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January 23, 2014 February 2014 is projected to be the coldest in four years and drier than last year for the U.S. as a whole.  Much colder year-on-year trends will be widespread at the start of the month, especially across the Central U.S.  The axis of colder temperatures shifts to the Northern Tier of the... Read more »

January 23, 2014 The Conference Board Leading Economic Index for the U.S. increased 0.1 percent in December to 99.4, following a 1.0 percent increase in November, and a 0.1 percent increase in October. “Despite month-to-month volatility in the final quarter of 2013, the U.S. LEI continues to point to gradually strengthening economic conditions through early... Read more »

January 22, 2014 Hudson’s Bay Company’s CFO Michael Culhane is reportedly taking a leave of absence from the company.  Assuming the CFO role will be Donald Watros, who on February 1 will be stepping into his new role as president of the company. HBC did not provide further details on Culhane or the CFO position.... Read more »

The National Retail Federation recapped Holiday 2013 in a PR… and sales were pretty good.  It remains to be seen however how profits fair due to heavy discounting.  The next quarterly filings by retailers will tell that tale.  Holiday Retail Sales Come in at NRF ExpectationsSales Increased 3.8% to $601.8 Billion; NRF Projected 3.9% to... Read more »

January 2, 2014 Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in December for the seventh consecutive month, and the overall economy grew for the 55th consecutive month, say the nation’s supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report on Business. The PMI registered 57 percent, the second highest reading for the year, just 0.3 percentage... Read more »

The growth of e-commerce and the omni-channel retail strategy appears to be having a significant impact on retail store foot traffic according to ShopperTrak.   An article in today’s WSJ highlights the issue  “Retailers got only about half the holiday traffic in 2013 as they did just three years earlier, according to ShopperTrak, which uses a... Read more »

Bon-Ton Stores Inc. (BONT) slashed its expectations for the year and the retailer warned poor winter weather in the majority of its markets led to lower traffic and hampered promotional events tied to the Christmas holiday. The retailer, which operates 273 department stores with locations in the Northeast, Midwest and upper Great Plains states, said... Read more »

Sears Holdings Corp announced sales at comp stores at Sears stores were down 9.2% in the nine weeks that ended January 6 and down 5.7% percent at Kmart stores.  Sales at the company have been falling since 2005, when billionaire hedge fund manager Edward Lampert merged the two U.S. chains in an $11 billion deal.... Read more »

December 19, 2013 The Conference Board Leading Economic Index for the U.S. increased 0.8 percent in November to 98.3, following a 0.1 percent increase in October, and a 1.0 percent increase in September. “The LEI continues on a broad-based upward trend, suggesting gradually strengthening economic conditions through early 2014,” said Ataman Ozyildirim, Economist at The... Read more »