Clothing stores are gearing up for the back-to-school shopping season amid a bit of malaise in the retail sector.
It’s anybody’s guess how the year’s second-biggest shopping season, which typically runs from August through September, will play out.
“People are nervous right now,” said Elizabeth Pierce, an analyst at Sanders Morris Harris in Los Angeles. “You saw a lot of mixed results (in July). Specialty retailers did better than big box stores.”
That could bode well for local surf shops. Jack’s Surfboards in Huntington Beach and Newport Beach are planning big sidewalk sales.
Becker Surfboards, which has shops in Corona del Mar and Huntington Beach, is giving staff extra hours.
The hot weather nationwide has put a damper on demand for back-to-school clothing at big retailers, such as Gap Inc. and Nordstrom Inc. They recently reported worse-than-expected July sales that missed Wall Street forecasts.
It’s looking better for Orange County chains.
For more on this story, see the Aug. 15 edition of the Business Journal.
