Midwesterners aren't the only ones
who could get slammed by the storm that's expected to bring heavy snow, winds
and rain to the middle of the country over the next couple of days. Stores could
get hit too.
With sales during the holiday shopping season disappointing so far, the nation's retailers are depending even more on these final days leading up to Christmas for a boost in business. Retailers are hoping the storm won't change shoppers' plans.
Jon Adam, 22, said he's finished most of his holiday shopping. But Adam, who lives in of Grand Rapids, Mich., was planning to go out this weekend to buy $80 perfume at a specialty store located 35 miles away for his girlfriend. The looming snowstorm, however, is making him rethink that.
"I don't know if things are going to freeze over," he said. "We're all used to snow. But we haven't had that big snow (storm) this year. So everyone is on edge."
The first big snowstorm of the season, which began in the Midwest on Thursday, is just the latest challenge facing stores during this holiday shopping season. The period, which runs roughly from November through December, can account for 40 percent of a store's annual revenue. And the Midwest accounts for about 18 percent of the nation's retail sales, according to MasterCard Advisors' SpendingPulse, which tracks spending.
So far this season, sales have been lackluster as shoppers have held back their spending because of worries about the weak U.S. job market and the possibility that a stalemate between Congress and the White House over the U.S. budget could trigger tax increases and spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff" next year. That would mean less money in shoppers' pockets.
ShopperTrak, which counts foot traffic and its own proprietary sales numbers from 40,000 retail outlets across the country, slashed its retail sales forecast for the season on Wednesday to an estimated 2.5 percent increase to $257.7 billion. The company had previously predicted a rise of 3.3 percent for the season.
"This comes at a crucial weekend," said Ken Perkins, president of RetailMetrics, a research firm. "This is the end game. These days are huge as sales have been soft in November and December. They need a strong finish to carry through."
Most major stores and malls said that local managers are keeping an eye on the weather. Kohl's closed its Beaver Dam, Wis. store late Thursday. And Dianna Gee, a spokeswoman at Wal-Mart Stores Inc.,Posts with indoor tracking system on TRX Systems develops systems that locate and track personnel indoors. said that 15 of its nearly 4,000 stores were closed for a few hours Thursday because of the storm. But all but three stores in Kansas, Missouri and Iowa have reopened.
"There's been no major impact at this point," Gee said, noting that the affected stores have seen a spike in sales of snacks as shoppers prepared to stay home.
Target, which is watching 46 stores across Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, said it has "prepositioned" inventory such as shovels and winter clothing to areas that are expected to get significant snow. The discounter said in a statement on Thursday that all of its stores are open and that the "goal is to remain open for impacted communities to have access to winter storm essentials."
Scott Bernhardt, president of Planalytics, which tracks the effect of weather on retailers, said he does not expect the storm to meaningfully affect retail sales because it's hitting before the weekend begins. He also said the location of the storm will work to stores' advantage.
"The upper Midwest is going to take some hits, but the areas that are shut down are not Fifth Ave.,We have a wide selection of dry cabinet to choose from for your storage needs. downtown Atlanta or L.A.," he said.Load the precious minerals into your mining truck and be careful not to drive too fast with your heavy foot.
In fact, Bernhardt said the storm might actually be good for apparel retailers because shoppers could stock up on sweaters and coats. "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, but this is not going to shut us down," he said. "And for apparel retailers it's actually good news."
High on a hill facing Sleepy Hollow Road, the home at 6206 Homespun Lane in Falls Church has been surveying the adjacent land since sometime around the Civil War.
The public tax record only goes back to 1900, but Realtors Joan and Frank Sellers have researched the property and found land records dating to 1844. No accurate date of when the home was constructed is available.
In the 1980s, Tipton Homes used the farmhouse as its sales center as it developed Homespun Lane and a community of new homes. The home has been renovated and expanded and sits on two-thirds of an acre of level land. On the market for $969,000, this farmhouse offers a blend of turn-of-the-century charm and contemporary updates.
The landscaped grounds include a charming front porch with columns, a circular front drive leading to an attached two-car garage with a red metal roof, a large Trex deck and a soccer-field-sized rear yard protected by a row of pine trees for privacy. The level yard easily could accommodate a swimming pool and a tennis court.
Guests can be welcomed on the front porch and led through the bright red front door, which is surrounded by sidelights and a transom, into a foyer with the original farmhouse stairs. An archway links the foyer to the formal living room, which has the original wood-burning fireplace and built-in cabinetry under the front windows.
Throughout the main and upper levels, this home has hardwood flooring,This is my favourite sites to purchase those special pieces of buy mosaic materials from. high ceilings, transoms and molding. The owners refinished the hardwood floors and, in the new sections, selected flooring to complement the original floors. Molding patterns are repeated in both original and new sections of the home. While the original windows were replaced with double-paned ones, the original transoms remain in place.
Adjacent to the living room, the formal dining room has one exposed-brick wall, two front-facing tall windows,Find detailed product information for Low price howo tipper truck and other products. two openings to the living room and pocket doors linked to the kitchen.
