Check out the ten largest U.S. retailers.

The National Retail Federation’s STORES magazine is out with its annual ranking of the top 100 retailers.

The list shows that U.S. consumers have been focused on bargains and basic necessities, such as food and medicine.  Wal-Mart tops the lineup, followed by Kroger and Costco.  Home Depot fell from No. 2 in 2007 to the fourth spot in 2008 as many shoppers decided to cut back on costly home-improvement projects.

Home Depot, Lowe’s and Sears Holdings were the only members of the top 10 to see their revenue fall in 2008.

Some other rankings that may interest you: Amazon.com is the 19th largest retailer, ranking higher than well-known chains such as J.C. Penney, 7-Eleven and Gap.  Apple’s stores and iTunes combined hold the 40th spot, topping chains such as Nordstrom, Whole Foods and Barnes & Noble.

The companies were listed by annual revenue, which may include estimates for private or closely-held companies.  Revenue from major non-retail operations were excluded when possible.

Also in the basket:

General Mills profit tops view, outlook strong

Constellation Brands earnings beat expectations

Goldman raises Yum Brands to buy

Turf War at the Hot Dog Cart (New York Times)

(Reuters photo)

Check Out one analyst’s list of retail names at risk.

Around this time last year, stimulus checks amounting to more than $100 billion started landing in cash-strapped consumers’ bank accounts, giving them a chance to spend and boosting sales for many retailers.

But this year’s stimulus entails lower withholding taxes and not ”hard checks,” which means “the effects of this year’s stimulus on retailers will be a far cry from 2008,” Pali Capital analyst Stacey Widlitz said in a research note to clients.

As retailers already face thrifty consumers, tough comparisons versus a year ago could put some retailers at risk this time around, adding “insult to injury,” she said.

For example, electronics retailer RadioShack offered consumers a 10 percent discount on purchases over $50 when a stimulus check was used between May 4 and July 12 last year.  That along with sales of TV converter boxes helped sales, Widlitz said.  

“Beware of tough comps ahead, lack of stimulus promotions and the end of converter boxes in June,” she said in the note.

Widlitz also mentioned discounting giant Wal-Mart Stores, saying the retailer benefited last year from stimulus checks, and ”on top of increasing expectations, investors are not fully factoring in the headwind for May-June.”

Other companies mentioned include Best Buy, closeout retailer Big Lots, and grocery store chains such as Supervalu, Safeway and Kroger.

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Energizer to buy SC Johnson shaving cream business

Ackman to tout Target slate at town hall meeting

Benetton Q1 net profit, revenue fall

Nordstrom withdraws from CityNorth project (WWD, subscription required)

(Reuters photo)

Costs for ingredients like rice, wheat and oil are falling, so why are prices for breakfast cereals like Rice Krispies and Special K still rising?

If you want an answer to this question, you aren’t the only one.

Food companies like Kellogg Co, which makes the products mentioned above, say the higher prices are justified because while commodity price inflation has eased amid a global economic downturn, commodity prices remain well above historical averages.

But CEOs of grocery chains like Safeway and Kroger say those higher prices are increasingly out of whack with their own lower-priced private label products.

“We have seen some price declines,” Kroger Chief Executive David Dillon said on a conference call, but he said prices for national brands were not in step with a broader fall in commodity costs.

Dillon said sales of national brands were ho-hum, while sales of Kroger’s store brands are rising enough to hit historic highs.

“That’s going to continue as long as that kind of price differential exists,” said Dillon, who expects national brand sellers to discount via promotions before they cut prices.

Dillon said there is no tug-of-war between grocers and food makers over pricing, but then again, he thinks his company will benefit either way. If national brands keep prices high, consumers buy more store-brand products, which produce higher profits. If national brands lower their prices, the grocer’s overall sales could rise because it would be selling more expensive products.

“We are quite happy in either scenario,” Dillon said.

