Protest Fallout Continues
Dems Unveil Police Reform - Customers Respond - DOJ Charges

Lowest Quarterly Sales Results in History
May's Quarterly Sales Reports Show Huge Disparity

The Winners & Losers Of the Shutdown

Top Essential Retail: Dollar General sales up 27.6%, Non-Essential Retail: VF sales up 2%

Bottom Essential Retail: Papa John's sales up 4.3%, Non-Essential Retail: Ross Stores sales down 52.6%

Essential Retail: Average Comps Up 12.5%, Average Sales Up 15%

Non-Essential Retail: Average Comps Down 7.39%, Average Sales Down 23.8%

*Excluding online retailers

*Carvana led the way in sales. Not included in these numbers - (online) largest sales increase in Quarter 1 up 43%

*Best Buy Numbers not included: Sales Down 6.3%

Amazingly Overall Quarter 1 comp sales up 4.15%, sales down 6%
With all of the 30's percentage drops in the nonessential retailers being offset by the 30's percentage increases at the essential retailers. It almost balanced out.

Interesting retail impact. As the consumer didn't really deviate that much considering. This excludes online retailers.

Report: U.S. retail sales to drop 10.5 % in 2020—with one bright spot

Much In line with the Daily's Tracking Currently

The U.S. retail sector could take years to recover from the impact of COVID-19, and the hit could be worse than that of the Great Recession.

That’s according to eMarketer’s latest forecast on U.S. retail sales (including auto and fuel), which predicted that total retail sales will drop 10.5% to $4.894 trillion this year, a level not seen since 2016 and is steeper than the 8.2% drop in 2009.

E-commerce is the only bright spot, jumping 18.0% to reach $709.78 billion this year, representing 14.5% of total U.S. retail sales in 2020, according to the report. chainstoreage.com


Robberies & Burglaries Double Nationwide
During Riots Two Most Active Days Last week

Tuesday 6/2/20 & Wednesday 6/3/20 = 81 Robberies/Burglaries
(4 armed, 5 Unarmed robberies, 72 burglaries)

Tuesday 6/4/19 & Wednesday 6/5/19 = 40 Robberies/Burglaries
(28 armed robberies, 2 unarmed, 10 burglaries)


October's the 2nd Wave Date - If it Comes Back
A Second Wave of Coronavirus Could Mean a Devastating Fall
As the summer approaches and the rate of transmission of the coronavirus begins to move in undulations instead of huge spikes, complacency could trigger a bigger wave as schools open and people move inside.

In the fight against the coronavirus, assuming the best-case scenario — the population continuing to maintain social distancing and hand hygiene; keeping the elderly protected by sheltering in place; wearing masks; robust testing; and “really good contact tracing” — we’ll see the virus smolder. Absent that good behavior, we may see a potentially devastating second wave in the fall.

“Some places will have a problem and then go back into shelter and place but we’ll never have anything as horrific as what happened in New York City. We’ll see undulations until it’s over. That’s the best scenario,”

On the other hand, of all of those protections and mitigation tactics fade into complacency, we could see the darkest period yet, beginning around October.

In October, after two incubation periods, the cases could start to dramatically increase. That would also coincide with flu season and, in California, fire season, where the smoke could exacerbate the seriousness of the virus in some people. govtech.com

Employers Consider Safety Precautions for Return to Workplace
Nearly half of organizations surveyed have not announced a return-to-work date as COVID-19 restrictions ease in some parts of the country, but a majority of HR professionals think setting even a tentative date is a good idea.

The findings from new Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) research released June 9 illustrate how U.S. employers are considering a phased return of employees, staggered start and stop times, health precautions, and physical changes to their worksites.

Setting a return date is a good idea, two-thirds of HR professionals said, because it eases job-security concerns among staff, especially for those in physical and service industries such as health care, retail and education. Employers that have established a date prefer employees to return on or before June 30, according to more than three-fourths of HR professionals.

Other strategies include:

• Staggering the start and stop of employees' workdays as well as break times so as to reduce the number of workers in one location at the same time (75 percent).

