By CCN.com: There has been a sizeable amount of interest in the US regarding the health of giant retailers amid a mass of store closings. Included in this talk has been what effect this might have on US stock markets.
In the Dow Jones, Nike leads the way as a top retail pick, having posted 17% gains this year while concerns have grown for stores like Walmart who face a possible assault from delivery behemoth Amazon. The closure epidemic has even touched Elon Musk and the pioneering Nasdaq listed company Telsa who have been forced to close stores.
US retailers are shutting stores at a record pace, Tesla included.
There are a couple of sides to this coin. Don’t immediately assume that Tesla closing stores are the same as JC Penney putting a red line through 18 properties. Traffic to US malls has been dipping for a while, and as a result profits for the companies that rely on this have naturally declined. Amazon’s online revolution is probably a significant cause of this. Dig a little deeper into Tesla’s decision making, and you realize that their retail presence was always going to be temporary.
TSLA stores little more than “awareness centers.”
Following an awareness approach, many of Tesla’s stores were focused in popular malls to raise interest in the brand. Due to regulatory restrictions, they couldn’t even make sales in many locations as local government adopted a protectionist approach for its car dealers. Ultimately at this stage of Tesla’s development with media attention close to all-time highs, a purely online sales model makes more sense anyway.
Dow Jones bolstered by Walmart resilience
This glass half full approach to Tesla’s cut-backs also applies to the Dow Jones listed Walmart. There is an old saying among investors that the market is always right. What the market is telling us is that yes, Amazon might be coming for the grocery space, but Walmart can still adapt and counter this assault. The stock wouldn’t be up 5% this year if that weren’t the perception. It’s worth considering that the media might generate talk of Amazon overrunning the budget-grocery market, but only one store is definite and five more planned. Walmart has 11,695 stores around the World!
Elon Musk makes marketing and strategy one beast
For companies like JC Penny or Macy’s stop looking short term and start looking at the board. What are they doing right now to adapt to the online revolution? Change doesn’t have to kill a business; as an investor, you want profitability and sustainability. Success starts and ends with the board, but it’s remarkable how many people invested in DJIA companies can’t even tell you part 1 of the long-term strategy. Publicity is what Elon Musk does well at Tesla. He makes the marketing and the business approach one cohesive entity. This transparency is both refreshing and at times edgy, as his run-ins with the SEC have demonstrated.