retail sales

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March Retail Sales Fall Flat
 March Retail Sales Fall Flat 
Apr 10, 2008 11:29 AM CDT

March Retail Sales Fall Flat

Easter partly to blame as chains fall short of expectations

(Newser) - Retailers’ same-store sales were flat in March, due in part to an early Easter, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Thomson Financial Same Store Sales Index, projected to sink 0.1%, fell 1.1%, excluding Wal-Mart. Shoppers weren’t ready to buy for spring on the heels of winter, store...

Book Publisher Takes Stab at New Model

HarperCollins imprint won't allow returns from retailers

(Newser) - HarperCollins has decided to rock the book-publishing boat, the Wall Street Journal reports. It’s launching a new imprint that won’t allow retailers to return unsold books—a potentially risky departure from tradition—and will offer little or no advance payments to authors. The imprint will focus on online...

Retailers Expressing Gratitude
 Retailers Expressing Gratitude 
Mar 19, 2008 1:58 PM CDT

Retailers Expressing Gratitude

Slow economy sparks personal greetings from retailers

(Newser) - Today's slow economy has sparked more retailers to thank shoppers with bouquets and personal notes, Portfolio reports. Common for big spenders, such thank-yous are now mailed to regular shoppers too—like one reporter who bought two shirts and a jacket at Nordstrom. "Our salespeople build relationships with their customers...

Most Economists Say Recession Is Here

WSJ poll sees big shift toward the negative from survey five weeks ago

(Newser) - A cascade of bleak financial news has convinced most economists in a Wall Street Journal poll that the US is already in a recession. The results are markedly more negative than a similar survey only five weeks ago, and much of the foul mood can be traced to last week’...

Borders Tests More Covers, Fewer Books

Space-hogging move will cut titles 5%-10%

(Newser) - Borders is betting you do judge a book by its cover, the Wall Street Journal reports. In hopes of catching more customers’ eyes, the nation’s second-largest book retailer will dramatically increase the number of face-out books it displays. The move, aimed at countering stagnant sales and distracted customers (elections,...

Retail Sales Sank in February
Retail Sales
Sank in
February
Mar 13, 2008 9:15 AM CDT

Retail Sales Sank in February

Surprise drop, after January rise, stokes slowdown fears

(Newser) - Stoking fears of recession, US retail sales fell in February by .6%, the Wall Street Journal reports, despite economists' predictions of a 0.1% increase. Sales had been up a revised 0.4% in January. Factors cited in the decline include rising gas prices, falling home values, the credit crunch,...

Shops Shut as Wind Goes Out of Sales

Store closings rise along with gas prices, foreclosures

(Newser) - Soaring gas prices and a still-boiling housing crisis are taking their toll on America's smaller retailers, with store bankruptcies and vacancy rates rising steadily as customers avoid impulse-buys that once fueled the industry's rapid expansion, reports AP. Vacancies hover between 7% and 8%, up from 5% just six months ago—...

Wal-Mart Leads Feb. Retail Rally
Wal-Mart Leads Feb. Retail Rally
Mar 6, 2008 10:47 AM CST

Wal-Mart Leads Feb. Retail Rally

Overall sales jump doubles expectations, calms consumer spending fears

(Newser) - Big retailers showed unexpected signs of life in February, beating weak sales predictions to inject some hope into the market. Wal-Mart led the way, posting a 2.6% same-store increase, beating its own predictions of flat-to-2% growth. Overall, same-store sales climbed 1.9%, with more than half of retailers beating...

CEO Reveals Victoria's Secret: It's 'Too Sexy'

Brand hopes to regain its stylish, sophisticated image

(Newser) - Victoria’s Secret has become “too sexy,” the chain’s CEO said today, explaining that she wants to bring higher-quality and sophisticated products back to the stores, the Wall Street Journal reports. "We use the word 'sexy' a lot and have gotten off 'ultra-feminine,'" she said....

Dour Housing Market Slams Home Depot Q4 Results

Profits drop 27%, and the company says 2008 isn't looking very bright

(Newser) - Continuing US housing market woes, showing no signs of letting up, helped drag Home Depot’s fourth quarter profits down 27% over the same quarter last year, to $671 million from $925 million. The world’s largest home-improvement retailer also predicted fiscal-year earnings will drop 19% to 24%, more than...