While store brands result in lower total sales, grocers love them because they generate more profit. At the same time, they are favored by shoppers because they help them lower food costs during a severe recession.

Indeed, private label has become so popular that Safeway is rolling out its own line of seafood and prepared entrees called Waterfront Bistro.

(Picture: Reuters)

Check out how consumers feel about shopping at malls.

Auto dealers and reporters are popular targets for hate mail. But mall operators may have reason to fear joining them if a new study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School and the Verde Group, a market research consultancy, is to be believed.

Almost eight of every 10 people surveyed faced a problem at the mall, citing such issues as a limited choice of places to eat, lack of variety of stores, parking difficulties and a shortage of restrooms.

But keeping shoppers happy will be critical this holiday shopping season.

U.S. consumers, who spend an average of $150 per mall visit according to the study, have curtailed shopping due to the recession, the weak U.S. housing market and high food costs, raising concerns about holiday sales. More and more people are scared about their jobs — another factor in the spending slowdown.

“These findings should be a call to action for mall developers who are failing to quench this thirst for excitement,” said Wharton Professor Stephen Hoch in a statement. “Malls can’t be mundane in this economic climate.”

Mall operators, already struggling to lure shoppers, are facing a dwindling pool of retail tenants, as many bankrupt stores like Steve & Barry’s have begun to shut their doors.

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Kroger 4th-qtr outlook disappoints; shares fall

Jarden sees 2009 revenue in excess of $5 billion

Restraint Feel Right, Doesn’t It (New York Times)

Happy Holidays! But Don’t Expect Too Much From Santa Claus (Wall Street Journal)

(Photo/Reuters)

Wal-Mart is partnering with Feeding America, the largest charitable hunger-relief organization in the United States, to provide 70 million meals annually to families and individuals who are struggling to put food on the table during the toughest economic downturn in decades.

The move from the world’s largest retailer comes as U.S. food banks are seeing donations fall short of demand.

Wal-Mart has committed to providing an estimated 90 million pounds of food annually - the equivalent of 70 million meals - to families in need by the end of 2009. It is also making a $2.5 million cash donation that has been earmarked to upgrade warehouses and to buy 20 new refrigerated trucks to transport food from Wal-Mart stores to food pantries, soup kitchens and other agencies affiliated with Feeding America, formerly named America’s Second Harvest.

“Given the current state of the economy and the increased burden on neighborhood food pantries and soup kitchens, we are enlisting our entire network of stores and clubs to participate in this food donation program to provide relief to communities throughout the country,” said Bill Simon, chief operating officer of Wal-Mart U.S.

“Today, with the help of Wal-Mart, we take a huge step forward in helping feed the millions of Americans who live at risk of hunger,” said Vicki Escarra, president and chief executive officer of Feeding America.

In a recent survey, 99 percent of Feeding America’s food banks said demand for food in communities across the U.S. has risen by 15 to 20 percent over the last year alone. Many food banks have reported even higher increases in demand - some with requests for food growing by 50 percent in the last year.

Feeding America’s major donors include Wal-Mart, Kraft Foods, Campbell’s Soup Co, ConAgra Foods, and Kroger.

Consumers may be cutting back on restaurant visits and car purchases but they are still buying crackers and juice, as Campbell Soup raised its full-year profit forecast.

The maker of Pepperidge Farm cookies and V8 juice has raised prices to offset soaring commodity costs and announced a $1.2 billion share buyback program that should help boost shares.

In more news on consumer staples, UBS is recommending that investors look to price leaders such as Wal-Mart Stores and Kroger, saying they are poised to gain market share as consumers shop for the best deals. That firm downgraded shares of grocers Safeway and Whole Foods.

Also in the basket:

Spending less at the ballpark

Growth in negative equity pressures homeowners

Check Out the quarterly profit at Kroger Co.

The largest U.S. grocery chain posted a higher quarterly profit on Tuesday, thanks to its emphasis on lower prices and gasoline discounts – music to its shoppers’ ears and higher sales for itself.

