.png?width=456&height=312&name=logo-vert-traub%20(2).png "logo-vert-traub (2)"){kind=logo}
We are pleased to share with you our TRAUB monthly news roundup from December 2018.
In case you missed it, we are excited to share our 2018 New Davids report. If you haven't already, please download the report and let us know what you think.
The US holiday shopping season was the strongest in six years with sales rising 5.1% to over $850B, according to a Mastercard report. After its record breaking Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, Amazon again broke records by selling its most products ever. While the topline numbers for retailers were great, many retailers will feel the impact of increased expenses in advertising and marketing as well as shipping and increased service on the bottom line.
Brands continued to experiment with different retail formats including Ikea who announced it would be downsizing for its first 'city center' store in Manhattan and Zola who is planning a pop-up in NYC. Saks announced the closing of its women's store in Brookfield Place and Birchbox is closing its Soho store to focus on its shop-in-shops at Walgreens. The Bleecker Street retail revival received attention in the press for the neighborhood feel of its retail stores and the men's brands it features.
Public and private market activity continued at its robust pace through the month of December. Acquisitions in December included LVMH's acquisition of Belmond ($2.6B), Farfetch's acquisition of Stadium Goods ($250M), Kraft Heinz's acquisition of Primal Kitchen ($200M), Unilever's acquisition of The Vegetarian Butcher and Walmart's acquisition of Art.com. Notable investments included: Juul ($12.8B), The Wing ($75M), Rothy's ($35M), Jaanuu ($15M) and Iris Nova (formerly Dirty Lemon, $15M). Rideshare company Lyft filed IPO documents with the SEC.
If you don't already, follow us on Instagram @traub.io as we highlight some of our favorite brands and concepts and take you with us on our retail safaris in NYC and beyond.
