Resources

February 5, 2014 Strong demand for apartments will increase over the next several years, said panelists during a press conference at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Las Vegas.  And while multifamily construction continues to be strong, NAHB does expect the speed to decrease as sustainable levles are reached... Read more »

January 31, 2014 Bad weather and a reduction in food stamps led to weaker-than-expected sales at Walmart and Sam’s Club, which combined with greater-than-expected international expense, prompted an uncharacteristic pre-announcement from the company that fourth quarter profits would be worse than expected. Walmart said its earnings per share adjusted to exclude several non-recurring and greater-than-expected... Read more »

January 31, 2014 When it comes to meeting consumer expectations, the stakes for retailers have never been higher.  Digital age consumers are more discerning, have high expectations for the quality of product information and use technology in a variety of ways to make educated purchasing decisions.  They use search engines to get more information about... Read more »

February 3, 2014 Homeowners Doled Out $130 Billion Last Year For Renovations Americans are spending lavishly again to upgrade their homes, indicating they remain confident about the long-term prospects for the recovery despite recent signs of weakness. Homeowners spent $130 billion on remodeling projects last year, according to data released Monday by the U.S. Census... Read more »

January 28, 2014 Ross Stores has promoted Michael Hartshorn to CFO, retaining his SVP title, effective February 2.  Hartshorn will be responsible for the accounting, treasury, financial planning, tax, risk management and investor relations functions.  As CFO, he will continue to report to John Call, group SVP finance and legal, and corporate secretary. “Michael is... Read more »

January 30, 2014 Walmart Supercenters in California benefit communities by supporting additional job creation, small business growth and more robust sales tax revenues, according to a new economic impact report. The study was conducted by economist Lon Hatamiya of the Hatamiya Group and the results were announced by Walmart.  Key findings of the study show... Read more »

February 3, 2014 New Orders, Production and Employment Growing; Inventories Contracting; Supplier Deliveries Slowing Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in January for the eighth consecutive month, and the overall economy grew for the 56th consecutive month, say the nation’s supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business.  The report was issued... Read more »

February 3, 2014 Builder confidence in the 55+ housing market for the fourth quarter of 2013 is up sharply, according to the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) latest 55+ Housing Market Index (HMI) released today.  All segments of the market – single-family homes, condominiums and multifamily rental – registered strong increases compared to the... Read more »

January 30, 2014 Two of Staples’ senior most executives were given new responsibilities to bolster the company’s re-invention efforts and competitive posture in a market that has become more challenging with the addition of a newly merged Office Depot and Office Max. Staples elevated Joe Doody to the role of vice chairman from his prior... Read more »