Nordstrom, which reports results on Thursday, hopes to turn around its struggling off-price Rack

Analysts expect Macy’s to post a 87% slide in second-quarter profit, dragged down by heavy discounting to clear spring and early summer merchandise, according to Refinitiv.
Nordstrom’s second-quarter revenue is expected to fall 11% while analysts anticipate a nearly 45% fall in profit.

Retailers from Target to Coach

BothAmazon

In mid-July, it asked more than 7,800 men and women where they most often shopped for women’s clothing. Thirteen percent answered Walmart and 9% answered Amazon, compared to 5.8% for Macy’s and 3.3% for Nordstrom.

Consulting firm Deloitte

Results for the quarter ended July 30 can provide only a partial snapshot of the back-to-school shopping season. Still, the retailers’ executives may provide Wall Street with new clues on what styles, if any, are selling well ahead of the new school year.

Macy’s new private-label brand, On 34th, is aimed at women aged 30 to 50 and includes low-priced staples such as a soft-knit button-down top priced at $39.50, as well as trendier apparel like a $79.50 tulle midi-skirt and a $275 suede leather jacket.

At a launch event last month, Macy’s top executives said the brand was designed for “seasonless” dressing, with knits and fabrics – including items such as fine-gauge sweaters – meant for layering.

Macy’s owns more than 20 private label brands, which are developed by the retailer and produced by its own suppliers rather than purchased wholesale from other apparel makers.
Private

Kathy Gersch, a retail industry consultant at Kotter International, said stores’ own private labels are more profitable than buying inventory wholesale from third-party garment makers. Yet the higher profit margins can be offset by heavier investments by stores in product development and marketing.

“They have to try to make them more compelling than other mass market clothing in order to make it a real draw, so people actually come in for those brands,” she said.