Welcome to a new week. World leaders gathered in London on Monday for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London. The death of the long-serving monarch has given way to a 12-day mourning period in the UK. London Fashion Week was scaled back, while the royal family’s fashion is being closely watched. It's one of the rare moments when the whole world appears to take a pause. It's also a time of transition for many in the UK, including brands. Over 500 brands, including Heinz, Twinings and Gordon’s, will have to change packaging to remove the royal coat of arms following the Queen's death, and reapply for Royal Warrant status to King Charles III.
Here’s a look at the schedule in the US for retail and ecommerce events, economic indicators and second quarter earnings reports:
Events
Here’s a look at where ecommerce leaders are gathering to network and learn this week:
- Groceryshop: Grocery and CPG leaders gather in Las Vegas to discuss the transformation taking place in food commerce. (Sept. 19-22)
- Paris Retail Week: Leaders in retail and ecommerce meet for conferences, workshops and more in this hybrid event. (Sept. 20-21)
Economic indicators
When it comes to economic data, the focus is on the Fed this week:
- New Residential Construction: This indicator from the US Commerce Department offers a look at the new apartment and homes under construction for August, offering one sign of the state of the housing market. (Sept. 19)
- Existing Home Sales: This metric from the National Association of Realtors offers a sign of health in the housing market. It also has a ripple effect throughout the consumer economy, as the purchase of a new home leads to the buying of home goods, furniture, appliances and more. (Sept. 20)
- Federal Reserve: For the first time since July, the Federal Open Market Committee will meet to decide whether to raise interest rates. As the central bank seeks to bring down an inflation rate that is at 40-year-highs above 8%, the last two meetings have brought interest rate increases of 0.75% each. Fed leaders have since spoken about their commitment to bringing inflation down, and sticking with it until it reaches the 2% target. (Sept. 21, 2 p.m.)
Earnings
Here’s a look at CPG, ecommerce and retail companies reporting second quarter earnings:
Monday, Sept. 19: Autozone
Tuesday, Sept. 20: Stitch Fix
Wednesday, Sept. 21: General Mills, Steelcase
Thursday, Sept. 22: FedEx, Costco
