Print or digital format. Also sold by individual chapters.
Abstract
Pawn shops in the United States now number about 11,000+ and growing, and
constituted a $14.5 billion industry last year. The business is fragmented and
not dominated by large national chains. The industry appears to be almost
recession-proof, as the ranks of the “unbanked” consumer continue
to grow. Pawn shops provide a service that traditional banks cannot - short
term loans for small amounts of money. These “alternative financial
services” operations are more complex than meets the eye, and must
conform to strict regulations.
The industry has benefitted from soaring gold prices, coupled with positive
publicity via the popular reality TV show called Pawn Stars. The study
explores why growth at pawn shops has been steady, even through the
“great recession”. The industry's image has changed and pawn
shops are considered more mainstream as even affluent consumers now use them
to raise quick cash. Even Beverly Hills and Palm Beach have pawn shops, that
discreetly serve the rich.
This new study by Marketdata examines the nature of the business, reasons for
the recent growth of pawn shops, national receipts/growth from 1999-2011, 2012
to 2016 forecasts, average store revenues, customer demographics, key industry
trends, federal/state industry regulation/fee caps, gold prices and gold
buying/scrap sales, consumer debt levels and more. Includes chapter on
extensive pawn shop operating ratios from the Census Bureau surveys. Findings
of research studies by: Federal Reserve, FDIC, Georgetown University,
brokerage analysts, National Pawnbroker's Assn., U.S. Census Bureau and more.
This study is believed to be one of the few in-depth publicly available
business analyses that exists of this market. 3 in-depth company profiles are
provided for: Cash America, EZCorp., and First Cash Financial.
Report Statistics
Last update:May 2012
Total Number of Pages:111
Total Number of Tables:45
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction: Study Scope, Sources, Methodology
Executive Overview of Major Findings ($250)
Description of how pawn loans work, nature of the business, number of pawn
shops/growth, reasons for growth
Major market trends and issues: positive image via reality TV shows,
government scrutiny of payday lending, lack of small loans by banks, strong
rise in gold prices, etc.
Discussion of reasons for growth of non-bank services, population living
below the poverty level.
Pawn shop customer demographics/profile
Factors affecting demand: state of consumer household finances, recession,
rising gold prices
Market $ size and growth: 1999-2016 forecast, performance during 2008-2009
recession, 2010 -2011 recovery, outlook for 2012-2016
Industry operating ratios: Census data- 2002 and 2007: receipts, no. of
pawn shops, average receipts per shop, payroll costs, no. of employees
Top three pawn shop chains: Cash America, EZ Corp, First Cash Financial:
2010-2011 revenues .
Nature of the Business($100 )
Earliest form of consumer lending, brief history
Highly fragmented industry that is concentrated in the southeast and
southwestern portions of the U.S.
The pawn loan process - discussion.
Related services (layaway, title loans, tax refund loans, gold buying,
check cashing - description of each)
Number of pawn shops in the U.S.: 1989-2011
Emerging industry trends: discussion of decline in number of pawn shops,
rebound, pending anti-payday lending legislation (state actions)
Analysis of gold prices: 1999-2012, gold buying by pawn shops, scrap
sales, competition with gold buyers.
Table:
Historical price of gold per ounce: 1999-2012
Customer Demographics & Demand Factors ($200 )
Review of the Georgetown University Credit Research Center study - major
findings (by age, race, gender, income, etc.)
Discussion of industry growth drivers
Findings of National Pawnbrokers Association report “Pawnbroking
Industry Overview”
Discussion of the “unbanked” population, 20 major findings of
2009 FDIC survey (number of households, by race, by region, by income, by
education, by marital status, by age, reasons why households don't have a bank
account)
Trends in consumer debt and delinquencies: type of debt, reasons for rise,
debt service payments relative to family income, shift in type of debt
Bankruptcy trends: chapter 7, 11, 13 - discussion of no. of filings in
2001-2012, filings by state/region
Foreclosure trends: discussion of foreclosures in 2011-2012, foreclosure
rates, findings of Mortgage Bankers Association
Findings of Federal Reserve “Survey of Consumer Finances”.
Tables
Market potentials of the major segments of alternative financial services
industry (check cashing, money transfer, pawn shops, payday loan services)
Consumer credit outstanding and household fixed obligation ratios:
1992-2011
Debt payments relative to family income: 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007
U.S. non-commercial bankruptcies, by type: 1991-2011
U.S. population living below the poverty level: 1990-2011.
Regulation of the Industry ($50)
Review of state regulations.
Review of federal regulations.
Discussion of Bank Secrecy Act, Money Laundering Suppression Act, USA
Patriot Act, Gramm-Leach- Bliley Act
Table: State Regulations on Pawnshop Interest Rates and Fees
Industry Size, Growth, Forecasts ($200)
Industry revenues and number of projected stores for 1999 through 2012 -
analysis, sources of industry size estimates
Findings of interviews with heads of state pawn associations: discussion
of gold prices/scrap selling/gold buyers, effects of the recession, customer
profile, merchandise sales
2010-2013 F $ revenues/growth projections for: Cash America, EZCorp, First
Cash Financial, by stock analysts
Discussion/estimates of avg. revenue per pawn shop
2008-2009 $ size of mkt. - performance during the recession
2010-2011 $ size of mkt. - performance during the recovery
2012 outlook $ size of mkt.
