Positve Retail Sales for October

Retail sales rose in October which is encouraging, and optimism for a good holiday sales period appear to be growing.  Some report highlights: Target same store sales rose 2.4% Macy’s same store sales increased 4.1% Kohl’s comps rose 3.3% – more than the expected 1.1% Nordstrom posted a rise of 9.9% in same store sales… Read more »

NRF: Holiday 2012 sales forecast to rise 4.1%

WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation released its 2012 holiday forecast on Tuesday, which shows sales increasing 4.1% to $586.1 billion, down from last year’s 5.6% growth. However, the NRF’s 2012 estimate tops the 10-year holiday sales growth average of 3.5%. “This is the most optimistic forecast NRF has released since the recession. In spite… Read more »

The Role of Analytics in Retail

The role of analytics in retail has evolved substantially over the past few years and it’s having a significant positive impact.  The days of hearing a vendor say “Oh, we get an EDI 852 but we don’t really do anything with it” are starting to fade into the rear view mirror.  This blog post will… Read more »

Lowe’s Stumbles In Second Quarter

Lowe’s posted declines in net sales, comp-store sales and earnings in the second quarter ended August 3. “Our results fell short of our overall expectations,” said Robert Niblock, Lowe’s chairman, president and CEO.  “However, I have confidence in our strategy and in our employees, and while we recognize the significant magnitude of change that we’ve… Read more »

Advance Monthly Sales For Retail And Food Services July 2012

The U.S. Census Bureau announced that advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for July, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $403.9 billion, an increase of 0.8 percent (±0.5%) from the previous month and 4.1 percent (±0.7%) above July 2011.  Total sales for the… Read more »

Walmart Plows Forward in 2Q

A fourth consecutive quarter of same store sales growth at Walmart’s U.S. business helped the company achieve a slightly better than expected profit performance. Second quarter earnings grew 8.3% to $1.18, one cent better than the consensus estimate of analysts and at the top of the company’s forecast range of $1.13 to $1.18.  Total company… Read more »

Earnings Jump 12.4% At Home Depot

Home Depot reported sales of $20.6 billion for the second quarter of 2012, a 1.7% increase from the second quarter of fiscal 2011.  Comparable sales for U.S. stores were positive 2.6%, and overall same-store sales for the second quarter were positive 2.1%. Net earnings for the world’s largest home improvement retailer were $1.53 billion for… Read more »

July Retail Sales Rose More Than Forecast

Retail sales advanced 0.8% in July, the first gain in four months, according to a report released by the Commerce Department.  Sales were fueled by strength from the automobile sector, electronics and appliance outlets, and department stores. The bigger than expected increase followed a 0.7% decline in June that was weaker than first reported.  Bloomberg… Read more »

Department Store Players Largely Strong In July

Helped by hot weather and clearance sales, many retailers reported solid results in July, a month that can be slow leading up to the back to school shopping season.  Some of the strongest showings in the month were in the department store category, as all those reporting showed July gains.   Macy’s led the pack… Read more »

Consumer Confidence Index Increases After Four Consecutive Declines

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had declined in June, improved slightly in July.  The Index now stands at 65.9 (1985=100), up from 62.7 in June.  The Expectations Index improved to 79.1 from 73.4.  The Present Situation Index, however, decreased slightly to 46.2 from 46.6 a month ago. Says Lynn Franco, Director of Economic… Read more »