Author:

Jocelyn Bauer

Placer Bytes – Chipotle and Darden

In this Placer Bytes we dive into the dining category with check-ins on Chipotle and Darden’s Restaurant portfolio.

Placer Bytes: Beauty Brands Breakdown

In this Placer Bytes we dive into three leading beauty brands - Ulta, Sephora and Bath & Body Works.

Placer Bytes: Yum! and Bloomin' Brands

In this Placer Bytes we dove into the QSR and sit-down sectors to analyze Bloomin’ and Yum! Brands.

Checking in on the Travel Industry

With 2020 behind us and signs of recovery abound, we checked back in on the travel industry to see how it’s been rebounding thus far and what 2021 could have in store for hotels and airports.

Darden Restaurant Recovery

We checked back in on some of Darden Restaurants’s top brands to see how the recovery is going thus far into the new year.

Placer Bytes: Yum! Brands & Chipotle

In this Placer Bytes we dove into the Q4 data surrounding the Yum! Brands’s portfolio, Chipotle and how 2021 has kicked off for these QSR leaders.

Holiday Travel Update

With COVID cases resurfacing just in time for the holidays, we took a look at several hotels and airports to see how the pandemic affected the country’s holiday travel plans.

Mall Update

So, how did COVID affect mall visits on one of the biggest shopping days and weekends of the year?

Hotel Recoveries

When we last checked in on the hotel industry in August, things seemed to be going smoothly. But, with a resurgence of cases across the entire world, we decided to dive back into three of the largest chains to see if and how they’ve been affected.

Placer Bytes: Gap & Old Navy, Nordstrom & Nordstrom Rack & Macy's

In this Placer Bytes we dove into the data surrounding apparel giants Gap & Old Navy, checked in on Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack and analyzed Macy’s continued recovery.

Placer Bytes: CVS, Tuesday Morning & Party City

In this Placer Bytes we take a closer look at one of retail’s top performing brands in CVS, and dive into two that have experienced recent struggles in Tuesday Morning and Party City.

Placer Bytes: Yum! Brands & Wendy's

In this Placer Bytes we dive into the Yum! Brands’s portfolio and fast-food giant, Wendys.

Outlet Mall Recovery

There is no doubt that malls took a serious hit during the spread of COVID. However, as we’ve seen in previous reports analyzing the different recoveries of indoor and outdoor centers, the pace of recovery can be highly tied to format.

Travel Industry Update

With the overall economy slowly recovering and the country returning to ‘normalcy’, some sectors have been hit far harder than others. None more so than travel. So with a return en route, we dove back into this space to see how leading players are responding.

Placer Bytes: JC Penney's Buyout and Darden Restaurants

In this Placer Bytes we dive into the data surrounding JCPenney and Darden Restaurants.

The State of the Department Store

It was hardly the golden age for department stores before the rise of COVID-19, but the pandemic raised significant questions regarding the future of these stores. So we took a look at two of the most popular department stores across four different states, Kohl’s and Macy’s, to see how both their nationwide and state recoveries were going.

Placer Bytes: Gap, Old Navy and Ross Dress for Less

In this Placer Bytes we break down the data surrounding three major apparel retailers - Gap, Old Navy and Ross Dress for Less.

Placer Bytes: Recoveries for Macy's, JCPenney & Dillard's

In this Placer Bytes we dive into the data and recoveries for three major apparel retailers - Macy’s, JCPenney and Dillard’s.

Placer Bytes: McDonald's, Cheesecake Factory and Yum! Brands

In this Placer Bytes we take a bite out of McDonald’s, dive into the data surrounding Yum! Brands and check in on The Cheesecake Factory.

Gyms on the Mend

Gyms were one of the first sectors to close among the spread of the pandemic, and rightfully so. But, as the economy begins to reopen across the country and gyms are permitted to open again, how will they perform? With most people working from home and creating their own “at-home” gyms, will the sector be able to bounce back?

Sit-Down Restaurant Recovery

It’s no secret that the restaurant industry has been hit hard by COVID-19 and it will take a significant amount of time for many to bounce back to normal levels under ongoing restrictions. In fact, many thought that the combination of the pandemic and already struggling brands could signal serious problems for sit-down chains.

