Mild winter still bugs retail sales

SANDY PARKER REPORT, VOL. 30, ISSUE 45, JAN. 22, 2007
The following extract is reproduced with permission from Sandy Parker Reports, Weekly International Fur News. Sandy Parker has been covering the fur industry for more than four decades. For most of that time he has published a weekly newsletter, detailing results of international pelt auctions, wholesale price trends, business developments and movements in the trade, as well as economic and political activities that may impact on it.
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International Fur News
with Sandy Parker
Mild winter still bugs retail sales
WHAT HAS BEEN SHAPING UP AS ONE OF THE MILDEST WINTERS ON RECORD continues to bedevil purveyors of cold weather merchandise and services at both the retail and wholesale levels. Fur retailers who met disappointment in November and December because of the mild temperatures were hoping a more seasonable January would enable them to catch up on lost business, but as of last week had not seen any marked improvement. Even the belated arrival of freezing temperatures in many parts of the U.S. failed to stimulate store traffic in search of protection from the elements, they reported. In fact, some felt that the sudden cold snap actually worked against them by keeping potential customers at home.
With two full months of winter still on the calendar and the possibility that the latest cold spell will be sustained, most that were surveyed think there still is a good chance to make up for lost opportunity. But the key, they point out, is sustained cold weather, not just short periods of freezing followed by 20-degree spikes, as has been the case for much of this season.
THIS SEASON’S RETAIL DISAPPOINTMENT IS HAVING A MAJOR IMPACT AT THE WHOLESALE LEVEL, where vendors report they have had almost no season. Initial orders placed last spring were lighter than usual because most retailers had heavier carryover inventories from the previous year. In addition, the sharply higher prices imposed restrictions on what they could spend. That wouldn’t have been so bad, say the manufacturers, if the stores would have come back later with repeats and special orders, but that didn’t happen – at least, not to any meaningful extent. As a result, North American wholesalers are describing their season as shaping up into a disaster.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Mild Winter Still Bugs Retail Sales
No. American Season Seen Curbed
Russia, China Seen Less Affected
Record Year for Mink Ranchers…
…but Chinese Crop Looms as Threat
For extracts from back issues of Sandy Parker Reports see News Index. Subscribers can access an archive of complete issues at www.sandyparker.com.
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