retail sales

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Sales of Men's Undies Rebound With Economy

Analyst sees hope in unusual indicator's promising numbers

(Newser) - Amid mixed reports about recession and economic recovery, here's a bright spot: Men’s underwear sales are on the rebound. Believe it or not, that's a reliable indicator, because selling unmentionables is “such a need-based business that it really is a good indication that the consumer hasn't checked...

Ho-Ho-Hold on a Minute, Xmas in July?

Stores launch summer promotions to snag holiday dollars early

(Newser) - It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in malls across the country as stores angle for some extremely early holiday dollars, the Wall Street Journal reports. Retailers like Toys'R'US, Sears and Kmart have dragged Santa away from his summer break and launched July Christmas promotions, hoping to boost sales...

Desperate in July, Sears Looks to Santa for Bailout

(Newser) - Sears is taking the “Christmas in July” trope to a whole new level. With June retail sales tumbling, the company is looking for a boost by selling actual Christmas products, Time reports. Soon, 372 Sears stores will roll out displays hawking tree ornaments, stocking stuffers, and other decidedly off-season...

Dow Up Only 28 Despite Strong Data
 Dow Up Only 28 
 Despite Strong Data 
MARKETS
Jul 14, 2009 3:14 PM CDT

Dow Up Only 28 Despite Strong Data

US retail sales up 0.6% in June, but investors show caution

(Newser) - Stocks wavered in a narrow range today before closing with modest gains, the Wall Street Journal reports. Though Goldman Sachs posted a quarterly profit way beyond expectations and the Commerce Department reported that US retail sales rose 0.6% last month, investors’ reaction was muted. The Dow rose 28 points...

How Fluffy Towels May Point to Economic Recovery

(Newser) - Everyone's reading tea leaves to figure out where the economy's headed, and Time finds reason for hope in something it calls the "Bed, Bath & Beyond barometer." The retailer's profits were up in the first quarter, and same-store sales weren't as bad as expected. This is especially...

Stocks Plunge as Retail Sales Disappoint
 Stocks Plunge 
 as Retail Sales 
 Disappoint 
MARKET Open
May 13, 2009 8:49 AM CDT

Stocks Plunge as Retail Sales Disappoint

(Newser) - Stocks sunk swiftly at the open after disappointing sales reports from retailers. The Dow tumbled 160 points, while the Nasdaq and S&P fell 1.5% and 2.1% respectively. Retail sales were down a more-than-expected 0.4% in April, from a revised-downward 1.3% drop in March. RealtyTrac also...

Filene's Basement Files for Chapter 11

Plans to sell 17 of 25 stories for $22M

(Newser) - Filene’s Basement filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy today, the Wall Street Journal reports. The bargain clothing store has struggled in an “increasingly competitive discount retail market,” court papers said. The chain plans to sell 17 of 22 locations to real-estate investors Crown Acquisitions, though it will still...

Major Companies Believe a Rebound Cometh

Firms split on whether the bottom has been reached

(Newser) - Some major companies are slowly becoming optimistic about the economy again, the Wall Street Journal reports. Delta Airlines says seat sales are almost at the level they were a year ago and United Technologies says its decline in orders is stabilizing. Intel is among the most upbeat, saying "the...

Old Days&mdash;Good and Bad&mdash;Are Back: Noonan
Old Days—Good and Bad—Are Back: Noonan
OPINION
Apr 17, 2009 10:36 AM CDT

Old Days—Good and Bad—Are Back: Noonan

In slump, simple pleasures are chic as traditional values gain

(Newser) - Reading about a Michigan family that shed modern excess in favor of a self-sufficient farm life didn't strike Peggy Noonan as shocking in these economic times. Her fellow New Yorkers have already begun responding to the same forces, causing Noonan to predict the rise of "a certain authenticity chic,...

Designers Fight Store Discounts
 Designers Fight 
 Store Discounts 
analysis
Apr 16, 2009 9:33 AM CDT

Designers Fight Store Discounts

Sales scare away brand loyalists, they say

(Newser) - Department-store sales may woo bargain shoppers, but they turn off the high-end base luxury designers cater to, Christina Binkley writes in the Wall Street Journal, and cut into those designers’ profits and brand control. Discounts last Thanksgiving set off a chain reaction that collapsed high-end retail’s pricing structure. “...

