Sections
| Title | Starting Page | Number of Pages |
|---|
| COVER | 1 | 2 |
| Free Online Access! | 3 | 1 |
| PLUNKETT S RETAIL INDUSTRY ALMANAC 2015 | 4 | 4 |
| CONTENTS | 8 | 2 |
| INTRODUCTION | 10 | 2 |
| HOW TO USE THIS BOOK | 12 | 3 |
| Chapter 1 MAJOR TRENDS AFFECTING THE RETAIL INDUSTRY | 15 | 32 |
| 1) Introduction to the Retail Industry | 16 | 2 |
| 2) Wal-Mart Still Dominates But Faces Slowing Revenue Growth | 18 | 2 |
| 3) Department Stores Reposition for Today s Consumer While Outlet Stores Proliferate | 20 | 2 |
| 4) Warehouse Clubs and Discount Department Stores Battle for Market Share | 22 | 1 |
| 5) Private Label Brands Grow in Share of Total Store Sales | 22 | 1 |
| 6) Digital Advertising Technologies Boost Direct Marketers and Non-Store Sales | 23 | 3 |
| 7) Apple Sets the Bar for Showcase Stores and Super-Merchandisers | 26 | 1 |
| 8) For the Long Term in the U.S., Consumers Increase Savings/Less Inclined to Use Debt | 27 | 1 |
| 9) Bricks, Clicks and Catalogs Create Synergies While Online Sales Growth Surges | 28 | 1 |
| 10) Groupon and Other Coupon Firms Compete Aggressively for Consumers Attention | 29 | 1 |
| 11) Retail Technologies Advance at the Checkout Counter/Apps and Location-Based Ads Drive Sales | 30 | 1 |
| 12) RFID Drives Inventory Management Evolution | 31 | 1 |
| 13) Self Service Checkout Technologies Include Advanced Vending Machines | 32 | 1 |
| 14) Smartphones Aid Wireless Payments/Near Field Communications (NFC) Changes Credit and Debit Cards | 33 | 3 |
| 15) Self Service Apparel Fitting Technologies Grow in Stores and Online | 36 | 1 |
| 16) Retailers Eye Expanding Middle Class, Move Into Emerging Markets, Including China, India and Brazil | 36 | 2 |
| 17) Retail Center Occupancy Is High, with Sales Rising in Upscale Malls/Online Sales Hurt Stores | 38 | 2 |
| 18) Entertainment-Based Retailing, including Power Towns | 40 | 1 |
| 19) Malls Remodel to Boost Sales and Attract Shoppers/Store Visitor Counts Are Disappointing | 41 | 1 |
| 20) Fast Fashion: Designers and Retailers Speed Up | 42 | 1 |
| 21) Luxury Item Sales Growth Slows | 42 | 1 |
| 22) LOHAS- Socially Conscious Consumers Create Challenges and Opportunities for Advertisers and Marketers | 43 | 1 |
| 23) How to Interpret Reports of Retail Sales | 44 | 3 |
| Chapter 2 RETAIL INDUSTRY STATISTICS | 47 | 19 |
| U.S. Retail Industry Overview | 48 | 1 |
| Annual Consumer Price Index, 1920-2014 | 49 | 1 |
| Exports, General Imports &Trade Balance in Goods, U.S.: 1989-2nd Quarter 2014 | 50 | 1 |
| Total U.S. Retail Sales &Annual Percent Change: 1992-2014 | 51 | 1 |
| U.S. Retail Trade Corporation Statistics, 2nd Quarter 2014 | 52 | 1 |
| Total Annual Sales of Merchant Wholesalers, U.S.: 2008-2013 | 53 | 1 |
| Total Monthly Sales and Inventories of Merchant Wholesalers, U.S.: January-August 2014 | 54 | 2 |
| Retail &Food Services Sales by Kind of Business, U.S.: Monthly, through August 2014 | 56 | 2 |
| Retail &Food Services Sales by Kind of Business, U.S.: 2008-2013 | 58 | 2 |
| Estimated Quarterly U.S. Retail Sales, Total &E-Commerce: 1st Quarter 2006-2nd Quarter 2014 | 60 | 1 |
| Total U.S. Disposable Income, Expenditures &Gross Domestic &National Product Per Capita: Selected Years, 1960-2014 | 61 | 1 |
| Average Annual U.S. Household Expenditures: 2008-2013 | 62 | 1 |
| Distribution of Total U.S. Annual Household Expenditures, by Major Category: 2013 | 63 | 1 |
| Resident Population Estimates by Age, U.S.: 2006-2013 | 64 | 1 |
| Employment in the Retail Industry, U.S.: 2006-August 2014 | 65 | 1 |
| Chapter 3 IMPORTANT RETAIL INDUSTRY CONTACTS | 66 | 27 |
| Chapter 4 THE RETAIL 500: WHO THEY ARE AND HOW THEY WERE CHOSEN | 93 | 514 |
| INDEX OF COMPANIES WITHIN INDUSTRY GROUPS | 94 | 12 |
| ALPHABETICAL INDEX | 106 | 4 |
| INDEX OF U.S. HEADQUARTERS LOCATION BY STATE | 110 | 4 |
| INDEX OF NON-U.S. HEADQUARTERS LOCATION BY COUNTRY | 114 | 3 |
| Individual Profiles On Each Of THE RETAIL 500 | 117 | 490 |
| ADDITIONAL INDEXES | 607 | 30 |
| INDEX OF FIRMS NOTED AS HOT SPOTS FOR ADVANCEMENT FOR WOMEN &MINORITIES | 608 | 3 |
| INDEX OF SUBSIDIARIES, BRAND NAMES AND AFFILIATIONS | 611 | 26 |
| A Short Retail Industry Glossary | 637 | 16 |
