Mosaic Fashions - Competitors

Mosaic Fashions Competition

Now Viewing Mosaic Fashions's competition in: Specialty Retail (primary)

Recent Developments

Specialty Stores Results Mixed - Consumers frequented discount, rather than specialty, stores in early 2008, seeking relief from increasing food and gas prices. While large discounters such as Wal-Mart and Costo fared well in April, results for specialty stores were mixed. Same-store sales rose 4 percent for Pacific Sunwear and 6 percent for Abercrombie & Fitch; however, same-store sales fell 5 percent for Limited Brands, and 6 percent for The Gap. Analysts say that the deteriorating economy continues to affect consumer shopping habits; specialty stores may continue to suffer declining sales in the short-term.

Linen ‘n Things to Borrow Funding - Linen 'n Things received court permission to borrow $700 million from GE Capital to reorganize under bankruptcy protection. The housewares specialty store filed for bankruptcy due to its $1 billion of debt. It's one of the largest retail bankruptcies in the country.

More Specialty Stores Closing - Disney and Home Depot are closing several stores, the latest retailers to act on the economic slowdown. Disney will close 98, and Home Depot is closing 15 and stopping plans to build 50 new stores. Analysts at Jennifer Black say that the US is overstored and expects more closings.

Competitive Landscape

Demand for many specialty retail goods is driven by gains in consumer income. Large competitors can offer lower prices because they buy in quantity. Small retailers can compete with large ones by offering different merchandise or providing a higher level of service. Despite the presence of some large chains, specialty retail markets are highly fragmented. Barnes & Noble, for example, with over 900 stores, is the largest US bookseller but has a market share of only about 15 percent.

Full Industry Overview For Specialty Retail

Specialty Retail Industry Forecast

from Hoover's/D&B subsidiary First Research

US personal consumption expenditures for specialty retail items, like toys, dolls, games, cameras, film, film processing, guns, ammunition, sporting equipment, boats, and aircraft, are forecast to grow at an annual compounded rate of 5 percent between 2007 and 2012.

Spending Growth on Specialty Retail Items Steadies

First Research forecasts are based on INFORUM forecasts that are licensed from the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc. (IERF) in College Park, MD. INFORUM's "interindustry-macro" approach to modeling the economy captures the links between industries and the aggregate economy.