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The warmest March in North America in more than 50 years resulted in many apparel retailers and department stores registering solid gains in March, as an early spring brought out shoppers looking for seasonal merchandise earlier than they typically would.  Macy’s, Kohl’s Corp., Limited Brands and Gap Inc. were among the retailers who topped analyst... Read more »

The Consumer Confidence Index from the Conference Board fell slightly in March to 70.2 from 71.6 in February.  “Consumer Confidence pulled back slightly in March, after rising sharply in February,” said Lynn Franco, director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center. “The moderate decline was due solely to a less favorable short-term outlook, while consumers’... Read more »

Nothing seems to be able to slow down the discount store channel right now as Dollar General opens it’s 10,000th store.   “Opening the doors of our 10,000th store is a meaningful day for all of us at Dollar General, and we are excited to celebrate the occasion in California,” said Rick Dreiling, Dollar General’s... Read more »

The Accelerated Analytics team will be attending The National Hardware Show® May 1-3, 2012 in Las Vegas again this year.  We have attended the show the past several years and find it is a very good opportunity to connect with our customers and network with retail buyers and vendors.    If you have not attended the... Read more »

Dollar General reported quarterly profits were up 33% to a record $299 million for the quarter.  Total sales and same store sales were also up significantly.   The value Dollar General offers to cost aware consumers is clearly paying off for them.  Our teams provide reporting and analytics on Dollar General EDI 852 and we... Read more »

Spring Apparel, Candy to Send Easter Sales Past $16 Billion, According to NRF It seems even high prices at the pump can’t keep the Easter Bunny away this year.  According to NRF’s Easter spending survey, conducted by BIGinsight, Americans will shell out an average of $145.28 on everything from apparel and candy to food and... Read more »

Nearly all EDI 852 files report activity of SKUs or UPC’s.  While this probably seems like an obvious statement, it does create some work to create a data set which is suitable for good inventory on hand reporting. EDI 852 activity based reporting means that a SKU which is on hand, but which did not... Read more »

February Retail Sales Increase 8.6 Percent Over Last Year, Marking 20 Consecutive Months of Growth With a spring in their step, retailers marked 20 consecutive months of sustained year-over-year retail sales growth in February as unseasonably warm temperatures and comparisons with weak sales in 2011 resulted in stronger-than-expected increases. According to the National Retail Federation,... Read more »

MARTIN CRUTSINGER Published: Associated Press 3/13/12 February retail sales rose 1.1 percent, biggest gain in 5 months, with autos showing strength. (AP Photo/Pat Wellenbach) WASHINGTON (AP) – Americans stepped up spending on retail goods in February, evidence that a stronger job market is boosting the economy. Consumers bought more autos, clothes and appliances. They also... Read more »