Breakfast Beats

Breakfast was all the rage pre-COVID-19 with several brands looking to get more involved. But, how has the pandemic impacted these pushes?

Off-Price: Who Could Outperform?

One sector that could be very well positioned for a coronavirus comeback is the Off-Price retail space. Although the current situation puts these retailers in a compromising position, if pre-corona performance is any indication as to how these retailers will bounce back after the economy re-opens, these brands can quite possibly come out the other side with a positive outlook.

Placer Bytes: Bed Bath & Beyond's Strong Q4, JCPenney Misses Payment

Earlier this year, Bed Bath & Beyond landed on our list as a brand to watch in 2020, and despite nationwide store closures and an unknown 2020 outlook, the retailer recently posted better than expected Q4 results.

New York Deep Dive

The United States has become a new epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, and New York is considered one of the biggest hot spots, as confirmed cases continue to grow. It’s obvious that the spread of the virus is impacting the entire country and overall economy, but it's even more apparent that businesses are taking a much more significant hit in areas where the virus has hit the hardest. So, we dove into New York to see just how severe the damage has been thus far.

Promising Performance for Pharmacies

Pharmacies have been deemed “essential” by the government and have been allowed to remain open during the pandemic. But, many pharmacies are more than just an alternative place to stockpile goods, with a focus on necessary items like medications. They’re expecting to serve as additional testing stations for COVID-19.

Coronavirus Impact: Hard Hit Sectors

As countries around the world continue to enforce travel restrictions and as cities in the US continue to shut down, there are certain industries that will be more greatly affected than others. So, we dove into the apparel industry, hotels and airports to see how these sectors have been affected so far from the virus.

The Mall Effect

With an inevitable shutdown looming, what has the coronavirus spread already meant for shopping malls? We analyzed 11 of the top malls around the country to see just how much they’ve been affected by the virus thus far.

Q4 Apparel Index

With Black Friday and Super Saturday serving as anchors, Q4 is arguably the most popular time for shoppers to hit the stores. With endless amounts of sales and promotions, retailers are bound to see a bump in traffic throughout Q4 and the holiday period. So, we analyzed eleven of the top offline apparel retailers to see how they closed out 2019.

Q4 Home Goods & Improvement Index

Next up for our retail index analyses is DIYers’ favorite category, Home Improvement and Home Goods. This sector performed well through the first three quarters of 2019 with two brands dominating at the top, Lowe’s and The Home Depot.

Yum! Brands's Recipe For Success

Towards the end of 2019, Yum! Brands announced a few strategic hires in order to improve its cross-brand strategy and enhance the overall customer experience through new technological advancements. So, As Yum! gears up for a fresh start in 2020, we dove into some of its top brands’ performances to see how well the company is positioned for a successful new year.

Pier 1 Closures - Who Stands to Gain?

Pier 1 is set to shutter nearly half of its offline footprint in 2020. While this isn’t great news for the brand, it could be good news for surrounding stores that have the potential to gain significant foot traffic from these closures.

Starbucks Strikes Again

In 2019, Starbucks ended the year with pop-up parties, a massive new roastery and began 2020 with some exciting new menu additions. The impact? Let’s dive in to find out.

Drug Store Check-In

The Pharmacy sector has become one of the most interesting sectors in retail because of the expanding ambitions of some of its leading players, and the appeal from the potential entry of retail’s largest giants.

Vegan Nation

A host of vegan restaurants have been popping up all over the country as more and more people are giving the plant-based diet a try. Veggie Grill, Loving Hut and Native Foods are among some of the more notable chains around the United States, with over 100 locations.

Placer Bites: Boot Barn Expands, Starbucks Cold Brew

We’ve become accustomed to news about retailers closing their brick-and-mortar stores, and shifting their focus to online sales. But Boot Barn is taking a different approach, as they look to nearly double their offline footprint in the near future. Seeing as this goes against the “retail apocalypse” narrative, we dug into our data to analyze this strategic move.