“Kroger continues to help customers stretch their budgets in a number of ways, including lower prices and our expanded generic drug and gas discount programs,” chief executive David Dillon said in a statement.

The price cuts, he said, were helping Kroger’s customers save $1 billion annually, at a time when shoppers deem every last dollar precious, as they face skyrocketing prices for necessities such as gasoline.

Kroger also raised its outlook for the full year, based on the strength of the results from the reported quarter.

Also in the basket:

ConAgra sees higher than expected fourth quarter profit

Dollar Tree recalls 470,000 China-made glue guns

Williams-Sonoma is trimming its catalog mailings (WSJ - subscription needed)

 J.C. Penney Faults Fake Ad on YouTube (WSJ - subscription needed)

(Photo: Reuters)

Check out those federal rebate checks.
 
Tax rebates began arriving in U.S. consumers’ bank accounts this week as part of Washington’s $152 billion stimulus package.  (Direct deposits this week and paper checks next week.)

Retailers have various strategies for attracting those rebate dollars. Many of them are offering 10 percent bonuses when the checks are converted to store discounts.

Then there is Wal-Mart, which will cash the checks for free. That’s it. Cashing the checks for free. No bonus, like Kroger or Supervalu are offering. Just cashing the checks for free.

Of course, unlike other retailers, Wal-Mart will cash the checks free without requiring a purchase in the store. Obviously, if you have to put the funds from your rebate onto a Kroger or RadioShack gift card, you would spend the money in those stores.

“We’ll focus on providing real, long-term value on the items that matter and put shoppers in control of their own spending,” said John Fleming, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer, Wal-Mart Stores, U.S.

So you don’t have to spend the money at Wal-Mart. But once you cash the check there, the company is also cutting prices on everyday items like shampoo, lunch meat and cereal to coincide with the checks arriving.

Overall, Customer Growth Partners estimates that $40 billion of the rebate payments will be spent by consumers. The rest will be used for debt reduction and savings. But that, along with $15 billion in cash flow from consumers no longer paying to heat their homes as that season ends, could add $55 billion in retail spending in the coming months, the research firm said.

“One swallow does not a summer make, but our visits to the malls and the Big Boxers over the past week showed the strongest traffic of the year, now that heating bills are paid off,” Customer Growth Partners President Craig Johnson said.  “And at least at the Apple stores and some teen Apparel players — and of course at Costco and Wal-Mart — we’re seeing the biggest crowds since Christmas.”

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U.N. and World Bank say to tackle food crisis
Office Depot profit down, but beats street view

Equity analysts at Citigroup Global Markets decided to conduct a survey to figure out how consumers are making their grocery shopping choices in the current environment. 

Not very surprisingly, it found that consumers are becoming more value conscious and will likely favor retailers with sharp pricing.

So who is the sharpest of them all?

“An overwhelming 72 percent of customers surveyed said that Wal-Mart had the lowest prices. Among the top three traditional supermarkets, Kroger was perceived by more consumers to be the lowest priced,” the Citi note stated. 

Citi conducted its online survey in two markets, Texas and Washington, because it said those are two states are where Kroger, Safeway, Supervalu, Target and Wal-Mart – the  five grocery retailers in its coverage universe – compete. 

The survey found that Kroger had the next best pricing message behind Wal-Mart, with 6.9 percent of customers saying that grocery chain had the lowest prices.

Meanwhile, 26.5 percent of consumers found Safeway to be the most expensive, while 24.5 percent of consumers found Supervalu to have the highest prices, it said.

To offset the tough economy, Citi said consumers are reining in their discretionary food purchases, and it has started to see signs of consumers trading down in terms of where they shop (like moving from Target to Wal-Mart), in terms of what items they buy (switching from steak to chicken), and in terms of choosing between branded and private label (buying more private label).

“We believe that consumers will continue to adjust the way they shop if food inflation remains high,” the report said.

(Photo: Reuters)