Walgreens Reports Lift In Annual Sales

September 30, 2014 Walgreens posted fourth quarter sales of $19.1 billion, representing an increase of 6.2% compared to the year-ago period, while sales for the fiscal 2014 ended August 31 increased 5.8% to a record $76.4 billion. Front-end comparable store sales increased 1.3% in the fourth quarter compared with last year’s fourth quarter.  Customer traffic… Read more »

September 2014 Manufacturing ISM Report On Business – PMI At 56.6%

10/1/2014 New Orders, Employment and Production Growing; Inventories Growing; Supplier Deliveries Slowing Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in September for the 16th consecutive month, and the overall economy grew for the 64th consecutive month, say the nation’s supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business. The report was issued today by… Read more »

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index Declines In September

September 30, 2014 The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had increased in August, declined in September.  The Index now stands at 86.0, down from 93.4 in August.  The Present Situation Index decreased to 89.4 from 93.9, while the Expectations Index dropped to 83.7 from 93.1 in August. Says Lynn Franco, Director of Economic Indicators… Read more »

Weather Trends: October 2014

September 29, 2014 For the U.S. as a whole, temperatures will trend similar to last year and below normal, but there will be a split in trends across the nation with warmer temperatures in the West and cooler temperatures in the more densely populated East.  The month will begin with warm weather across much of… Read more »

Deloitte Forecasts Boost In This Year’s Retail Holiday Sales

September 24, 2014 According to Deloitte’s annual retail holiday sales forecast, steadily improving economic fundamentals should moderately boost holiday sales in stores and online this year. “Income, wage and job growth are positive indicators heading into the holiday season,” said Daniel Bachman, Deloitte’s senior U.S. economist.  “Debt levels remain at historical lows, and stock market… Read more »

New Home Sales Top 500,000 In August, Highest Level Since 2008

September 24, 2014 Sales of newly built, single-family homes increased 18 percent in August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 504,400 units in August, the highest level in six years, according to newly released data by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. “This jump in sales activity… Read more »

Ascena Retail Banks On Omnichannel Following ‘Mixed’ Q4 Results

September 23, 2014 Following fourth quarter results that missed Wall Street expectations, Ascena Retail is looking ahead to fiscal 2015, which CEO David Jaffe said will see the continuation of a critical, multi-year investment to build the company’s omnichannel platform. The company reported net earnings of $15.7 million, compared with $29.8 million in the year-ago… Read more »

Home Depot Updates Guidance

September 19, 2014 Investors don’t seem to care that Home Depot’s data breach is being characterized as the largest ever in the retail sector with shares of the company hitting a new high on Friday. Home Depot shares touched a 52-week high of $93.75 on Friday, a day after the company disclosed details about an… Read more »