IADS Exclusive: The IADS Global Department Store Monitor: trends and transformations (2019 - 2022)

In May 2021, Dr. Christopher Knee launched the “IADS 100 Report”, a first-of-its-kind report gathering the financial data and figures of 100 department stores around the world. This global observatory was created in a time of turmoil to create a benchmark for global department store players.

Since the release of the first report in 2021, it has been proven to be a difficult task to find relevant and comparable data for 100 or more consistent department stores as many companies change hands in ownership, decide to go private, or don’t break out results by business unit. To clarify the definition of this report, we have decided to rename it to “The IADS Global Department Store Monitor” to reflect that we are consistently reviewing the landscape and updating it with any important and relevant information.

Another area of important clarification is around what results are being captured in the report. Fiscal years do not always line up with some companies finishing their year with the calendar year and others ending their fiscal year in June or July. The 2022 fiscal results for this monitor have been considered as any annual report that closes from the end of December 2022 to those that end in June 2023. To compare yearly results, this pattern has been followed for all previous year’s results as well. This baseline allows a level of consistency in the events that have occurred in the years covered to be able to draw conclusions.

The entire reason the IADS 100, now the IADS Global Department Store Monitor, was launched was to address the various amounts of disruptions that followed the Covid-19 pandemic and after, as it seems that disruption is now a norm in the retail business. Even now at the beginning of 2024, the baseline of annual results is still being compared to 2019 figures.

What does this say about the state of recovery? We are not out of the woods yet.

This report will attempt to detail some of the major changes across global retail markets and understand what a new turbulent normal could promise. Note: To make comparisons year over year, all exchange rates to Euros come from March 22, 2021, which was the date chosen during the initial IADS 100 release.

Access the IADS Global Department Store Monitor datasheet here.

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