This Week in Retail: Spring sales and February inflation data

Spring is not quite sprung, but seasonal sales are kicking off this week with Amazon Spring Deal Days running from March 10–16. During that period, the e-commerce giant will offer discounts on a range of products and categories from everyday essentials to home and kitchen. The Home Depot is also rolling out some spring deals this month, and while Walmart has yet to announce a spring sales event, last year it held one in the last week of March.

Here’s what else is going on in retail this week:

In earnings: There is another batch of retail earnings coming this week, and it’s a nice cross section of the industry spanning discounters and department stores to CPG brands and sporting goods. Here’s the rundown: The convenience store chain Casey’s is reporting on Monday; Kohl’s on Tuesday; Campbell’s on Wednesday; and then Ulta Beauty, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, and Dollar General on Thursday.

In openings: Ikea is opening its first store in Dallas on Wednesday. The 63,000-square-foot smaller-format location is part of the Swedish furniture brand’s efforts to expand its US footprint and open stores closer to customers. As CEO Javier Quinones explained it, the company is opening “smaller, more accessible urban store formats, bringing a more connected and accessible Ikea experience to everyone.”

In data releases: The consumer price index for February is due out on Wednesday. Economists are anticipating a slight uptick in the inflation gauge, coming off a 2.4% year over year gain in January, when shelter and food prices pushed up the measure. While war in Iran won’t show up in the data yet, gas prices are already rising, and global leaders are already warning of wider inflation if the conflict continues.