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Last year, Wall Street firm Cowen & Co. famously predicted that Macy’s would be be dethroned by Amazon.com as the top apparel retailer in the U.S. But Macy’s CEO Terry Lundgren believes that Macy’s nearly 800 stores offer a huge advantage over Amazon. He noted that shoppers typically order multiple sizes of the same piece... Read more »

With two big spring holidays upon us in March, the National Retail Federation reports that consumer spending appears to be on the rise. The NRF conducted two consumer surveys that indicate that trend is coming. According to its annual St. Patrick’s Day Spending Survey, over 125 million Americans will spend $4.4 billion on today’s holiday.... Read more »

Ulta Salon, a specialty beauty retailer, is expanding its store count across the U.S. while reporting a 12.5% same-store sales increase during the fourth quarter. There were several factors attributed to their performance. Ulta’s gross margins got a lift by their shift from coupons to more targeted offers. They also managed to boost traffic into... Read more »

It seems that sporting goods retailers are in a slump. Last week The Sports Authority filed for bankruptcy and said it will close nearly a third of it’s 450 stores over the next three months. It ha not yet been disclosed which stores will close. Bankruptcy has been looming since January when the retailer disclosed... Read more »

Amazon.com opened its first brick-and-mortar store in Seattle in November, and announced plans to open another store in San Diego. Macy’s announced it is shutting down almost 40 stores this year. Kohl’s plans to follow suit and close 18 stores, stating its online sales increased 30% in the fourth quarter, causing their reevaluation of its... Read more »

The NRF (National Retail Federation) commented on the Labor Department’s report that retail employment (excluding gasoline stations, automobiles and restaurants) was up 51,100 jobs in February. Compared with February 2015, retail jobs were up by 247,300. Apparel stores saw a significant gain of 11,100 jobs. The NRF noted that weather played a big part of... Read more »

According to data from Chain Store Guide’s Consumer Spending Report, the month of March is likely to see a slowdown in consumer spending. While current economic reports are varied, the unpredictable stock market and upcoming elections have likely created unease among consumers. When polled on the state of the U.S. economy, nearly 30% of those... Read more »

Last Thursday, J.C. Penney announced impressive increases in same-store sales and earnings, as well as a new marketing campaign called Penney Days. For the fourth quarter ending on January 30th, the retailer announced that same store sales grew 4.1% . “We are very pleased with our performance for the fourth quarter and full year. Our... Read more »

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that while apartment construction has been a bright spot in the recovery of the nation’s housing market over the last six years, economists say the tide might be turning away from apartments and toward single-family homes. For the past six years, the construction of apartments and condos has grown... Read more »