source: Adobe

Below, we take a look at the top 10 American retailers to work for – those companies that have consistently made the list by treating their employees as their most important asset. It’s no coincidence that all of these chains are known for their stellar customer service and are among the best-performing in their respective sectors.

Wegman’s Food Markets
2012 Overall Rank: 4
5-YR Avg Rank: 3.6
Employees: 41,717
Voluntary Turnover: 4%
1-YR Job Growth: 5%
Most common job (salaried): Store Department Manager – $56,040/yr
Most common job (hourly): Store Customer Service – $29,286/yr

With 2011 sales of $6.2 billion, this 79-store grocery chain is the 55th-largest private company in the U.S. What truly distinguishes Wegman’s is its people, though – the company has made the ‘Best Companies to Work For’ list every year since its inception in 1998 and has never had a layoff, one of only 3 American companies that can claim both.

If the company has to close a store, eliminate a department or position, it has always managed to keep the employees and retrained them for new positions saying they would rather have trained staff than have to invest in new hires later. As a testament to how great a place it is to work, 11% of the workforce has been with the company for more than 15 years.

Each year every employee gets a holiday greeting card from the Wegman family, who still own the grocery chain.

Wegman’s has been ranked in the top 10 every year since 2003 and in the top 5 places to work each year since 2005, when it was ranked #1.

Recreational Equipment (REI)
2012 Overall Rank: 8
5-YR Avg Rank: 15.4
Employees: 10,466
Voluntary Turnover: 5%
1-YR Job Growth: 12%
Most common job (salaried): Retail Store Manager – $103,112/yr
Most common job (hourly): Retail Sales Specialist – $27,924/yr

The privately held consumers’ cooperative has made the list every year since inception, one of only 5 retailers and 13 companies overall to do so.

Perhaps it’s because every employee is eligible for subsidized health care? Or maybe it’s the 50%-75% discounts on full-price REI branded apparel and equipment, free rental of equipment like skis and kayaks, and annual gifts of REI gear?

It could be that after 15 years of service employees are eligible for a 4-week paid sabbatical, as well as one every 5 years after that. REI was also ranked 4th overall for work-life balance, where employees feel “encouraged to balance their work and personal life.”

Whole Foods Market
2012 Overall Rank: 32
5-YR Avg Rank: 22.4
Employees: 60,213
Voluntary Turnover: 7%
1-YR Job Growth: 6%
Most common job (salaried): Associate Store Team Leader – $80,199/yr
Most common job (hourly): Cashier – $26,812/yr

Whole Foods has been on the list every year since inception – though the company has grown from just 87 stores and $1.7 billion in sales in 1998 to 311 markets and over $10.1 billion in sales last year, it hasn’t scaled back on providing for its employees.

In the age of executive excess, executive pay is capped at 19 times the average full-time salary and co-founder and CEO John Mackey has taken a salary of just $1 since 2006.

Minorities are extremely well-represented at 43% of workers. New hires get a 20% discount card for all products sold in the stores and employees who meet the goals of a healthy-living challenge get up to 30%, and the company pays 100% of employees’ health-care premiums.

The Container Store
2012 Overall Rank: 22
5-YR Avg Rank: 26.2
Employees: 3,495
Voluntary Turnover: 9%
1-YR Job Growth: 11%
Most common job (salaried): Store Managers – $70,539/yr
Most common job (hourly): Sales – $44,981/yr

Known for its laser focus on customer service, this niche storage and organizer retailer has been on the list every year since 2000, with an average rank of 12.7 over that period – it has twice been ranked #1 and been in the top 10 seven times.

In its more than 33-year history, the company has never had a layoff. CEO Kip Tindell said “If you put your employees first, they will truly take the best care of their customer,”

Employees enjoy fully paid sabbaticals and rigorous professional training – an almost unheard of 263 hour per year. Women are well represented at 66%, and make up the majority of store managers, vice presidents and directors.

Nordstrom
2012 Overall Rank: 61
5-YR Avg Rank: 59.2
Employees: 52,431
Voluntary Turnover: N/A
1-YR Job Growth: 6%
Most common job (salaried): Sales Department Manager – $49.500/yr
Most common job (hourly): Salesperson – $40,000/yr

Nordstrom has graced this list for 15 straight years, and happy employees make for happy customers – the company has long been the gold standard for outstanding customer service.

The average wage for retail salespeople is about $12 an hour; at Nordstrom it’s $19.18. With commissions, some make more than $200,000 a year. The company survived the recession with zero layoffs, and no cuts were made in pay or benefits.

