Children and Pet-Related Retailers Appear Poised to Weather Declines in Consumer Spending, Says S&P Equity Research
August 22 2006 - 1:57PM
PR Newswire (US)
Adults More Likely to Skimp on Themselves, Continue to Spend on
Family NEW YORK, Aug. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Retailers targeting
children and pets may be better insulated from a potential slowdown
in consumer spending says Standard & Poor's Equity Research
Services. This and other findings are available in a semi-annual
report, Retailing: Specialty Industry Survey, published by Standard
& Poor's, a leading provider of independent investment
research. Standard & Poor's Equity Research believes, that
despite higher interest rates, gas prices and the dampening effect
of a declining housing market, working adults will continue to
spend on, or provide spending money to, their children. As a
result, specialty retailers catering to children should be better
positioned to weather a slowdown in consumer spending.
Additionally, many adults consider pets as full fledged family
members equal to humans; because of this Standard & Poor's
Equity Research believes pet supply retailers are also better
positioned to weather a slowdown in consumer spending. "While
consumer spending is slowing, we still project it to grow 2.5% for
the rest of the year, which is below our full year forecast of 3.1%
and well below 2005's growth of 3.5%," said Michael Souers,
Specialty Retail Analyst, Standard & Poor's Equity Research
Services. "When spending slows, adults are more likely to cut back
on spending for themselves before they cut back on their spending
on children or pets. Parents will forgo a lot of things before they
cut into their kids' allowances or downgrade their pet's
lifestyle." Standard & Poor's Equity Research believes the
following companies are well positioned to grow despite the
slowdown in consumer spending. S&P has a "Strong Buy"
recommendation (5-STARS out of 5) on PetSmart (Nasdaq: PETM;
$23.98) due to the growing trend of pet pampering and the growth of
pet accessories. Claire's Stores (NYSE: CLE; $27.73) carries a buy
recommendation (4-STARS) because the company's position as a
leading retailer of inexpensive fashion accessories and jewelry to
tweens and teenagers, as well as its strong international growth.
Finally, Standard & Poor's Equity Research also has a buy
(4-STARS) recommendation on Build-A-Bear (NYSE: BBW; $21.68)
because of its double-digit growth expectations and discounted
valuation to its peers and the market as a whole. To view a video
clip of Standard & Poor's equity analyst Michael Souers
discussing the sector, please click
mms://wmd31sea.activate.net/sandp/windows/sptv-survey-42.wmv .
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