Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Wal-Mart Pulls Ahead in Increasingly Digital Retail Landscape


As a managing director and senior analyst at Gordon Haskett Research Advisors, Chuck Grom draws on two decades of financial sector experience to oversee the retail sector for the New York City investment research firm. Having previously served as a broadline and department store sector analyst for firms included Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan, Chuck Grom is well-versed in the market factors impacting brick-and-mortar retailers.

While the rapid growth of the global e-commerce market is creating new opportunities for several retailers, others are struggling to keep pace with the competition. This is clearly demonstrated in a recent article by Matthew Boyle for Bloomberg Technology, which explores a number of factors that have recently led the dominant big-box retailer Wal-Mart to overtake several of its competitors. 

Most notably, Wal-Mart has begun to outperform Target, which has long held a competitive edge over Wal-Mart due to its modern, trendy reputation. However, Target’s recognizable designers and sleek store layouts haven’t been enough to sustain positive sales growth; while Wal-Mart’s same-store sales increased from 2016 to 2017, Target’s sales have declined. Market experts attribute Wal-Mart’s success to several factors, including its higher market penetration, cleaner store designs, more consistently lower prices, and innovative online strategy. The retail chain has evolved alongside the e-commerce sector, and recently unveiled a new curbside pickup option to make its already-thriving grocery department more convenient for consumers. Wal-Mart has also ramped-up its rate of new patent creation, particularly in the realms of web development and in-store customer experience. For example, one innovative idea could introduce drones to deliver products from storage to store shelves.

Monday, July 10, 2017

New York Jets Improve Backfield with First Two Draft Picks


An experienced retail stock analyst who earned numerous awards during his time with JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank, and CRT Sterne Agee, Chuck Grom serves as a managing director for New York's Gordon Haskett Research Advisors. Outside of his professional pursuits, Chuck Grom is a passionate fan and season ticket holder for the National Football League's (NFL) New York Jets.

The Jets have failed to make the playoffs in each of the past six seasons and enter the 2017 campaign with questions at quarterback, but the team's future in the backfield looks bright with the acquisition of Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye. New York owned the no. 6 and no. 39 overall pick in April's NFL draft and used them respectively to select Adams and May, a pair of safeties who had considerable success at the collegiate level.

Adams was considered a home-run selection by Sports Illustrated, which gave the pick an 'A' grade. He spent the past three seasons with Louisiana State University, where he recorded a combined 209 tackles, 14 passes defended, five interceptions, and two forced fumbles. Maye, meanwhile, played all four seasons of his college eligibility at the University of Florida, where he accumulated a combined 205 tackles, 16 passes defended, five interceptions, and six forced fumbles.