Women make up 47% of the workforce, and comprise the majority of executives and senior managers, and minorities are very well represented at 42%.

Publix Super Markets
2012 Overall Rank: 78
5-YR Avg Rank: 82
Employees: 147,760
Voluntary Turnover: 3%
1-YR Job Growth: 1%
Most common job (salaried): Store Manager – $110,644/yr
Most common job (hourly): Deli Clerk – $26,753/yr

Despite being the nation’s fourth largest grocer and one of the largest retailers in America, Publix has always focused on its people – it’s the largest employee-owned company in the U.S.

Along with Wegman’s, Publix is one of only 3 companies who can boast they have both been on the ‘Best Companies to Work For’ every year since inception and never had a single layoff.

After just 1 year of employment, all employees become stockholders and get generous annual stock infusions. Publix sports a ridiculously low 3% voluntary turnover rate, and more than 20,000 employees have worked at the company for more than 10 years.

QuikTrip
2012 Overall Rank: 66
5-YR Avg Rank: 39.2
Employees: 11,615
Voluntary Turnover: 9%
1-YR Job Growth: 3%
Most common job (salaried): Store Manager – $69,383/yr
Most common job (hourly): Relief Assistant – $44,300/yr

QuikTrip is the 33rd largest private company in America, and has been a top company to work for every year since 2003.

Training and promotion from within is gospel at QuikTrip, and benefits include tuition reimbursement up to $4,000, fully paid sabbaticals and adoption aid. New employees are taken under the wing of mentors, who work with them for two weeks. 9% turnover is almost unheard of for convenience stores.

Oh year, and in its more than 40-year history the company has never had a layoff and more than 200 employees have worked there more than 20 years.

Starbucks
2012 Overall Rank: 73
5-YR Avg Rank: 59
Employees: 109,477
Voluntary Turnover: 12%
1-YR Job Growth: 3%
Most common job (salaried): Store Manager – $53,634/yr
Most common job (hourly): Distribution Partner – $33,614/yr

Even though it’s grown from a small Seattle upstart to the retail giant it is today, Starbucks has managed to stay ranked as a top place to work, having made the list every year since inception except for 2001.

All employees are entitled to perks including full health insurance benefits, stock awards, tuition reimbursements and free coffee.

But what sets Starbucks apart is how well-trained employees are: As I can attest to, having worked as a barista in high school, new employees don’t set foot in a store until they get 40 hours of classroom and virtual store training. Salaried employees receive a minimum of 112 hours of professional training per year, with part-timers getting at least 70 hours.

Men’s Wearhouse
2012 Overall Rank: 55
5-YR Avg Rank: 76.4
Employees: 14,784
Voluntary Turnover: 17%
1-YR Job Growth: 2%
Most common job (salaried): MW Store Manager – $63,991/yr
Most common job (hourly): Full Time Tailor – $37,783/yr

This dress apparel retailer has appeared on the list for 11 of the past 13 years.

Showing its loyalty to employees, CEO George Zimmer took a 20% pay cut in 2009, senior vice presidents sliced 5% and members of the board of directors took 10% cuts to avoid layoffs.

100% of multi-store managers were hired from within the company, wardrobe consultants earn commissions 50% higher than the industry average, tailors get an extra day off, and distribution-center workers compete for monthly awards.

After 5 years of service employees are eligible for 3-week paid sabbaticals & 3 weeks of paid vacation per year. More than half (52%) of employees are minorities.

Nugget Markets
2012 Overall Rank: 34
5-YR Avg Rank: 13.8
Employees: 1,135
Voluntary Turnover: 7%
1-YR Job Growth: 8%
Most common job (salaried): Store Director – $108,471/yr
Most common job (hourly): Checker – $40,333/yr

Employees cite the close-knit family feel as reason they look forward to going to work at this 9-store family owned upscale supermarket chain. The company has been a best place to work every year since 2006 and has been in the top 13 for 5 of the last 7 years.

In its 85-year history, Nugget has never had a layoff. The company pays 100% of employees’ health care premiums, and everyone is eligible for a pension and 401(k). Employees get 10% discounts on all store purchases and checkers earn an average of $17.71 an hour.

