HighTable Insights: Consumer Goods & Services

Let's not oversell GM's recovery

George Dorkhom — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 16:34:45 EST

It has been publicized over the past few weeks that GM has reported the highest profits in its history, some $9 billion in operating margin. But a recent article on the Wall Street Journal’s editorial showed that the federal government allowed GM to carry forward over $18 billion in losses even though the tax law does not permit such carry forward when a 51% or more of change of control takes place , which was the case for the new GM.

Mr. Lampert sells a kidney

Kenneth Leonard — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 14:34:41 EST

As everyone knows by now, in addition to announcing a $3 Billion plus loss last year and the closing of 120 underperforming stores, Sears Holdings chairman Edward Lampert announced the sale of 11 of his best Sears stores to GGP for the unbelievable sum of $270 Million!

General Growth Properties goes shopping at Sears

John Fox — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 13:26:32 EST

Mall landlords are likely to find many Sears stores attractive investments. Compared with most other retailers, Sears outlets are in a strong position to show a return on investment.

New study raises serious questions about surveys among consumer panels

GLG Expert Contributor — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:19:59 EST

Most consumer research, including luxury consumer research, is based on online surveys taken by people who have “volunteered” to frequently take lengthy questionnaires. If you buy panel research about luxury and affluent consumers, the new report “More Dirty Little Secrets of Online Panel Research” is a must read that will cause you to question the validity of the research since it show how poorly panel members are often treated.

Li-ning plans lay-offs

Bruce Zhou — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:46:46 EST

The chinese sportswear outfit regroups

Saab: A sad saga

GLG Expert Contributor — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:42:36 EST

Can anyone save Saab?

The U.S. restaurant inventory won't decline

GLG Expert Contributor — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:22:06 EST

There are almost 1 million food and beverage venues in the U.S., meaning you can get something to eat almost anywhere. But that complicates matters for an industry based on growth. Despite some analysts’ hopes, we don’t feel that flat venue expectations are a positive driver of same store sales.

Apple brings textbooks to iPad -- Finally

GLG Expert Contributor — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:52:37 EST

Apple’s announcement is a small step that will start a worldwide cascade of change

PayPal loses a key player in mobile device payments to Yahoo

GLG Expert Contributor — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:54:13 EST

Months after losing executives to Google, PayPal has now lost Scott Thompson who was leading its latest mobile device payment and point-of-sale initiatives. PayPal’s progress with mobile payments already appears to be a step behind the competition; It is difficult to see how it will catch up in the upcoming months.

More details and insights about the planned Sears Holdings store closings

Howie Gelbtuch — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:35:22 EST

Sears Holdings recently announced plans to close 100 to 120 of its stores. Of these, 79 locations were disclosed on December 27, 2011 and 90% of them – 71 stores— are in our proprietary database of retail stores. We estimate that the 71 stores we identified total about 6.6 million square feet of gross leasable area, an average of roughly 93,000 square feet per location.

Three things you should know about Sears store closings

Kenneth Leonard — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 10:48:17 EST

The WSJ carried an article indicating that Sears would close “100 to 120 stores” in an effort to “try to fix the problem of falling sales”. The article was based on an internal memo in which Sears also announced “that the store closings will generate $140 to $170 million in cash from inventory sales and that they expect the sale or sublease of real estate holdings to add more cash”.

Thoughts on GM Volt's recent "rapid thermal expansion" incident

John Waters — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:01:00 EST

General Motors is on its way to becoming the premier player in all technology related to electric vehicle safety and reliability. The recent reporting and follow-up investigation of a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) event involving a Chevy Volt (a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) is the ideal catalyst for driving EV technology forward and advancing global understanding of safety, reliability and cost in advanced vehicles.

Brands are becoming less important to purchase decisions

Augustine Fou — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 09:49:02 EST

There is mounting evidence that consumers are switching to private label products to save money, and not switching back. Brands may no longer command a premium price over their generic equivalents.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters could get burnt

Augustine Fou — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:53:49 EST

Green Mountain Coffee has relied heavily on two patents for their Keurig one-cup technology platform. Both expire in 2012. The situation pits the company against three important trends in the marketplace.

SUPERVALU comes up short again

John Domino — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 10:46:51 EST

This article from Supermarket News presents a positive view of SUPERVALU’s recent announcement that it would only open 80-90 Save-A-Lot (SAL) stores in FY12, rather than the 160 stores previously announced. The chain will use the freed-up capital to increase the number of conventional stores to be remodeled to 80-90 from the original plan of 55-75. In the article, four respected industry analysts compliment SUPERVALU management on this shift in capital spending priorities.

China Commences Review of Nestl?'s bid for Hsu Fu Chi

Matthew Murphy — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:34:41 EST

China is examining the Swiss food giant’s bid to acquire a majority stake in the domestic candymaker.

Supply Chain Collaboration Is The Key to Keeping Foodservice Industry Performance Strong

GLG Expert Contributor — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST

As overall foodservice industry performance continues slow but gradual improvement, the ongoing financial condition of the consumer will remain the best indicator for the future health of the industry. Supply-side participants, including foodservice distributors and manufacturers, must find new ways to collaborate with restaurant operators to effectively drive market share gains and supply chain efficiency to the benefit of all trading partners.

Amazon tests 7-11 pick-up service

GLG Expert Contributor — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:45:19 EST

The e-tail giant is piloting a faster way for consumers to get their products.

Race to the Top education initiative offers an economic angle

Christopher Brown — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:57:04 EST

Race to the Top is a Federal education initiative that will eventually replace No Child Left Behind. Focused on increasing student achievement through the use of data, RTTT will offer opportunities for companies that provide products in this space.

Dairy Proteins: Latest Scientific Findings

GLG Expert Contributor — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 17:17:42 EST

The latest scientific, industry and academic findings on whey and other dairy based ingredients were presented at the 6th International Whey Conference, this month in Chicago. In summary, an already hot industry seems to have the energy to power more growth.