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February 19, 2014 A week after rival Home Depot announced plans to hire 80,000 seasonal spring employees, Lowe’s announced its plans to hire approximately 25,000 seasonal employees at its U.S. stores for the busy spring season. Seasonal jobs available are focused on customer support and include cashiers, lawn and garden employees, loaders and stockers. The... Read more »

February 20, 2014 The Conference Board Leading Economic Index for the U.S. increased 0.3 percent in January to 99.5, following no change in December, and a 0.9 percent increase in November. “The U.S. Leading Economic Index continues to fluctuate on a monthly basis, but the six-month average growth rate has been relatively stable in recent months,... Read more »

February 19, 2014 Ace Hardware’s unique value proposition allowed it to withstand strong competition from Home Depot and Lowe’s in 2013 and grow annual sales by 8.2% to a record $4.2 billion. “We outperformed our operating plan, exceeding $4 billion in consolidated revenues and $100 million in net income for the first time in our... Read more »

February 18, 2014 Unusually severe weather conditions across much of the nation along with continued concerns over the cost and availability of labor and lots caused builder confidence in the market for newly-built, single-family homes to post a 10-point drop to 46 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, released today.... Read more »

February 12, 2014 At a press conference this week, the National Retail Federation called for widespread adoption of chip-and-PIN payment card technology by U.S. retailers and their partners. “The chip validates that it’s the real card,” said Tom Litchford, VP retail technologies for NRF.  “The PIN provides two levels of validation.” Litchford said that while... Read more »

February 6, 2014 2013 was a challenging year for retailers that concluded with one of the most interesting holiday seasons on record.  Looking ahead in 2014, the economic outlook is strengthening and the moderate growth seen during the second half of 2013 should provide greater confidence as we move further into the new year. NRF... Read more »

February 12, 2014 Against the backdrop of a growing national debate over the minimum wage and part-time versus full-time workers, Home Depot has begun a huge seasonal hiring surge in preparation for spring. The nation’s largest home improvement retailer said it planned to hire approximately 80,000 seasonal employees, many of whom are part-time, the same... Read more »

February 13, 2014 Consumers leveled off post-holiday shopping ans spending in the beginning of the year due in part to severe winter weather in much of the country.  According to the National Retail Federation, January 2014 retail sales, excluding automobiles, gas stations and restaurants, were flat seasonally adjusted month-to-month, yet increased 3% unadjusted year-over-year. January... Read more »

February 11, 2014 CVS Caremark’s fourth-quarter results came in at the high end of expectations and helped produce a record year; however, one of the key topics analysts discussed was the company’s recent decision to stop selling tobacco products in all its stores by October 1. “Last week we announced our decision to exit the... Read more »