Thrifty consumers hurt their sales

Article Excerpt

The recession has forced many consumers to cut their restaurant visits. When they do go out, many are switching to less-expensive establishments and skipping extras, like appetizers and dessert. Consumers are also waiting for sales instead of buying groceries at regular prices. These factors are bad news for Sysco and Supervalu, two of the largest food sellers in the U.S. Both are cutting costs, which will help them stay profitable for now. However, both need a sustained economic recovery to start growing again. SYSCO CORP. $23 (New York symbol SYY; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 589.9 million; Market cap: $13.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.4; WSSF Rating: Average) sells food and kitchen supplies to over 400,000 restaurants, schools, hotels and hospitals in the U.S. and Canada. The company has about 16% of the North American food-service market. In its third fiscal quarter, which ended March 28, 2009, Sysco’s sales fell 4.5%, to $8.7 billion from $9.1 billion a year earlier. The…