Here are some honorable mentions for companies we didn’t include either because they haven’t been on the list at least 5 times or fell off this year:

• Zappos.com has made the list for 4 straight years and was ranked 11th this year, with the highest 1-yr job growth (70%) of any company on the list. They pay 100% of their employees’ health-care premiums, offer over 100 hours of professional training per year, free lunches, no-charge vending machines, and have a full-time life coach on hand.
• Build-A-Bear Workshop made the list for the 4th consecutive year, with turnover half the industry average and perks including their solid health insurance and 401(k) plans, as well as offering art-time store workers health, dental, and vision benefits.
• Stew Leonard’s broke a string of 10 straight appearances on the list this year. The 4-store supermarket chain is known for its customer-service policy, which greets shoppers at each store’s entrance etched into a three-ton rock: 1) The customer is always right. 2) If the customer is ever wrong, re-read rule #1. The company offers profit-sharing, pays 100% of employees’ health-care premiums and has the greatest sales per unit area of any single food store in the U.S., according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

source: NielsenWire

The U.S. Department of Commerce reported that Advance Estimates of U.S. Retail and Food Services sales for April increased just 0.1% over the prior month to a seasonally adjusted $408.0 Billion, slightly less than consensus estimates for a 0.2% gain, while sales increased 6.4% compared to the year-ago period. Year-over-year, this was the 30th straight gain after 14 consecutive months of declines.

Total sales excluding Autos were up 5.9% in April from the year-ago period and rose 0.1% from the prior month, while total sales less Autos and Gas Stations showed a 6.0% year-on-year increase and also rose 0.1% month-on-month following a 0.8% gain in March.

Though 9 of 13 categories showed increases over the prior month, strength was muted – gainers were led by: Nonstore Retailers (+11.0% YoY, +1.1 MoM), Miscellaneous Store Retailers (+8.5% YoY, +0.8% MoM), Furniture & Home Furnishing Stores (+7.6% YoY, +0.7% MoM), Auto & Parts Dealers (+8.4% YoY, +0.5% MoM) and Health & Personal Care Stores (+4.4% YoY, +0.6% MoM).

Online sales continue to significantly outperform overall retail – comScore reported that e-commerce sales jumped 17% in the first quarter to $44.3 billion (govt. figures will be reported Thursday morning). This was the tenth straight quarter of positive year-over-year growth and sixth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth.

Unseasonably warm weather throughout the winter and early spring, as well as Easter falling 2 weeks earlier this year than last seems to have led to much earlier seasonal buying, as steep declines were seen last month at Building Materials & Supplies Dealers (+10.3% YoY, -1.8% MoM), Department Stores (-2.6% YoY, -1.4% MoM) and Clothing & Accessories Stores (+5.4% YoY, -0.7% MoM).

Click here to see results by line of business.

While the calendar shift certainly played a part in April’s weakness, with Easter much earlier and Mother’s Day a week later than last year, it’s becoming increasingly clear consumers shifted seasonal purchases into the early part of the year and there was a substantial drop-off in spending post-Easter.

And based on weekly sales results, it appears Mother’s Day wasn’t the spending driver it was expected to be: Michael Niemira, ICSC’s vice president of research and chief economist, said “Despite the sales incentive with Mother’s Day on Sunday, weekly sales continued to slow this past week,”

Gas prices have fallen for six consecutive weeks, cumulatively declining by 18.7 cents over that period, which should ease the burden on household discretionary buying power, but unfortunately consumer confidence has followed the same course.

The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index has declined for four straight weeks and fell to a more-than three month low last week as weaker job growth contributed to growing pessimism about U.S. household finances.

For the first time in 12 weeks, the index fell below -40, which is correlated with “severe economic discontent,” according to Gary Langer, president of Langer Research Associates LLC in New York, which compiles the index for Bloomberg. “Job growth in late 2011 and early 2012 helped lift consumers’ views,” Langer said in a statement. “Its weakness is now hurting.”

The negative effects of austerity in Europe, the slowdown in China and the sharp decline in global equity markets have only exacerbated the situation, and have hit luxury retail especially hard. With a lack of shopping events until back-to-school, we expect the weak spending environment to continue throughout the second quarter.

source: HBR

source: Econsultancy

Much of this can be blamed on tough comparisons to last year, unseasonably warm weather early in the spring season which pulled sales forward and calendar shifts which have wreaked havoc on year-over-year comparisons. Because of the much earlier Easter and Mother’s Day falling a week later than last, shoppers have extra time to shop for mom so this week should provide somewhat of a lift.

Ascena Retail Group (ASNA)

• During their conference call announcing the acquisition of Charming Shoppes, the CFO commented on additional markdowns and a deceleration at core Dress Barn. Our own observations from store visits at multiple locations would seem to indicate an under-performing finish to April, which also coincides with the end of the third fiscal quarter, and beginning of early May. Our concern is intensified with the knowledge that besides Mother’s Day there are no other event drivers in the near future…keep reading

source: Wall Street Journal