retail shopping – News Stories About retail shopping - Page 2

Mar 11, 2008 3:59 AM CDT

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—...

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

Feb 28, 2008 4:09 PM CST

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....

Note to Self:
Be My Valentine?

Feb 13, 2008 12:52 PM CST

Note to Self: Be My Valentine?

Millions of Americans buy their favorite person gifts on Feb. 14

(Newser) - Rather than going without that box of Godiva, about 8 million Americans are their own valentines, sending themselves gifts they're guaranteed to like, reports Reuters. Should you receive a valentine offering from a date, beau, or husband, disappointment may follow: There's a big difference between women's wishes and men's purchases....

States, Sellers Drooling Over Gift Card Sales

Jan 27, 2008 2:19 PM CST

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...

Shopping's Future Is High-Tech

Jan 18, 2008 11:43 AM CST

Shopping's Future Is High-Tech

Retailers urged to adopt new technologies

(Newser) - Retailers need to go higher tech, adapting to cell phone use and virtual world shopping, said speakers at the National Retail Federation's annual conference this week, Reuters reports. One speaker noted that high-tech shopping is already reality in Asia, where Koreans buy McDonald’s by phone (it rings when their...

E-Commerce All Grown Up, Sales Growth Finally Slows

Dec 28, 2007 8:39 PM CST

E-Commerce All Grown Up, Sales Growth Finally Slows

Internet sales set new records, but rise more slowly than last year

(Newser) - Online sales continued to out-pace traditional retailers this season, boasting a 19% spike, but fell compared to 25-30% growth rates in past seasons, the New York Times reports. While e-tailers beat the scrawny 3.6% sales growth of traditional stores, experts attribute the slowdown to the maturing of online shopping.

Bain Buys Out Guitar Center

Jun 27, 2007 5:40 PM CDT

Bain Buys Out Guitar Center

Firm strums out $1.9B deal to take retailer private

(Newser) - Bain Capital sealed a deal today to buy out Guitar Center, a California-based retail chain specializing in musical instruments, for $1.9 billion. The deal was reached after a secret auction conducted by Goldman Sachs; the private equity firm has recently purchased a slew of publicly traded retailers. The final...

Small Towns to Chain Stores:
Let Us Shop!

Apr 4, 2007 4:24 PM CDT

Small Towns to Chain Stores: Let Us Shop!

Little places lure big retailers at annual shopping convention

(Newser) - Small towns and exurbs are bending over backwards to woo national retail chains, Governing magazine reports from the International Council of Shopping Centers' convention. Phalanxes of city reps descend on the dizzingly massive—and cutthroat—annual spring conference in Vegas, attempting to raise their profile and land a Pottery Barn...