Walmart Slows Physical Expansion In U.S.

October 15, 2014 A much anticipated acceleration of small format Walmart stores failed to materialize on Wednesday when the retailer announced plans to curtail domestic new store growth in 2016. Walmart said it would open between 200 and 220 Neighborhood Market stores and 60 to 70 supercenters next year.  Both figures are below the company’s… Read more »

September Retail Sales Decreased 0.1 Percent

October 15, 2014 The National Retail Federation calculates that September retail sales – excluding automobiles, gasoline stations and restaurants – decreased 0.1 percent seasonally adjusted month-to-month yet increased 4.6 percent unadjusted year-over-year.  While seasonal factors were apparent, especially in August’s downward revision, the drop-off in retail sales was worse than expected. “Retail sales were surprisingly… Read more »

Imports To Set New Record Before Holidays

October 10, 2014 Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to see a final surge and set a new monthly record in October as the holiday season approaches, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released late this week by the National Retail Federation. “Increasing congestion at the nation’s… Read more »

Holiday Shopping To Decrease 7.5%

October 7, 2014 The 2014 holiday shopping season will be characterized by cautious spending, while economic realities create one of two American holiday shoppers – survivalists and selectionists – according to a new report released from PricewaterhouseCoopers U.S. and Strategy, titled “2014 Holiday Outlook: Top trends, consumer behaviors and implications for retailers.” The report was… Read more »

Fred’s September Sales Promise Restored Growth Ahead

October 9, 2014 Fred’s CEO Bruce A Efird is confident about the company’s initiatives to reposition the convenience-center model, expand marketing and implement new technology – all factors that he expects will help restore growth in the fourth quarter and next year. Efird added that the initiatives are already producing positive results, despite customer traffic… Read more »

Decreased Customer Traffic Affects Family Dollar’s Q4

October 9, 2014 Family Dollar’s fourth quarter results were affected by decreased customer traffic, prompting chairman and CEO Howard R. Levine to point out that the company is still in the early stages of its turnaround plan. Levine expects that the strategic actions taken in fiscal 2014 will position the company for better sales and… Read more »

Excessive Lending Standards Still Affecting Home Sales

October 9, 2014 Tight mortgage lending standards continue to affect sales for single-family builders across the nation, according to a survey released by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).  Well over half of the single-family builders surveyed indicated that lending standards were “tight” or “very tight,” while only 11 percent indicated that standards were… Read more »

Shop.org Forecasts Online Sales To Grow Between 8-11% This Holiday Season

October 7, 2014 Shop.org today released its 2014 online holiday sales forecast, expecting sales in November and December to grow between 8-11 percent over last holiday season to as much as $105 billion. Shop.org forecasts sales based on government data including consumer credit, disposable personal income, and previous monthly retail sales releases.  Holiday non-store sales… Read more »

NRF Forecasts Seasonal Employment To Grow Between 725,000-800,000

October 7, 2014 According to NRF, retailers are expected to hire between 725,000-800,000 seasonal workers this holiday season, potentially more than they actually hired during the 2013 holiday season (768,000).  Seasonal employment in 2013 increased 14 percent over the previous holiday season. “These holiday positions offer hundreds of thousands of people the opportunity to turn… Read more »