'Retail Renting' or Stealing? Stores Crack Down

Shoppers who repeatedly buy and return merchandise face tougher policies

(Newser) - It’s called “wardrobing” or “retail renting,” when a consumer buys, uses, and then returns merchandise, and the National Retail Federation says it’s growing more popular with shoppers, the Boston Globe reports. It's also becoming a bigger headache for merchants as the economy tightens and businesses...

Slow Jan. Sales Worry Retailers
Slow Jan. Sales Worry Retailers
Feb 7, 2008 8:46 AM CST

Slow Jan. Sales Worry Retailers

Wal-Mart misses January projections as recession concerns gain momentum

(Newser) - Winter storms and lagging gift-card redemption iced Wal-Mart’s January same-store sales growth, the retailer said, raising concerns the US is in a recession, reports the Wall Street Journal. Wal-Mart expected 2% sales growth in stores open more than a year, but saw sales bump just 0.5%. Its 1....

States, Sellers Drooling Over Gift Card Sales

Retailers add revenue when they're used, but states want their share

(Newser) - After enduring tepid holiday sales, retailers are happily awaiting $8 billion from shoppers with unused gift cards—because only then can sellers claim the added revenue, BusinessWeek reports. But some US states say that their unclaimed-property laws enable them to extract a piece of the left-over card pie. What's really...

As Consumers Cut Back, Retailers Brace for Trouble

Economists warn 2008 will be a discouraging year

(Newser) - With consumer confidence skidding as the economy continues to spiral downward, retailers are reconsidering expansion, reducing staff, and trimming inventory, the Wall Street Journal reports. Analysts say 2008 could be the worst year for retail sales since 1991, and one economist warns that the early going “will feel like...

Retail Sales In Surprise Swoon
Retail Sales In Surprise Swoon
Jan 15, 2008 8:42 AM CST

Retail Sales In Surprise Swoon

Sales drop 0.4% in Dec.; consumers finally slowed by housing woes, gas prices

(Newser) - Retail sales fell 0.4% in December, an unexpected drop that capped off retailers’ worst year since 2002 and is sure to fuel rampant recession fears. “Consumer spending slowed down pretty dramatically,” one economist tells Bloomberg. “We are kind of flying very close to a stall speed....

Late Shoppers Spread Some Holiday Cheer

But not enough to rescue some slumping retailers

(Newser) - Shoppers swarmed in a last-minute buying binge that will help most, but not all, retailers make the season’s sales projections. For the week ended Saturday sales rose 33% over a year ago and for the final weekend of the season were up 18.7%, reports the Los Angeles Times....

Online Buyers Want Blenders, Not Diamonds

Luxury takes a backseat to the practical this season

(Newser) - With a shaky economy causing consumers angst this holiday season, online e-tailers say shoppers are opting for functional over frivolous. E-sales of furniture and appliances have spiked more than 70%, while sales of jewelry, watches, and flowers have dropped, reports the New York Times. “It’s certainly counter to...

Retailers Await Last-Minute Gift From Shoppers

Procrastinators find big sales, long lines

(Newser) - Last-minute shoppers navigated long lines over the final pre-Christmas weekend, nudging retailers toward the modest growth in sales they’d expected. Deep discounts cut into profits, but retailers like Macy's and Kmart stayed open around the clock to accommodate shoppers, the Wall Street Journal reports. “The procrastinators finally got...

Retailers Slash Prices to Boost Slumping Season

Plagued by high gas and food prices, shoppers hold out for bargains

(Newser) - Retailers slashed prices nationwide this weekend in a bid to draw last-minute shoppers and lift a slumping holiday season, Bloomberg reports. Pressed by high gas and food prices, consumers are holding out for zero-hour deals; retailers have obliged with half-off sales and extra hours, counting on the last days before...

Best Buy Profit Soars 52% in 3Q
Best Buy
Profit Soars
52% in 3Q
Dec 18, 2007 12:21 PM CST

Best Buy Profit Soars 52% in 3Q

Less discounting helps retail giant best expectations

(Newser) - A consumer hankering for big-ticket items—and a willingness to pay closer to full price for them—helped Best Buy's third-quarter profit rise 52%, reports the Wall Street Journal. Absent last year's discounting on flat-screen TVs, the country's largest electronics chain posted Q3 net income of $228 million, or 53...

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