Who's doing well

Who's doing well - and why

By: Leonie Barrie - 10 December 2008 15:09

The US retail market, I’ve seen written somewhere, can be divided into Wal-Mart...and everyone else. Of course this is a big generalisation, but there’s more than an element of truth to the observation that the discount chain is one of the few places where US consumers are still shopping.

But what about the specialty chains? Well the good news is that there are still some who are bucking the downward sales slump, including Hot Topic, Buckle, American Apparel and Cato. And the message seems to be that if you're selling something unique or something with value for consumers – like irresistible fashions – then they will still buy.

5 stores bucking the sales slump