2016 long-term forecast, $ size of mkt., rationale
Table:
Industry receipts, annual % change: 1999-2016 F
Population per pawn shop, by state.
Industry Structure & Operating Ratios ($200)
2007 vs. 2002 Census Survey Data
In-depth analysis of 2007 U.S. Census of Services Industries: total industry
receipts; receipts by size of firm; revenues by source of receipts; legal form
of organization; industry concentration ratios; single and multi-unit
operations; geographic analysis by state and standard metropolitan area
Tables:
No. of Firms, Establishments, $ Receipts, No. of employees: 2002, 2007
Pawn shop Industry Receipts, Annual Payroll and No. of Employees: 2002,
2007
Pawn shop Establishments: Average Receipts, Payroll, and Number of
Employees: 2002, 2007
Pawn shop Receipts, by Size of Firm: 2007, 2002
Pawn shop Receipts, by Size of Establishment: 2007, 2002
Pawn shops Industry, Sources of Receipts: 2007, 2002
Pawn shops Establishments and Receipts, by Legal Form of Organization:
2007, 2002 (corporation, partnership, sole proprietor)
Pawn shop Concentration Ratios (mkt. share), By Estab. Size: 2002
Pawn shop Ratios, by Single Unit vs. Multi-unit Firms: 2007, 2002
Pawn shops, Ranked By Receipts, By State: 2007
Pawn shops, Ranked By No. of Establishments By State: 2007
Pawn shops, Ranked By No. of Estabs. for the 50 Largest Cities: 2007
Competitor Profiles ($250)
In-Depth Profiles (Headquarters location, services, recent acquisitions,
payday loan business, detailed 2007-2011 financials, revenues by type, foreign
markets, profit margins, outlook and strategies).
Cash America International, Inc.
EZCORP, Inc.
First Cash Financial Services
Table
The major pawn shop chains: Number of retail outlets, U.S. pawn shops,
2010 and 2011 revenues.
Reference Directory of Trade Associations & Other Sources
Address, phone, contacts for major trade groups, consultants, list of
industry studies and articles, Wall Street analysts/research reports.
Table: State Pawnbroker Associations - contacts and phones.
U.S. Pawnshops: An Industry Analysis published by MarketData Enterprises, Inc. in May 18, 2012. This report consists of 111 Pages and the price starts from US $ 1295.
Press Release
Recession-Proof Pawn Shop Industry Rakes in $19 Billion by 2016
May 25th, 2012
Global Information Inc. would like to present a new market research report, "U.S. Pawnshops: An Industry Analysis" by MarketData Enterprises, Inc..
Marketdata Enterprises new 111-page study examines the operations of pawn shops, an "alternative financial service" that provides the small loans that banks ignore. The study explores: the nature of the business, industry size/growth, demand factors, customer demographics, major issues, payday lending, operating ratios, major competitors, and more.
Pawn shops in the United States now number 11,000+ and growing, and constituted a $14.5 billion industry last year. The business is fragmented and not dominated by large national chains.
"The industry appears to be almost recession-proof, as the ranks of the "unbanked" consumer continue to grow. Pawn shops provide a service that traditional banks cannot - short term loans for small amounts of money. However, operations are more complex than meets the eye, and they must conform to strict state regulations.", according to Research Director, John LaRosa.
Major Findings:
There are about 11,000 U.S. pawnshops, concentrated in the Southeast and Southwest. They constituted a $14.5 billion market in 2011. Revenues are forecast to grow 7.2% to $15.57 billion in 2012 and will grow at an average of 6.3% annually to reach $19.88 bill by 2016.
Due to lack of traditional forms of credit, middle-class and affluent Americans are utilizing pawn loans as a stop-gap funding measure as traditional lines of credit wither away. The pawn industry has responded with stores opening in white-collar neighborhoods across the country.
The average pawn loan in 2009 was worth $100 nationally, up from $80 in 2008.
Though the quantity and dollar amount of pawn loans and buy/sell transactions were up during the last recession, pawnbrokers saw a sharp decline in retail sales as consumers cut back significantly on retail spending.
The price of gold per troy ounce has risen more than 84% between 2007 and 2011, boosting revenues and profit margins at pawn shops. However, today, most shops are selling gold for scrap, in essence wholesaling it for quick inventory turnover, rather than holding now high-priced jewelry. Pawn shops were far ahead of the curve in terms of buying gold before soaring prices than were jewelry stores and hotel gold buyers.
The big three public chains are Cash America ($1.54 bill. In 2011), EZCorp. ($869 mill.), and First Cash Financial ($521 mill.) 20% of industry receipts. But, they dont operate in states where the monthly interest rate on pawn loan is less than 10%, such as New York and New Jersey.
According to John LaRosa, "the industry has benefitted from soaring gold prices, coupled with positive publicity via the popular reality TV show - Pawn Stars. The industrys image has changed and pawn shops are considered more mainstream as affluent consumers now use them to raise quick cash. Even Beverly Hills and Palm Beach have pawn shops that discreetly serve the rich by buying their high end jewelry."
