Retail sales were flat month over month in June, but that was better than the slump some economists predicted, and categories such as apparel performed well. Sales at clothing and clothing accessories stores increased 4.3% from a year ago and 0.6% from May, their second month over month increase in a row. Relatedly, sales at department stores increased 1.7% from a year ago and 0.4% from May.

• Retail sales overall were “virtually unchanged” from May, according to the Commerce Department, but were up 2.3% year over year. Meanwhile, core retail sales, which exclude motor vehicles and parts and gasoline stations, were up 0.8% month over month and 3.8% YoY.

The strong apparel numbers could validate the optimistic sales projections from national apparel retailers such as Gap and Abercrombie & Fitch in Q1, when the long-struggling Gap revised its projection from flat to slightly up, and Abercrombie & Fitch forecast a 10% bump in net sales for 2024. More recently, Canadian seller of “everyday luxury” Aritzia beat analyst estimates on earnings and boasted a 13% increase in net revenue in the US.

Polly Wong, president of Belardi Wong, a marketing firm specializing in luxury brands, told Retail Brew “that specialty, premium apparel brands are faring well this year, with sales increases in the high single digits helping to offset smaller gains in the mass market apparel category.”

Keep reading here.—AV

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On Monday, Burberry CEO Jonathan Akeroyd left his position and was replaced by Joshua Schulman, who was previously CEO of Michael Kors, Coach, and Jimmy Choo.

Akeroyd’s abrupt departure came after sales flagged in Q1, and the company’s share price fell 17% in London by the close of trading on Monday. The industry veteran, who first joined the company in April 2022, was formerly also the chief executive at Versace and Alexander McQueen.

Since coming on board just over two years ago, Akeroyd has introduced a new colorway dubbed “Burberry blue” and produced some viral hits like the crocheted duck hat that became a TikTok sensation. In 2022, he brought on former Bottega Veneta designer Daniel Lee as CCO in an attempt to revive the label and bring back its quintessential “Britishness.”

Yet Burberry has continued to decline. As of late June, the label was reportedly set to cut as many as 400 jobs. And in May, it reported a 34% drop in annual profit.

The luxury industry as a whole continues to struggle as consumers pull back on spending. For Burberry, however, shaking up its executive leadership comes from a familiar playbook.

Keep reading here.—JS

US e-commerce grocery sales grew 8% year over year in June to $7.7 billion, according to data from ​​Brick Meets Click and Mercatus released this week.

The bump was largely thanks to an increase in delivery sales, which rose 18% YoY to $2.9 billion and accounted for 38% of overall e-commerce grocery sales for the month. Brick Meets Click partner David Bishop noted in a statement that delivery in June was boosted by promotions from Instacart and Walmart, offering deals on annual membership fees.

Despite delivery’s gains, pickup remained the largest sector of online grocery, at 45%. It brought in $3.5 billion in June, unchanged from a year ago. While monthly active users increased, average order value and order frequency declined. Ship-to-home, while the smallest of the three segments at 17%, saw sales rise for a fourth straight month, up 10% YoY to $1.3 billion.

Keep reading here.—EC

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