Scenario 4-2 Stronger Income Growth Among Upscale Shoppers Is Fueling Sales at Sales

question 35

Multiple Choice

Scenario 4-2
Stronger income growth among upscale shoppers is fueling sales at the high end, while slow job growth and higher energy costs are prompting more moderate-income consumers to search of bigger bargains. No retail sector is more squeezed from both sides than the department-store chains, most of which continue to lose sales to other retailers. That has opened the door for financier Edward S. Lampert, 42, whose plans to merge Kmart Holdings and Sears could result in Sears vacating 200 to 300 of its 871 mall-based stores Overriding all this jostling is the biggest question in retail: whether the planned merger of Kmart and Sears will work. The deal would accelerate Sears' strategy to move off the mall by taking some Kmart sites. The retailers believe, too, that they would benefit from cross-selling some of their proprietary brands, like Kenmore appliances. (Robert Berner, "Retail's Unhappy Middle Ground," Business Week Online, December 24, 2004.)
-(Scenario 4-2) Kenmore previously appealed to penny-conscious consumers who were in a position to buy major appliances for the first time. When studying usage patterns, the members of this group are referred to as

• A) emergent consumers.
• B) novices.
• C) nonusers.
• D) neophytes.

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Definitions:

Exchange Rate

The rate at which one currency can be exchanged for another, typically used in international trading and travel.

Income Statement

A financial report that shows a company's revenues, expenses, and net income or loss over a specific period.

Functional Currency

The currency of the primary economic environment in which an entity operates, typically used to record its financial transactions.

Consolidated Balance Sheet

A financial statement that aggregates the assets, liabilities, and equity of a parent company and its subsidiaries.