Stocks Slump on Retail Data
 Stocks Slump on Retail Data 
MARKET Open
Apr 14, 2009 8:48 AM CDT

Stocks Slump on Retail Data

(Newser) - Stocks fell at the open today, as a surprisingly bad retail report overshadowed a strong quarter from Goldman Sachs. The Dow fell 55 points, while the S&P and Nasdaq slid 4.3 and 14.1 points respectively. Retail sales fell 1.1% last month, while inflation fell faster than...

March Retail Sales Show Surprise 1.1% Drop

Blow to hopes that economy has hit trough

(Newser) - Retail sales fell unexpectedly in March, delivering a setback to hopes that the economy's steep slide could be bottoming out. The Commerce Department cited a 1.1% drop, the biggest decline in 3 months and a much weaker showing than the 0.3% increase that analysts expected. Falling auto sales...

It's Snuggie Time, America
 It's Snuggie Time, 
 America 

opinion
Mar 15, 2009 5:36 PM CDT

It's Snuggie Time, America

How one reporter went from skeptic to snuggler

(Newser) - The "Snuggie phenomenon" has blossomed into romance for one New Yorker who ordered a few and fell hard. "Like all relationships, it's hard to chart how this one started," writes Kurt Soller in Newsweek. He ordered two Snuggies and four Slankets—both blankets with sleeves—and...

Retail Giants Likely to Shrink in '09

(Newser) - Retailers are fighting to survive in 2009, some more successfully than others. Some 73,000 stores could close their doors by year’s end. Forbes breaks down which chains are shrinking the fastest:
  • Ann Taylor: Catering to working women isn’t so great when unemployment’s at 8.1%. Expected
...

Our Skivvies, Ourselves: Saudis Seek Female Sellers

Lingerie stores can employ women, but don't

(Newser) - Saudi women aren’t allowed to be alone in a room with an unrelated man, but they have to buy their undergarments from men, a situation some are calling unacceptable. In theory, women are permitted to work in shops selling women’s products, but the traditional society has, somewhat ironically,...

Stocks Plunge Despite Retail Surge
 Stocks Plunge Despite 
 Retail Surge 
MARKET Open
Feb 12, 2009 8:56 AM CST

Stocks Plunge Despite Retail Surge

(Newser) - Stocks plunged at the open this morning, despite a surprisingly good retail sales report, the Wall Street Journal reports. Retail sales unexpectedly rose 1% in January, ending a seven-month slide, but the Dow tumbled more than 150 points at the open anyway. The S&P shed 1.7% and the...

Surprise! Retail Sales Up 1% in Jan.

Gas prices, food and clothing spending end 6-month drop

(Newser) - In an unexpected twist, US retail sales climbed slightly in January after falling for six straight months, Bloomberg reports. Retail sales rose 1% as gasoline prices increased and consumers spent more on food and clothing, despite forecasts that sales would fall 0.8%. But consumer spending is expected to fall...

Stocks Fall on Retail, Job Data
 Stocks Fall on Retail, Job Data 
MARKET Open
Feb 5, 2009 8:52 AM CST

Stocks Fall on Retail, Job Data

(Newser) - Stocks slid at the open today, following yet more negative numbers from retailers and the Labor Department, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow dropped 52 points, while the S&P fell 1%. The Nasdaq dropped 1.2%, weighed down by sub-par earnings from Cisco. New jobless claims ripped past...

Slump in TV Sales May Push Smaller Makers Out

Likes of Hitachi, Pioneer don't have staying power of Sony and other giants

(Newser) - A steep decline in demand for flat-panel TVs could push smaller manufacturers out of the market, the Wall Street Journal reports. As the economy sours and larger makers achieve economies of scale, the price gap between top brands and cheaper rivals has shrunken dramatically. The top five makers accounted for...

Stocks Plunge on Retail, Financial Fear
 Stocks Plunge 
 on Retail, 
 Financial Fear 
Market Open
Jan 14, 2009 8:53 AM CST

Stocks Plunge on Retail, Financial Fear

(Newser) - Stocks tumbled at the open today, in the wake of a retail sales report that drastically missed estimates. The Dow dove 157 points, while the Nasdaq and S&P dropped 1.5% and 2.1% respectively. Sales fell 2.7%, more than twice the 1.2% economists predicted. Nortel Networks,...

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