WARM WEATHER HELPS HOME DEPOT SALES RISE ALMOST 10% IN 4TH QUARTER, AS HOME PRICES INCREASE AND DEMAND FOR NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION STARTS 2016 WITH SLOW GROWTH

The Home Depot’s fourth-quarter sales included an 8.9% sales increase in US stores that have been open for at least one year. This is despite the challenges facing the rest of the retail industry. Sales were strong the entire quarter, but warm weather in December brought in a sales spike – Home Depot attributes $100 million in sales growth to the milder weather. High sales were seen for power washers and pressure-treated lumber by homeowners building decks.

Home prices also rose in December, showing the strongest gains since July 2014. The Home Price Index showed a rise of 5.2% in the 12 months ending in December, versus a 5.2% in November. The national median sale price for a home in December was $213,800, 8.2% from the previous year. There is a limited inventory of homes for sale, and demand for new homes is likely to drive more new construction and help keep a ceiling on the rising home prices, although January 2016 was a slow start for new home construction for the year.

Accelerated Analytics helps Home Depot vendors, such as WM Barr, Hillman Group, Alexandria Molding, and CPG Building Products to manage their sales and inventory data to drive results. Our vendors use our analytical measures, such as sell through, inventory shortages, out of stocks, weeks of supply and consumer purchasing trends, to take quick actions to ensure they are optimizing inventory and growing sales.

Source: Wall St. Journal

Top US Housing Markets For Spring 2015

A new Auction.com Research report identifies the top major single-family housing markets based on current and expected future housing fundamentals. Of the 49 largest US markets, the top five have displayed consistently strong demand, home price appreciation, and economic and demographic growth. Retailers with stores in Denver, San Antonio, Nashville, Fort Lauderdale and Dallas might see some strong sales in the months ahead. The report notes the considerable impact a healthy housing market has on all of retail, not just the home improvement retailers like Home Depot and Lowe’s.

“As the U.S. housing market has continued to recover from the Great Recession, we’ve seen significant regional variances in terms of both price appreciation and sales volume,” said Auction.com executive VP Rick Sharga. “Earlier in the recovery, most of the growth came from markets that had suffered the biggest declines during the housing bust, but what we’re seeing today is more in line with fundamental economic trends: markets with the best job growth and population growth are recovering most quickly.”

The Southwest remains the strongest US region overall. The Southeast and West also show promise, as markets in those regions are improving rapidly.

Sources: Auction.com, Chain Store Age