What is anyone's Retail Predictions in 2019?

[danfifepsu]

What is anyone's Retail Predictions in 2019?

[TheFugitive]

Century III Mall will finally go up for Sheriff's Sale and will close.

More well-known retailers will join the trend of voluntarily offering higher wages.

Sears will narrowly avoid being forced into liquidation by their creditors
and will emerge from bankruptcy as a mainly online retailer.

The government will take some sort of antitrust action against Amazon,
giving traditional retailers renewed hope.

Kohl's will encounter some major turbulence that may compel store closures.

[giantsfan2016]

The government will take some sort of antitrust action against Amazon,
giving traditional retailers renewed hope.

As you know politics are forbidden to talk about here, but I will say this - the only thing I agree with that our current sitting president said is when he said that Amazon must be stopped. (I'm also the number 2 guy in charge of this forum, so I can break any rule that I want).

[danfifepsu]

For me :

- Sears / Kmart may cut their losses and move on. a Shrunken down presence like that is not good in the long run, its like a patient with cancer where their body withers into a skeleton looking like body

- JC Penny pare down it's store fleet and sales still fall but the new CEO who is experienced addresses the problems.

- Toys r us' void filled later in the year.

- Target remodel more stores

With that said the weaker retailers being weeded out.

[AmesNewington]

It's hard to determine the outcome of Sears/Kmart. Either they will announce liquidation of the entire company later this month or be spared closure and make the year with their 400 remaining locations. I originally thought they'd make it to early 2020, and perhaps that could happen. I think their presence is so slim and scattered throughout the country that it will be difficult to market their remaining stores.

I'm sure JCPenney will be announcing some store closures, but nothing like Sears. I feel they are in a better position at this point to improve what they have left, and perhaps stick around at least a few more years if not longer (I hope). Lowes is said to be closing a few locations this year.
I don't see many other retailers closing completely aside from Sears/Kmart as none are in as terrible shape as they are. I also have no idea of any retailers closing a bunch of locations.

I predict Marshalls/HomeGoods will open more stores in the coming year (Marshalls is coming to Cromwell CT). Also, I can see perhaps chains like At Home and Boscovs opening at least a few new stores in empty mall anchor space. Target is coming to West Hartford, CT, and I can see them opening a few additional locations, particularly smaller format stores. I can see them taking an interest in the soon to be vacant Vernon Kmart.

In Connecticut, I can see Price Chopper making a move in the coming year (or next few years) as the majority of their stores in the state have not been remodeled to Market 32 and have not been renovated since they opened 15 years ago, and I can't imagine some locations such as Newington and Southington getting them. Obviously, ShopRite is opening in Cromwell and Big Y is opening a few new stores. Stop and Shop will continue their remodels.

[danfifepsu]

It's hard to determine the outcome of Sears/Kmart. Either they will announce liquidation of the entire company later this month or be spared closure and make the year with their 400 remaining locations. I originally thought they'd make it to early 2020, and perhaps that could happen. I think their presence is so slim and scattered throughout the country that it will be difficult to market their remaining stores.

I'm sure JCPenney will be announcing some store closures, but nothing like Sears. I feel they are in a better position at this point to improve what they have left, and perhaps stick around at least a few more years if not longer (I hope). Lowes is said to be closing a few locations this year.
I don't see many other retailers closing completely aside from Sears/Kmart as none are in as terrible shape as they are. I also have no idea of any retailers closing a bunch of locations.

I predict Marshalls/HomeGoods will open more stores in the coming year (Marshalls is coming to Cromwell CT). Also, I can see perhaps chains like At Home and Boscovs opening at least a few new stores in empty mall anchor space. Target is coming to West Hartford, CT, and I can see them opening a few additional locations, particularly smaller format stores. I can see them taking an interest in the soon to be vacant Vernon Kmart.

In Connecticut, I can see Price Chopper making a move in the coming year (or next few years) as the majority of their stores in the state have not been remodeled to Market 32 and have not been renovated since they opened 15 years ago, and I can't imagine some locations such as Newington and Southington getting them. Obviously, ShopRite is opening in Cromwell and Big Y is opening a few new stores. Stop and Shop will continue their remodels.

JC PENNY MUST Stay as with Sears gone them gone too will kill or hurt a lot of malls. and places like Boscov's, Belk and Dillards dont want to suffer from Over expansion.

This year is 30 years since Zayre became Ames.

[TheFugitive]

The government will take some sort of antitrust action against Amazon,
giving traditional retailers renewed hope.

As you know politics are forbidden to talk about here, but I will say this - the only thing I agree with that our current sitting president said is when he said that Amazon must be stopped. (I'm also the number 2 guy in charge of this forum, so I can break any rule that I want).

I don't know that this observation is necessarily political.  Antitrust is a legal matter, and there are many reasons why the government might move to enforce it.

