Department Stores’ Downward Spiral

Ann-Marie Vazzano

In just one year, the number of back-to-school shoppers who said they planned to shop at department stores dropped 26% (from 54% down to 28%), according to Deloitte’s 2017 back-to-school survey. On the flipside, 81% of consumers planned to shop at mass merchants, an increase of 24% over last year. Additionally, 28% planned to shop at off-price stores, up from just 10% last year. Specialty stores took a big hit this year, with just 8% planning to shop them, down from 25% in 2016. GP