With sales during the holiday shopping season disappointing so far, the nation's retailers are depending even more on these final days leading up to Christmas for a boost in business. Retailers are hoping the storm won't change shoppers' plans.
Jon Adam, 22, said he's finished most of his holiday shopping. But Adam, who lives in of Grand Rapids, Mich., was planning to go out this weekend to buy $80 perfume at a specialty store located 35 miles away for his girlfriend. The looming snowstorm, however, is making him rethink that.
"I don't know if things are going to freeze over," he said. "We're all used to snow. But we haven't had that big snow (storm) this year. So everyone is on edge."
The first big snowstorm of the season, which began in the Midwest on Thursday, is just the latest challenge facing stores during this holiday shopping season. The period, which runs roughly from November through December, can account for 40 percent of a store's annual revenue. And the Midwest accounts for about 18 percent of the nation's retail sales, according to MasterCard Advisors' SpendingPulse, which tracks spending.
So far this season, sales have been lackluster as shoppers have held back their spending because of worries about the weak U.S. job market and the possibility that a stalemate between Congress and the White House over the U.S. budget could trigger tax increases and spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff" next year. That would mean less money in shoppers' pockets.
ShopperTrak, which counts foot traffic and its own proprietary sales numbers from 40,000 retail outlets across the country, slashed its retail sales forecast for the season on Wednesday to an estimated 2.5 percent increase to $257.7 billion. The company had previously predicted a rise of 3.3 percent for the season.
"This comes at a crucial weekend," said Ken Perkins, president of RetailMetrics, a research firm. "This is the end game. These days are huge as sales have been soft in November and December. They need a strong finish to carry through."
Most major stores and malls said that local managers are keeping an eye on the weather. Kohl's closed its Beaver Dam, Wis. store late Thursday. And Dianna Gee, a spokeswoman at Wal-Mart Stores Inc.,Posts with indoor tracking system on TRX Systems develops systems that locate and track personnel indoors. said that 15 of its nearly 4,000 stores were closed for a few hours Thursday because of the storm. But all but three stores in Kansas, Missouri and Iowa have reopened.
"There's been no major impact at this point," Gee said, noting that the affected stores have seen a spike in sales of snacks as shoppers prepared to stay home.
Target, which is watching 46 stores across Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, said it has "prepositioned" inventory such as shovels and winter clothing to areas that are expected to get significant snow. The discounter said in a statement on Thursday that all of its stores are open and that the "goal is to remain open for impacted communities to have access to winter storm essentials."
Scott Bernhardt, president of Planalytics, which tracks the effect of weather on retailers, said he does not expect the storm to meaningfully affect retail sales because it's hitting before the weekend begins. He also said the location of the storm will work to stores' advantage.
"The upper Midwest is going to take some hits, but the areas that are shut down are not Fifth Ave.,We have a wide selection of dry cabinet to choose from for your storage needs. downtown Atlanta or L.A.," he said.Load the precious minerals into your mining truck and be careful not to drive too fast with your heavy foot.
In fact, Bernhardt said the storm might actually be good for apparel retailers because shoppers could stock up on sweaters and coats. "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, but this is not going to shut us down," he said. "And for apparel retailers it's actually good news."
High on a hill facing Sleepy Hollow Road, the home at 6206 Homespun Lane in Falls Church has been surveying the adjacent land since sometime around the Civil War.
The public tax record only goes back to 1900, but Realtors Joan and Frank Sellers have researched the property and found land records dating to 1844. No accurate date of when the home was constructed is available.
In the 1980s, Tipton Homes used the farmhouse as its sales center as it developed Homespun Lane and a community of new homes. The home has been renovated and expanded and sits on two-thirds of an acre of level land. On the market for $969,000, this farmhouse offers a blend of turn-of-the-century charm and contemporary updates.
The landscaped grounds include a charming front porch with columns, a circular front drive leading to an attached two-car garage with a red metal roof, a large Trex deck and a soccer-field-sized rear yard protected by a row of pine trees for privacy. The level yard easily could accommodate a swimming pool and a tennis court.
Guests can be welcomed on the front porch and led through the bright red front door, which is surrounded by sidelights and a transom, into a foyer with the original farmhouse stairs. An archway links the foyer to the formal living room, which has the original wood-burning fireplace and built-in cabinetry under the front windows.
Throughout the main and upper levels, this home has hardwood flooring,This is my favourite sites to purchase those special pieces of buy mosaic materials from. high ceilings, transoms and molding. The owners refinished the hardwood floors and, in the new sections, selected flooring to complement the original floors. Molding patterns are repeated in both original and new sections of the home. While the original windows were replaced with double-paned ones, the original transoms remain in place.
Adjacent to the living room, the formal dining room has one exposed-brick wall, two front-facing tall windows,Find detailed product information for Low price howo tipper truck and other products. two openings to the living room and pocket doors linked to the kitchen.
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