US retail trade to settle in 2022 after a buoyant 2021

Significance

Department store and speciality retailers head into December, the month that makes or breaks their annual profits, in better shape than for many years. Raising profitability, the pandemic accelerated the shuttering of unprofitable stores, expanded e-commerce and tightened inventory management. Revenue was boosted by consumers spending more on goods and less on in-person services during lockdowns

Impacts

• Newfound pricing power is helping retailers offset rising labour, shipping and stock costs.
• Inflation will disproportionately inflate sales values compared with sales volumes.
• Surveys suggest that consumers think the pandemic has permanently changed shopping habits more than retailers.