Reuters and MasterCard Join Forces to Deliver New Benchmark US Retail Sales Data

Reuters today announced an agreement with MasterCard Advisors LLC, the global professional services organization of MasterCard International, to provide a U.S. retail economic service exclusively to Reuters clients. The service, known as SpendingPulse&trade:, provides granular measures of the U.S. retail economy, both nationally and regionally, with a degree of speed and a level of detail surpassing spending data estimates from traditional sources. Using estimates of retail payments including cash and check volumes together with adjusted spending information based on aggregated sales activity through the MasterCard network, MasterCard is able to provide an accurate snapshot of U.S. economic retail sales performance and trends.

Since 2004, SpendingPulse reports have been available through a subscription service. Reuters will now provide exclusive access to SpendingPulse reports through Reuters 3000 Xtra, Reuters Station, and Reuters Knowledge screens. Twice a month, customers will receive reports which include information such as:

• National and regional retail sales performance each month, before comparable government estimates are released;
• Industry sector data such as sales of electronics, furniture, restaurants, retail apparel, transportation and others;
• Sales and distribution channel breakdowns such as retail sales online.

Julie Holland, Global Head of Research and Asset Management at Reuters, comments: “This deal illustrates our growth strategy of focusing on high value content to provide enhanced market insights in order to supplement the news, company information, research and analysis that we currently provide.

“We are delighted that the SpendingPulse data will now be available exclusively to our customers, further enabling them to make timely investment decisions.”

Jim Thomas, Global Practice Leader, MasterCard Advisors, said: “MasterCard Advisors has the ability to access and analyze information in a way that gauges the true economic landscape. We are excited that we can now provide customers with our U.S. economic data through Reuters world-class distribution network.

“For years, professionals have relied on U.S. retail spending data that has been subject to restatements and recommendations made before final economic data became available. Now timely SpendingPulse information will be readily available through Reuters extensive global distribution network, providing accurate retail spending reports for banking, economic, investment, retail and other industry professionals alike.”