Truist Securities released its most recent bi-weekly card data for the goods sector, extending through April 4, 2026. The dataset covers 19 retail brands and spans multiple categories - non-athletic footwear, accessories, children's apparel, mall apparel, and online apparel - providing a near-term view of consumer spending patterns in apparel and related goods.
Within the two-week window leading up to April 4, the data show that growth at Boot Barn (NYSE:BOOT) and Victoria's Secret (NYSE:VSCO) accelerated, indicating improving card-based spending momentum for those chains in the latest period tracked.
Conversely, several names have remained in negative territory on an unadjusted year-over-year basis in recent weeks. Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF), H&M (OME:HM.B), and J. Jill (NYSE:JILL) have each posted negative growth on an unadjusted YoY basis for the past few weeks, according to Truist's figures.
The card data also highlight a partial recovery for some retailers after a softer February. Gap (NYSE:GAP) and Urban Outfitters (NASDAQ:URBN) both reaccelerated growth in March following slower activity earlier in the quarter, per the dataset.
Truist's card-level tracking aggregates spending across apparel and accessories categories to provide a timely indicator of retail performance trends. By following card transaction volumes and patterns across the 19 covered brands, the dataset offers a snapshot of consumer demand and category rotation within the goods sector.
Key points
- Boot Barn and Victoria's Secret showed acceleration in card-based spending in the most recent two-week period.
- Abercrombie & Fitch, H&M, and J. Jill have recorded negative year-over-year unadjusted growth for multiple recent weeks.
- Gap and Urban Outfitters reaccelerated growth in March after a slower February, per the data.
Risks and uncertainties
- The dataset is limited to card-based spending for 19 brands and may not capture the full breadth of apparel market activity.
- Year-over-year figures cited for some chains are noted as unadjusted, which can reflect timing effects and may not account for other comparability factors.
- The time window covered is bi-weekly and current only through April 4, 2026, so more recent shifts in consumer behavior would not be reflected.
This article reports the topline movements identified in Truist Securities' bi-weekly card data across the covered apparel and accessories brands and does not attempt to attribute causes beyond the trends presented in the dataset.