Retail
E-Commerce's Share of Retail, Explained
Online runs about 17 percent of U.S. retail sales and keeps climbing — but the headline number hides how unequally the shift is distributed across categories.
Henrik Larsen · April 9, 2026
Retail: Stores, Brands and Sales
Coverage of retailing as a business: store estates and closures, online fulfillment costs, assortment decisions, own-brand ranges, and the real depth of a promotion. Figures come from company filings and price tracking. Read by category managers, suppliers negotiating terms, and analysts covering the sector.
Retail
How Holiday Sales Get Counted
The NRF's holiday number — nearly $1 trillion in recent seasons — counts November and December retail, minus cars, gas, and restaurants, and everyone quotes the definition nobody agrees on.
Henrik Larsen · March 17, 2026
Retail
Private Label vs. National Brand Growth
Store brands took a record quarter of U.S. grocery spending in 2024 — and the striking part of the data is how little of it they give back when inflation cools.
Henrik Larsen · February 23, 2026
Retail
Shrink and Retail Theft Statistics, Explained
"Shrink" bundles theft with clerk error and damaged goods, which is why the industry's $100-billion crime headline deserves a careful read before it becomes policy.
Henrik Larsen · January 31, 2026
Retail
How the Retail Inventory-to-Sales Ratio Works
The Census Bureau's ratio of stock to sales is the sector's simplest stress gauge — and its post-pandemic swings showed how costly the wrong inventory level is on both sides.
Henrik Larsen · January 8, 2026