Americans rebounded from a weak holiday season and increased spending on retail goods in January, an encouraging sign for the strengthening economy. Retail sales rose at a seasonally adjusted 0.4% last month, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. Consumers spent more on electronics, home and garden supplies and sporting goods at department and general merchandise stores [...]
Retail sales and business inventories both rise in January – USA Today
February 14, 2012 Via Leave a Comment
Weak December retail sales push 2011 to a record gain – The Tennessean
January 13, 2012 Via Leave a Comment
Retail sales barely rose in December, but the gain was enough to push sales to a record for 2011. It was the largest annual increase in more than a decade. Sales inched up 0.1% in December to a seasonally adjusted $400.6 billion, The Commerce Department said Thursday. It was the second straight month that sales [...]
Gasoline prices start 2012 at a high — and rising – Los Angeles Times
January 6, 2012 Via Leave a Comment
Not only are we worrying about the end of the world in 2012 — thanks, Maya calendar makers — but this also may be the year of the gas-pocalypse, analysts warn. That’s because gasoline prices are the highest ever for the start of the year, and they’re on the rise, supercharged by expensive oil and [...]
Returns of online holiday gifts to hit record – Reuters
January 3, 2012 Via Leave a Comment
With a Christmas season that has seen record e-commerce sales coming to a close, returns should hit an all-time high on Tuesday for United Parcel Service (UPS.N). The delivery company expects to handle more than 550,000 returns on Tuesday, a record, and up almost 8 percent from a year earlier. Several other days during the [...]
Same-store sales seen up 4.3 percent in December – Reuters
January 3, 2012 Via Leave a Comment
When top retailers post their December sales this week, Wall Street analysts are expecting them to report a healthy end to the holiday season, helped by discounts, improved consumer sentiment and tactics like extended hours and layaways. Some 22 major chains, from Macy’s Inc and Target Corp to Costco Wholesale Corp and Gap Inc should [...]
Macy’s, Wal-Mart among holiday retail winners – Reuters
December 27, 2011 Via Leave a Comment
Macy’s Inc, Wal-Mart and others continue to get high marks from Wall Street as the busy season draws to a close, while Sears Holdings Corp proved that it was really not a jolly holiday for all stores. Sears said it would close dozens of Sears and Kmart stores after seeing sales at its existing locations [...]
Bargains On Offer From Kohl’s to Target as Sales Growth Lags 2010 – Bloomberg
December 26, 2011 Via Leave a Comment
Tina Teague arrived at 5 a.m. yesterday at a Kohl’s Corp. (KSS) store in Greensboro, North Carolina, armed with more than $200 in gift cards from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT), Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. (DKS) and Pier 1 Imports Inc. (PIR) “No lines, that’s what we like,” said Teague 42, who last month waited for [...]
Stores like Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Gap busy, but not bustling on Christmas eve – The Economic Times
December 25, 2011 Via Leave a Comment
Retailers saw a steady flow of last-minute shoppers on Saturday, the day before Christmas, putting a moderate cap on a pre-holiday season that started with a bang and has since waned. Industry watchers are forecasting a stronger holiday shopping season than expected, fueled by deep discounts at the start of the season, unusually warm and [...]
Dollar stores thrive as holiday shopping destinations – Los Angeles Times
December 21, 2011 Via Leave a Comment
After four years without a job and two years living in a Motel 6 in Inglewood, Jay Payne is Christmas shopping for the first time in a long while. His three children, ages 7, 13, and 15, have asked him for a Nintendo 3DS gaming console and a PlayStation system, gadgets the 37-year-old single father [...]
National Retail Federation Raises Holiday Sales Forecast – Businessweek
December 16, 2011 Via Leave a Comment
Retail sales in the U.S. holiday shopping season may rise 3.8 percent to a record $469.1 billion, higher than an earlier forecast, helped by strong traffic on Black Friday, the National Retail Federation said. The trade group previously projected sales in November and December would gain 2.8 percent to $465.6 billion. The 3.8 percent gain [...]