• Reducing the number of customers permitted on site at one time and taking measures such as counting the number of people as they enter (78 percent).

• Limiting the number of employees or customers on site at one time (81 percent).

“Workers should expect to see more masks, fewer handshakes, marked floors, more barriers, and greater flexibility—especially when it comes to remote work.”

Among employers implementing a phased-return plan, one-third intend to do so by specific departments or functions. Others are first bringing back employees with lower health risks or those in leadership positions. The length of the phased return also varies, from two weeks to more than three months. shrm.org

Industry orgs called for stepped-up pharmacy security
With the proliferation of protests around the country — and risk of drug diversion from looting or break-ins, industry organizations are calling for local and state authorities to better protect pharmacies to prevent drug diversion.

NACDS president and CEO Steve Anderson told NACDS chain members this week that he has been communicating with governors, state attorneys general and state boards of pharmacies, as well as the U.S. attorney general and the Drug Enforcement Agency, about the need to protect pharmacies nationwide.

“There is a lot that needs to be said and done about all aspects of this situation. However, NACDS’ communication to our leaders at this moment urges immediate action to help prevent the targeting of pharmacies for the theft of controlled substances," Anderson said. "I would urge that your company also reach out to the governors in the states that you serve, reiterating this message."

NACDS is not the only industry organization calling for more secure pharmacies. The National Community Pharmacists Association also spoke out on behalf of local pharmacies. drugstorenews.com

UK: 25% A Quarter of supermarket staff have experienced abuse during pandemic
The study, from crowd-sourced data collection firm Shepper, found that while 51% of supermarket staff said they had not encountered any abuse from consumers, staff did provide examples of customers behaving aggressively and “shouting in frustration” while shopping.

The research – which included supermarkets Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Lidl and Aldi – found that 35% of Aldi stores had experienced staff abuse from customers, the most out of all supermarkets measured, followed by Lidl with abuse in 28% of its stores. Morrisons staff had the least amount of abuse, which occurred in 21% of its stores.

Jan Vanhoutte, Shepper co-founder, said: “It’s saddening that supermarket staff are not receiving the same support that NHS staff have had since the pandemic started. Shop floor supermarket employees have been critical to our society during this challenging time, they are heroes in their own right, working on the frontline despite the risks, to help the nation. retailingtoday.com

SIA Open Supervised Device Protocol Approved as International Standard
The Security Industry Association’s (SIA) Open Supervised Device Protocol (OSDP) standard has been approved by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) technical committee on alarm and electronic security systems as an international standard. The latest version of SIA OSDP will be listed as IEC 60839-11-5 and be available in the IEC Webstore.

SIA OSDP is an access control communications standard developed by SIA to improve interoperability among access control and security products. Maintained and developed by the SIA OSDP Working Group since 2011, the standard was submitted to the IEC as a candidate standard in 2016. sdmmag.com

25,000 Stores Predicted to Close in 2020
As Pandemic Accelerates Industry Upheaval
U.S. retailers could announced between 20,000 and 25,000 closures this year, according to a tracking by Coresight Research, with 55% to 60% of those situated in America’s malls.

That would also mark a new record for the industry. That would also mark a new record — which was previously the more than 9,300 locations in 2019.

In recent weeks, bankruptcy filings in retail have begun to mount. Coresight said it expects more liquidations, ticking up the closure tally.

Coresight has, so far, recorded a total of 4,005 announced closures by retailers in 2020, including more than 900 by the home decor retailer Pier 1 Imports, roughly 300 by the health chain GNC, more than 200 by Tuesday Morning, and some from L Brands’ Victoria’s Secret, Papyrus and Penney.

“We expect that a return to pre-crisis levels in offline discretionary retail sales overall will be gradual, as we expect consumer confidence, demand and spending to be short of normal for some time,” Coresight founder and CEO Deborah Weinswig said in the report.

A separate report by eMarketer is forecasting total retail sales in the U.S. to fall more than 10% in 2020 and that they won’t bounce back to pre-Covid-19 levels until 2022. Meantime, eMarketer is calling for e-commerce sales to surge 18% this year.

