Michael O'Sullivan

"Our total sales growth in Q4 is 11%... We are selling it at retail price up to 60% lower than traditional retailers. That focus on value has helped drive our business... If gas prices remain high or get worse, the consumers are looking for value, we think we could be a beneficiary of that." Sticky inflation and a sudden spike in gas prices are destroying discretionary income for low-to-middle-income consumers. This forces a "trade-down" effect where shoppers abandon full-price department stores and mall retailers in favor of off-price, treasure-hunt models. Furthermore, off-price retailers have highly flexible supply chains that allow them to pivot away from tariff-heavy goods, protecting their margins better than traditional retailers. LONG. Off-price retail is the ultimate defensive consumer play in a stagflationary environment with rising energy costs. If gas prices rise to $5+ a gallon, it could cause total demand destruction where consumers stop driving to stores entirely, hurting even the discount retailers.

"Our total sales growth in Q4 is 11%... We are selling it at retail price up to 60% lower than traditional retailers. That focus on value has helped drive our business... If gas prices remain high or get worse, the consumers are looking for value, we think we could be a beneficiary of that." Sticky inflation and a sudden spike in gas prices are destroying discretionary income for low-to-middle-income consumers. This forces a "trade-down" effect where shoppers abandon full-price department stores and mall retailers in favor of off-price, treasure-hunt models. Furthermore, off-price retailers have highly flexible supply chains that allow them to pivot away from tariff-heavy goods, protecting their margins better than traditional retailers. LONG. Off-price retail is the ultimate defensive consumer play in a stagflationary environment with rising energy costs. If gas prices rise to $5+ a gallon, it could cause total demand destruction where consumers stop driving to stores entirely, hurting even the discount retailers.

"Our total sales growth in Q4 is 11%... We are selling it at retail price up to 60% lower than traditional retailers. That focus on value has helped drive our business... If gas prices remain high or get worse, the consumers are looking for value, we think we could be a beneficiary of that." Sticky inflation and a sudden spike in gas prices are destroying discretionary income for low-to-middle-income consumers. This forces a "trade-down" effect where shoppers abandon full-price department stores and mall retailers in favor of off-price, treasure-hunt models. Furthermore, off-price retailers have highly flexible supply chains that allow them to pivot away from tariff-heavy goods, protecting their margins better than traditional retailers. LONG. Off-price retail is the ultimate defensive consumer play in a stagflationary environment with rising energy costs. If gas prices rise to $5+ a gallon, it could cause total demand destruction where consumers stop driving to stores entirely, hurting even the discount retailers.