-- Posted Wednesday, 13 January 2010 | Digg This Article
| | Source: GoldSeek.com
Rick’s Picks
Wednesday, January 13, 2009
“Phenomenally accurate forecasts”
Although the Boulder, Colorado area where we live has been spared the Great Recession’s worst ravages so far, an unprecedented number of local businesses have nonetheless gone under in the last year or so. We’ve grown used to seeing our favorite restaurants fail one by one, and we’ve even accepted the likelihood that only a relative handful of independent restaurants and retailers will survive these hard times. But Sam’s Club!? We’d thought the warehouse club’s sales would remain rock-solid in hard times, but apparently not. Yesterday, the parent company, Wal-Mart, announced it’s shutting down the Louisville, Colorado Sam’s Club on January 22, along with nine other stores located elsewhere in the country.
Like so many other local businesses that have failed in recent months, there often appeared to be enough shoppers in this particular Sam’s Club to keep things going until the economy improves. Apparently not, however. The store was losing money, according to a company spokesman, and there’s no way it can remain open under the circumstances. 128 workers will be affected, although Wal-Mart has promised to try and relocate them to other Sam’s Clubs in Colorado.
Binging Is Dead
The store itself occupies a 127,000-square foot building situated between a Kohl’s department store and an Albertson’s. What will become of this huge space? It’s hard to imagine, since few retailers generate the kind of sales it takes to pay the rent on a 127,000-square foot building. The same problem is likely to crop up in hundreds of towns across America: How will they recycle big-box stores when they go dark? The answer to this question, assuming there is one, suggests that America’s emergence from deep recession will not happen quickly. Ours is an economy that runs on consumption, after all, and it may be many, many years before Americans binge once again.
Even so, the spinmeisters speak of recovery as though it were happening right now and will be going gangbusters by spring. In reality, it could take decades for retail businesses in this country to grow into the huge spaces that have been vacated. When Lord & Taylor abandoned a huge, multi-story structure at the local mall, the space sat vacant for six years before it was subdivided for two smaller tenants. A bigger picture suggests the big- box concept itself may be dead, since the number of retail players who can turn a profit in a 100,000-square foot facility has dwindled to just a few. Will the unused buildings eventually be torn down? Or will they perhaps be subdivided for flea markets? Halloween has been bringing them back to life for a month or so every fall, but the costume business may have reached the saturation point in 2009. Maybe next year the “Halloween & Christmas Store” will be the thing?
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Information and commentary contained herein comes from sources believed to be reliable, but this cannot be guaranteed. Past performance should not be construed as an indicator of future results, so let the buyer beware. There is a substantial risk of loss in futures and option trading, and even experts can, and sometimes do, lose their proverbial shirts. Rick's Picks does not provide investment advice to individuals, nor act as an investment advisor, nor individually advocate the purchase or sale of any security or investment. From time to time, its editor may hold positions in issues referred to in this service, and he may alter or augment them at any time. Investments recommended herein should be made only after consulting with your investment advisor, and only after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company. Rick's Picks reserves the right to use e-mail endorsements and/or profit claims from its subscribers for marketing purposes. All names will be kept anonymous and only subscribers’ initials will be used unless express written permission has been granted to the contrary. All Contents © 2010, Rick Ackerman. All Rights Reserved. www.rickackerman.com
-- Posted Wednesday, 13 January 2010 | Digg This Article | Source: GoldSeek.com
