- Contents
- *Scope and Themes
- What you need to know
- Definition
- Data sources
- Sales data
- Consumer survey data
- Direct marketing creative
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
What you need to know
Total warehouse clubs retail sales reached $135 billion in 2013 and will reach $140 billion in 2014. Sales are projected to rise by 29% between 2014 and 2019, reaching $181 billion in 2019. Factors such as the rising Hispanic population, new store openings, consumers’ money-saving mindset and improved consumer confidence will drive growth in this market.
Definition
This report builds on the analysis presented in Mintel's Warehouse Club Buying – US, February 2005. This report focuses on warehouse clubs and offers sales trends, profiles of major players in the US market, as well as detailed exploration of consumers’ attitudes, usage and shopping behaviors in this channel.
Value figures throughout this report are at retail selling prices (rsp) excluding sales tax unless otherwise stated.
Sales data
Market Size and Forecast: Total retail sales based on Information Resources Inc., InfoScan Reviews; US Census Bureau, Economic Census; Progressive Grocer’s Consumer Expenditure Study.
Consumer survey data
For the purposes of this report, Mintel commissioned exclusive consumer research through GMI to explore consumer attitudes toward and shopping behaviors at warehouse clubs. Mintel was responsible for the survey design, data analysis, and reporting. Fieldwork was conducted March 20, 2014-April 2, 2014, among a sample of 2,000 adults aged 18+ with access to the internet.
Mintel selects survey respondents so that they are proportionally balanced to the entire US adult population based on the key demographics of gender, age, household income, and region. Mintel also slightly oversamples, relative to the population, respondents that are Hispanic or black to ensure an adequate representation of these groups in the survey results. Please note that Mintel surveys are conducted online and in English only. Hispanics who are not online and/or do not speak English are not included in the survey results.
Mintel has also analyzed data from Experian Marketing Services, using the Simmons National Hispanic Consumer Study (NHCS). The Experian Marketing Services, Simmons NHCS was carried out during November 2012-December 2013 and the results are based on the sample of 23,689 adults aged 18+, with results weighted to represent the US adult population.
While race and Hispanic origin are separate demographic characteristics, Mintel often compares them to each other. Please note that the responses for race (White, Black, Asian, Native American, or other race) will overlap those that also are Hispanic, because Hispanics can be of any race.
Direct marketing creative
All estimated mail volume data and consumer direct mail marketing creatives are provided by Mintel Comperemedia.
Mintel Comperemedia is a searchable competitive database tracking direct mail, print and online advertising in the US and Canada, as well as email in the US. Comperemedia tracks information across eight sectors: Banking, Credit Card, Investments, Insurance, Mortgage and Loan, Telecom, Travel and Leisure, Retail and Automotive.
For more information, please contact Account Services Management at 1-312-450-6353 or www.mintel.com.
Abbreviations
The following is a list of abbreviations used in this report:
| CPI | Consumer Price Index |
| OTC | Over-the-counter |
| NHCS | National Hispanic Consumer Study (Experian Marketing Services) |
Terms
Generations are discussed within this report, and they are defined as:
| World War II/Swing generations | Members of the WWII generation were born in 1932 or before and are aged 82 or older in 2014. Members of the Swing Generation were born from 1933-1945 and are aged 69-81 in 2014. |
| Baby Boomers | The generation born between 1946 and 1964. In 2014, Baby Boomers are between the ages of 50 and 68. |
| Generation X | The generation born between 1965 and 1976. In 2014, Gen Xers are between the ages of 38 and 49. |
| Millennials* | Born between 1977 and 1994, Millennials are aged 20 to 37 in 2014. |
| iGeneration | Born between 1995 and 2007, members of iGen are aged 7 to 19 in 2014. |
| Emerging generation | The newest generation began in 2008 as the annual number of births declined sharply with the recession. In 2014 members of this as-yet unnamed generation are under age 7. |
* also known as Generation Y or Echo Boomers
In order to provide an inflation-adjusted price value for markets, Mintel uses the CPI to deflate current prices. The CPI is defined as follows:
| CPI | The Consumer Price Index is a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services. The CPI and its components are typically used to adjust other economic series for price changes and to translate these series into inflation-free dollars. Examples of series adjusted by the CPI include retail sales, hourly and weekly earnings, and components of the national income and product accounts. In addition, and in Mintel reports, the CPI is used as a deflator of the value of the consumer’s dollar to find its purchasing power. The purchasing power of the consumer's dollar measures the change in the value to the consumer of goods and services that a dollar will buy at different dates. The CPI is generally the best measure for adjusting payments to consumers when the intent is to allow consumers to purchase, at today’s prices, a market basket of goods and services equivalent to one that they could purchase in an earlier period. It is also the best measure to use to translate retail sales into real or inflation-free dollars. Based on Bureau of Labor Statistics definition. |
