures include discount chains and drugstores, according to CoreSight's data.

Pharmacy closures are a long-term problem, with more than 7,000 closing since 2019, according to the Associated Press, citing data from the University of Pittsburgh. That's causing pharmacy deserts across regions in the U.S. where some residents don't have a nearby drugstore to fill prescriptions and get other health care products. 

Overall, the discount store category is growing, Saunders noted. Dollar General and Dollar Tree both announced hundreds of new store openings in 2024, CoreSight's research found. Yet Family Dollar, which has had widespread closures this year, has failed to attract price-sensitive shoppers while its stores offer "a poor selling environment," Saunders said in a Dec. 4 research note.

The retail landscape might stabilize next year, although there are likely to be additional closures in 2025, he added. 

"Retailers are trying to get their finances and operations in order. This has been a year of change after several years of disruption," he noted. "I think these things tend to go in cycles and we are currently in a bit of a down cycle for store closings."

US retail sales post biggest drop in nearly two years amid winter freeze

By Lucia Mutikani  February 14, 2025 

• Summary

• Retail sales drop 0.9% in January
• December sales growth revised up to 0.7% from 0.4%
• Core retail sales fall 0.8%; December revised higher
• Factory production dips 0.1%; motor vehicle output drops 5.2%

WASHINGTON, Feb 14 (Reuters) - U.S. retail sales dropped by the most in nearly two years in January, likely weighed down by frigid temperatures, wildfires and motor vehicle shortages, suggesting a sharp slowdown in economic growth early in the first quarter.

But the larger-than-expected and across the board decline in retail sales reported by the Commerce Department on Friday probably does not reflect a material shift in consumer spending as it also followed four straight months of hefty increases.

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A sharp upward revision to December's sales took some of the sting from the report. Economists also noted that it was difficult to strip out large seasonal swings from the data at the turn of the year, which was also evident in the January consumer inflation report.

They continued to expect the Federal Reserve would not resume cutting interest rates before the second half. Some of the policies of President Donald Trump's administration, like broad tariffs on imports, have cast a shadow over the economy.

"The drop was dramatic, but several mitigating factors show there's no cause for alarm," said Robert Frick, corporate economist at Navy Federal Credit Union.

Retail sales dropped 0.9% last month, the biggest decrease since March 2023, after an upwardly revised 0.7% increase in December, the Commerce Department's Census Bureau said. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast retail sales, which are mostly goods and are not adjusted for inflation, dipping 0.1%. Retail sales increased 4.2% year-on-year in January.

Much of the country was blanketed by snowstorms and freezing temperatures last month while wildfires scorched entire neighborhoods in Los Angeles.

"The wildfires in Los Angeles, the second-largest metro area in the U.S., and severe winter weather in other parts of the country, may have limited face-to-face shopping activity," said Jay Hawkins, a senior economist at PNC Financial.

Some economists speculated that rising prices and confusion over tariffs could have impacted sales.

Pre-emptive buying in anticipation of tariffs that would raise prices for goods helped to boost retail sales in recent months. But consumer sentiment has deteriorated, with one-year inflation expectations hitting a 15-month high in early February as households perceived that "it may be too late to avoid the negative impact of tariff policy," a University of Michigan survey of consumers showed last week.

"Maybe people are getting confused on the tariff story and think they are happening immediately and are therefore not even considering a purchase," said James Knightley, chief international economist at ING.

"We will need to wait until the February data to see if this is the start of a more cautious consumer trend or indeed whether it was simply a weather-related pull back."

A 25% tariff on Mexican and Canadian goods was delayed until March. An additional 10% levy on goods from China went into effect this month. Trump this week tasked his economics team with devising plans for reciprocal tariffs on every country that taxes U.S. imports.

Stocks on Wall Street were muted on Friday, while the dollar eased against a basket of currencies and U.S. Treasury yields fell.

 

People carrying shopping bags walk inside the King of Prussia shopping mall in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, U.S. November 26, 2021. REUTERS/Rachel Wisniewski/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

FED ON HOLD

The data did little to change the view that the Fed will wait until later in the year to next cut its policy rate.

The U.S. central bank left its benchmark overnight interest rate unchanged in the 4.25%-4.50% range in January, having reduced it by 100 basis points since September, when it embarked on its policy easing cycle. The policy rate was hiked by 5.25 percentage points in 2022 and 2023 to tame inflation.

Within the retail sales figures motor vehicles led the decline, with receipts at auto dealerships dropping 2.8% after advancing 0.9% in December. In addition to the weather probably keeping buyers from showrooms, shortages could have been a factor.

Other data from the Census Bureau showed retail motor vehicle inventories were depleted in December. Supply is unlikely to improve, with a third report from the Fed showing motor vehicle production plummeting 5.2% in January.

Sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument and bookstore sales plunged 4.6%. Online store sales tumbled 1.9%. Building material store sales fell 1.3%. There were also sharp declines in sales at furniture, clothing and electronic retailers.

But receipts at food services and drinking places, the only services component in the report, increased 0.9% after edging up 0.1% in December. Economists view dining out as a key indicator of household finances. Higher gasoline prices lifted sales at service stations 0.9%.

Spending remains underpinned by labor market resilience, which is keeping wage growth elevated and the economic expansion on track. Household wealth is at record highs thanks to high house prices, though the stock market has ceded some gains.

Retail sales excluding automobiles, gasoline, building materials and food services declined 0.8% last month after an upwardly revised 0.8% jump in December.

These so-called core retail sales correspond most closely with the consumer spending component of gross domestic product, and were previously reported to have surged 0.7% in December.

Economists estimated inflation-adjusted consumer spending to have been flat or have posted a small dip in January. Robust consumer spending offset the drag on GDP from inventories being nearly drawn down in the fourth quarter.

The Atlanta Fed lowered its first quarter GDP growth estimate to a 2.3% annualized rate from a 2.9% pace. The economy grew at a 2.3% rate last quarter.

"The underlying strength of the economy remains largely unchanged," said Tuan Nguyen, U.S. economist at RSM US. "If that strength persists, we should expect sales to rebound in the coming months."

 

A column chart titled "Monthly change in US core retail sales" that tracks the metric over the last year. Core retail sales fell 0.8% in January.

Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Toby Chopra