Though I will admit that yeah, the tension between Trump and Jeff Bezos likely will have something to do with it.

[Zayre88]

Sears: could survive after another round of closings and could indeed slowly become an online retailer only (maybe with a handful of pickup locations in former stores)

Kmart: won't go through 2019.

JCPenney: will close some stores and may file for bankruptcy.

Shopko: could file for bankruptcy.

More malls will struggle and close

The "B" stores: Bed, Bath & Beyond, Barnes & Nobles, Best Buy, Books-A-Million will close stores

[danfifepsu]

Sears: could survive after another round of closings and could indeed slowly become an online retailer only (maybe with a handful of pickup locations in former stores)

Kmart: won't go through 2019.

JCPenney: will close some stores and may file for bankruptcy.

Shopko: could file for bankruptcy.

More malls will struggle and close

The "B" stores: Bed, Bath & Beyond, Barnes & Nobles, Best Buy, Books-A-Million will close stores

I hope JC Penny doesn't file. I said that could be disastrous for malls.

I recall over the years I got upset over Rich's, Bradlees, Lechmere, Ames and Toys r us closing, but I reached where I won't care if Kmart and Sears close. NOT AT ALL, I used to worry of Kmart. well they downsized so much and their decaying stores got to where I could careless.

I hope the B stores are going to be ok. What malls will close?

[AmesNewington]

Sears: could survive after another round of closings and could indeed slowly become an online retailer only (maybe with a handful of pickup locations in former stores)

Kmart: won't go through 2019.

JCPenney: will close some stores and may file for bankruptcy.

Shopko: could file for bankruptcy.

More malls will struggle and close

The "B" stores: Bed, Bath & Beyond, Barnes & Nobles, Best Buy, Books-A-Million will close stores

I hope JC Penny doesn't file. I said that could be disastrous for malls.

I recall over the years I got upset over Rich's, Bradlees, Lechmere, Ames and Toys r us closing, but I reached where I won't care if Kmart and Sears close. NOT AT ALL, I used to worry of Kmart. well they downsized so much and their decaying stores got to where I could careless.

I hope the B stores are going to be ok. What malls will close?

I agree with you on that. I was young at the time of the Ames/Bradlees/Caldor/Lechmere bankruptcies and closings, but I never saw a chain slowly die like Sears/Kmart. It has been a LONG one that's for sure. I am grateful to have had the chance to shop both stores during the past decade, but it's beyond horrible how many waves of closings they have gone through. A decade ago, there were at least 8 or 9 Kmarts left in CT and now after Vernon closes in March, there will be 1 left, and the oldest and smallest one to boot. At least the other stores of the past had a bankruptcy, but didn't drag things out that long. It probably was due to the fact that at the time, brick and mortar department stores were it with no online option and most of the chains were regional. Kmart/Sears has a lot against them with online retail and them being nationwide. The closing of Vernon really made me NOT care if they close, but I'll still use their website if they remain in business to purchase items and maybe check out the Watertown Kmart and Manchester Sears just for the heck of it.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

I hope Shopko doesn't close and instead reinvents themselves as a no-frills discount store (no pharmacy, no optical, just basic discount department store stuff).

Meijer will expand westward into Minnesota, opening grocery-only locations inside some former Shopko locations and former Kmart locations built after the 1970s, as well as Target locations that relocated to SuperTarget locations.

Most former Toys "R" Us locations will be filled in with new stores (anything from Big Lots to LIDL).

Most dead or dying malls will be gutted and filled with more big box retailers.

Most of the thriving malls, including those owned by Simon, will convert most of their malls to mixed-use.

[TheFugitive]

Most dead or dying malls will be gutted and filled with more big box retailers.

What big box retailers would those be?  The number of big box chains has plummeted in the
past 15-20 years.  To the point that I am really happy that I decided to get out of retail management
because today I don't know where I might possibly look for my next job.

One thing killing all of these malls is that there simply aren't enough brick-and-mortar
chains around anymore to fill all of that space.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

Most dead or dying malls will be gutted and filled with more big box retailers.

What big box retailers would those be?

Meijer, Big Lots, LIDL, Hobbytown USA, Fresh Thyme Farmers Market, PetSmart, Burlington, Michaels, etc.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

Strategic Marks will try to revive KB Toys again. I think the reason why SM wasn't able to launch the revival last year, was because of all the publicity concerning Toys "R" Us' demise that summer (plus their resurrection as Geoffrey's Toy Box that fall) as well as a shaky retail climate.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that maybe Ollie's Bargain Outlet will go national, and give us a genuine alternative to Big Lots...

[EddieJ1984]

I would hope maybe more people could like brick & mortar again with all the stories of amazon packages being stolen or missing.

[danfifepsu]

I would hope maybe more people could like brick & mortar again with all the stories of amazon packages being stolen or missing.

or not come in time for Christmas.