The inflation rate since April has reached a 40-year high at 8.3%, to which the average increase in prices of food is 9.4% higher than last year’s price tags. Retail businesses currently benefitting from inflation are the chain of dollar stores located across the country.
Stock market investors should take note of this as Dollar Tree and Dollar General, the two largest owners of dollar store chains, have reported positive financial results for the first quarter. Moreover, both companies have increased their income projections for the entire year. As expected, the share prices of both dollar store companies spiked at more than 13% last May 27, 2022.
Consumer Weather Inflation Impact by Trading Down
The same cannot be said for Walmart and Target as consumer trade downs have resulted in slower sales and slow inventory turnovers. Apparently the dollar store strategy has had an edge in meeting changes in consumer behavior in meeting rising prices
In times of recession, dollar stores fit into the scenes as majority of consumers intentioanlly go back to this buying behavior cycle, Both discount stores are seeing fast movement in consumables, particularly food and essential grocery items. Dollar General Chief Executive Officer Todd Vasos said employment is still at healthy levels and across all sorts of industries that employ the consumers being served by Dollar General. That makes this inflation crisis quite different from the recession consumers experienced in the aftermath of the 2008-2009 financial crisis.
