Kurt Barnard
Kurt Barnard
suddenly surprise turned weather
This is really the surprise of the year. We should have really anticipated it because suddenly the weather turned very cold.
accept anticipate bring consumer future good growth massive slow strong time willing
It is a good time if you're willing to accept slow growth and slow improvement. We do not anticipate at this time that the foreseeable future will bring a real strong massive upturn in consumer spending.
martha needs people products retail sales selling suffer terminal
Retail sales of Martha Stewart products won't suffer in a terminal way because right now Kmart needs Martha more than Martha needs Kmart. Her products are selling well because people really like them.
ahead home lifestyles mile remember stay top
Just remember one thing - the competitive world around Home Depot is changing. Lifestyles are changing. He has stay not just on top of those changes, but a mile ahead of them.
almost amount condition huge inventory repair surprising
Kmart is in a condition of repair right now, ... It is almost surprising they are down only 2 percent. They have a huge amount of over-age inventory they have to unload.
exactly overall represent results sales
Sales results were not exactly exceptional and they do represent a slowdown in the overall economy,
extent regardless wonderful
Rebates are wonderful to the extent that they are executed, regardless of the deficit.
avoiding consumer discount drifting rapidly spending stores
Consumer spending is avoiding the mall-based, high-priced stores and is now drifting rapidly to the discount and low-priced segment.
becoming beginning decades generally halloween holiday recent sales scary seen sort traffic
Halloween has become in recent times a little more of a retail-type holiday than you've seen it in decades past. It's becoming a little more important not just for sales of scary masks, but there generally is more traffic into the stores. It's sort of the beginning of fall, something like the precursor for what's to come.
consumer continue future growth last mistake moderate reasonable spending stop suddenly trend
This trend is going to be with us for the foreseeable future. Growth will continue and will be very strong, but it will be more moderate than it was last year, ... Make no mistake about it - this growth will continue. Consumer spending will continue to grow, but it's not going to suddenly stop or go back. It will continue at a more reasonable pace.
apparel came deep fashion strengths whatever
Whatever strengths fashion apparel did show came from deep markdowns.
decisions finally management matter situation tried whatever
Whatever they've tried is not working. It's really a matter of how they have tried to do things, ... J.C. Penney management is essentially a multi-headed hydra. It's the kind of situation where decisions have been made very, very slowly, and after a decision has finally been made, the need for the decision is gone.
add business community fellow grow retail stores suddenly until
The only way to grow in the retail business is to add yet another 100 stores, another 600 stores. Then someone else will see that you are successful. And that other fellow will do the same. And for a while it is fine, until suddenly there are more stores than the community needs.
economic forces high jobs level low money people rate spending work year
There are two conflicting forces at work on the consumer. One is people have jobs, they have money, the unemployment rate is still at a 30-year low of 3.9 percent, a lot of economic circumstances are very, very favorable. A lot of economic circumstances are very, very favorable, people have money and jobs, but they don't have as high a discretionary spending level as they did a year ago.