“This is the sharpest consumer spending freeze in decades in the US,” said eMarketer senior analyst Cindy Liu. cbnc.com

CDC COVID-19 Resources:
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What Workers and Employers Can Do to Manage Workplace Fatigue during COVID-19

CDC Resuming Business Toolkit

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation: Path Forward – Navigating the Return to Work
 

State of the Market: Security, Monitoring & Smart Home

After a year of growth, alarm companies prepare to weather a world of unknowns.

According to Omdia, security won't fare nearly as bad as other industries, though Q2 and Q3 will likely be difficult.

"'Unlike other industries that are being impacted by COVID-19, alarms could be less susceptible overall to decline, since the uncertainty could lead to a stronger demand for alarm monitoring and security in general,"' Kozak says. "'Consequently, alarm monitoring companies that continue with a business-as-usual approach could be hit harder than those that can be more agile in terms of getting in front of customers and offering professional services in new, creative ways."'

Most other security professionals agree the turbulent economy and rising unemployment could create a stronger demand for security.

"'The safety concerns of our customers will continue to be magnified,"' says Brent Duncan, CRO, Interface Security Systems, St. Louis, Mo. "'Unfortunately, such a shock to the economy of this magnitude will only increase crime, theft, burglary and fraud. We are well positioned with our solutions to help businesses combat these challenges."'

Johnson Controls hopes that after a challenging April and May, the industry will start to see green shoots in June and a rebound as we move into the second half of the year.

When demand starts to rebound, firms will have to adjust many aspects of their operations to meet the overdrive of expectations combined with the busiest time of the year,"' Davis says. "'Being able to recover from a pandemic driving a deep recession quickly could put real pressure on systems at companies that were finding ways to merely survive just a few weeks prior. Businesses coming out of the depths of the crisis best prepared for recovery could likely find many opportunities."' sdmmag.com

Retailers say Pandemic Risk Insurance Act would provide 'greater relience' in future outbreaks
The National Retail Federation today welcomed the introduction of the Pandemic Risk Insurance Act, which would establish a federal program to help businesses obtain insurance coverage for pandemics modeled on a system for terrorism insurance established following 9/11.

“Congress must take swift action on a solution to provide all businesses protection against future pandemic risks,” NRF Vice President for Government Relations, Banking and Financial Services Leon Buck said. “The development of a public-private partnership to address this risk will provide certainty for businesses and organizations of all sizes and will ensure that we can meet future pandemic events with greater resilience.”

“This legislation is the cornerstone of a proactive approach in managing the risk and impact of a pandemic or epidemic in the future,” Buck said. nrf.com

More space through summer:
Delta Airlines Reduces Cabin Seating
Delta Airlines will be reducing its cabin seating and blocking middle seats to improve safety and cleanliness during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Reducing the overall number of customers on every aircraft across the fleet is one of the most important steps we can take to ensure a safe experience for our customers and people," said Chief Customer Experience Officer Bill Lentsch. "Delta is offering the highest standards in safety and cleanliness so we're ready for customers when they're ready to fly again." delta.com

The Robin Report: What the CEO's Read
Millennial and Gen Z Trust in a Newly Reopened World
Young consumers’ trust, and engagement with brands during shutdowns will play a factor in what brands they choose to patronize when stores reopen. Let’s review three NextGen consumer concerns during Covid and what retailers can do to address them:

1. Employee Protection is Table Stakes
The Edelman Trust Barometer found that 71 percent of consumers agree that if they perceive that a brand is putting profit over people throughout the outbreak, they will lose trust in that brand forever. According to Edelman, 78 percent of consumers expect businesses to act to protect their employees and their communities, while 73 percent expect businesses to adapt their human resource policies either to give employees paid sick leave or prevent at-risk employees from coming to work.

Now, the above stats were pulled by polling consumers across generations. And since Gen Z is the most socially conscious consumer demographic (closely followed by their millennial predecessors), they’ll hold brands particularly accountable. NextGen consumers will base their post-Covid purchasing decisions on each brand’s employee experience during shutdowns.

2. Social Media as a Vehicle for Mental Health
3. Delivery Takes Precedence After the Outbreak therobinreport.com