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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: retail sales

retail sales stories: 111 news summaries

81 - 100 of 111 Stories | << Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next >>

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Dour Housing Market Slams Home Depot Q4 Results

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

Feb 26, 08 8:23 AM CST
(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... More »

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home improvement • housing market • construction • corporate earnings • Home Depot • Robert Nardelli • Lowe's • retail sales • housing crisis

'Retail Renting' or Stealing?
Stores Crack Down

Shoppers who repeatedly buy and return merchandise face tougher policies

Feb 22, 08 5:42 PM CST
(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... More »

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JCPenney • US economy • retail sales • Best Buy • wardrobe • shoppers • Dillards • Bealls Department Stores

Slow Jan. Sales Worry Retailers

Wal-Mart misses January projections as recession concerns gain momentum

Feb 7, 08 8:46 AM CST
(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.... More »

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International Council of Shopping Centers • Costco • recession • retail sales • weak dollar • weakening economy • Wal-Mart • January sales • same-store sales • sales projections

States, Sellers Drooling Over Gift Card Sales

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

Jan 27, 08 2:19 PM CST
(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... More »

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Florida • New York • US states • Virginia • US economy • Delaware • retail sales • retail stores • Best Buy • retail shopping • retail technology • gift card

As Consumers Cut Back, Retailers Brace for Trouble

Economists warn 2008 will be a discouraging year

Jan 18, 08 2:23 PM CST
(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... More »

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US economy • consumer prices • retail sales

Retail Sales In Surprise Swoon

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

Jan 15, 08 8:42 AM CST
(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.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
inflation • Ben Bernanke • consumer spending • Department of Commerce • retail sales

Late Shoppers Spread Some Holiday Cheer

But not enough to rescue some
slumping retailers

Dec 25, 07 7:30 AM CST
(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.... More »

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US economy • retail sales • holiday shopping

Online Buyers Want Blenders, Not Diamonds

Luxury takes a
backseat to the
practical this season

Dec 24, 07 3:03 PM CST
(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... More »

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luxury goods • retail sales • holiday shopping • jewelry • flowers • ComScore • furniture.com • watches • e sales

Retailers Await Last-Minute Gift From Shoppers

Procrastinators find
big sales, long lines

Dec 24, 07 9:17 AM CST
(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... More »

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online retailers • Macy's • retail sales • Christmas • holiday shopping • discounts • Best Buy • Kmart

Retailers Slash Prices to Boost Slumping Season

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

Dec 23, 07 6:43 PM CST
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
retail • consumer confidence • US economy • gas prices • consumer prices • retail sales • food prices • holiday shopping

Best Buy
Profit Soars
52% in 3Q

Less discounting helps retail giant best expectations

Dec 18, 07 12:21 PM CST
(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... More »

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profits • retail sales • revenue • holiday shopping • Best Buy

Ho-Hum Season Sees Drop in Women's Apparel Sales

With less money to spend on family, women pull back on purchasing for themselves

Dec 17, 07 2:07 PM CST
(Newser) - Women's spending on apparel for the first half of the Christmas season is down, alarming retailers and spawning broad worry in the industry. Experts blame a bleak economy and blah fashions for a slump of nearly 6% compared with a year ago, reports the New York Times. Men’s clothing... More »

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US economy • retail sales • holiday shopping

Holiday E-Commerce Still Suffers Growing Pains

Net surfing window shoppers blamed for crashes, meltdowns

Dec 15, 07 10:14 AM CST
(Newser) - As online retailers post record sales this year, holiday e-commerce meltdowns show that stores still don't have the kinks ironed out of their sites. Despite increased capacity on retail sites, crashes such as Sears.com's eight-hour Black Friday crash and Yahoo Shopping's 10-hour Cyber Monday outage continue to plague holiday... More »

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Yahoo • online advertising • online retailers • retail sales • holiday shopping • Black Friday • Cyber Monday • Sears

MARKETS

Markets Rally After Early Swoon

Good numbers from consumers make for bullish afternoon 

Dec 13, 07 3:43 PM CST
(Newser) - Thanks to two pieces of unexpectedly good news today, the markets erased early losses, the Dow climbing 44.06 to 13,517.96 after dipping to almost 13,350 this morning. Retail sales in November increased 1.2%, twice what watchers had estimated. And wholesale prices had their biggest one-month... More »

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Dow Jones • Morgan Stanley • Merrill Lynch • Lehman Brothers • Nasdaq • retail sales • S&P 500

(Newser) - November’s retail sales confounded doomsayers, surging 1.2%, twice the 0.6% analysts predicted, Bloomberg reports. Many had worried that consumer spending would take a hit as gas rose and housing fell, but now it looks like job and income growth could cushion the fall. “The numbers should... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Ben Bernanke • retail • Federal Reserve • recession • consumer spending • US economy • retail sales

OPINION

Video Games May Replace DVDs In Stores

Ars Technica sees big game sales driving shelf space decisions

Dec 10, 07 1:09 PM CST
(Newser) - DVD sales are slipping while video games and their tie-ins are seeing record consumption, reports Ars Technica, leading Ben Kuchera to suggest that video games will replace DVDs on many retail shelves. With even grandmothers now going Wii wild, video games are no longer just the realm of teens and... More »

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Nintendo Wii • DVD • retail sales • Nintendo DS • video games

CompUSA to Close After Xmas

 All stores to close after the holidays

Dec 8, 07 6:28 AM CST
(Newser) - CompUSA has been sold to a restructuring company and will be ending retail operations after the holidays, AP reports. The troubled electronics retailer, bought by Mexican telecom magnate Carlos Slim in 1999, closed more than half its outlets in the spring after repeated  turnaround efforts failed. Gordon Brothers Group will... More »

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business • retail sales • retail stores • computer

Cold Calls to Loved Ones: 'Buy This!'

More stores bug buyers with calls; etiquette experts cringe

Dec 1, 07 6:44 PM CST
(Newser) - Tired of dropping hints and still getting the "wrong" gift? Now more stores notify potential buyers about what their loved ones want, the Wall Street Journal reports. Chains like Searle call up about that $300 scarf and onliner retailer Net-a-Porter sends video emails—along with the warning, "Let's... More »

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Tiki Barber • retail sales • Christmas • Christmas wish lists • Searle • Net a Porter • etiquette

Web Lifts Holiday Gloom of Retailers

Online shoppers get jump on Black Friday sales, to the delight of merchants

Nov 23, 07 10:38 AM CST
(Newser) - Cyberspace may be this year’s favorite holiday destination as shoppers looking for bargains and trying to escape crowds eschew traditional brick-and-mortar malls for a cornucopia of retail opportunities online, reports Reuters. Retailers from Apple to Wal-Mart offered some of their best deals online starting Thursday, trumping the traditional Black... More »

MORE ABOUT:
online retailers • retail sales • holiday shopping

Macy's Vows to Revive Chicago Flagship

Expert has three years to revive former Marshall Fields

Nov 19, 07 10:44 PM CST
(Newser) - Macy's is changing course to revive Chicago's former Marshall Field's, a downtown fixture that was struggling when Macy's took over last year and has only done worse since, the Chicago Tribune reports. The solution? A $10-million, three-year plan to draw new shoppers into a 139-year-old institution they may have considered... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Chicago • Macy's • retail sales • Marshall Field's • department stores

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