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Retail sales in the US shrank 0.9 percent in December. It is the biggest drop since January as demand fell for nine of thirteen major retail categories: Electronic and Appliance stores, making up 2% of retailers, fell -1.6% Clothing retailers, making up 5% of retailers, fell -0.3% Online stores, making up 9.2% of retailers, fell... Read more »

In an effort to better compete with online and big-box office supply retailers, Staples agreed to buy rival Office Depot in a $6.3 billion cash and stock deal. Staples said it started discussion with Office Depot in September, and the deal is expected to close by the end of 2015. Amazon.com and Walmart have eaten... Read more »

Walmart COO Judith McKenna met with more than 400 suppliers last Friday to discuss her priorities for the retailer’s domestic business. The event was held at the Sam’s Club home office, the day after Walmart opened 33 Neighborhood Markets. Key takeaways were simplification, best practice sharing, supply chain opportunities and small format growth.  McKenna mentioned... Read more »

January 30, 2015 The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis today reported 2.6 percent annualized growth in real Gross Domestic Product for the fourth quarter of 2014, which is a little below consensus, but closer to the long-term trend growth rate of the economy.  The long-term trend is about 2.0 percent. The resiliency of consumer spending... Read more »

January 22, 2015 184 Million Americans To Watch 2015 Super Bowl, According To NRF Survey The most widely watched sporting event of the year will draw an estimated 184 million viewers, for Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday, February 1.  Average viewer spending will reach a survey high of $77.88, up from $68.27 last year, with... Read more »

Lowe’s Canada announced plans to hire 2,000 seasonal employees at its existing 37 Canadian stores for the Spring and Summer season. The company will hold its first ever Canadian National Hiring Day on March 7 at all of their stores. Lowe’s previously announced it will be opening 25 new stores in Canada over the next... Read more »

January 27, 2015 Sales of newly built, single-family homes rose 11.6 percent in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 481,000 units, according to newly released data by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. “This uptick is in line with what our builders are telling us in... Read more »

January 27, 2015 The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had increased in December, rose sharply in January.  The Index now stands at 102.9, up from 93.1 in December.  The Present Situation Index rose to 112.6 from 99.9, while the Expectations Index increased to 96.4 from 88.5 in December. Lynn Franco, Director of Economic Indicators... Read more »

January 21, 2015 Led by solid gains in single-family housing production, nationwide housing starts rose 4.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.089 million units in December, according to newly released data from the U.S. Commerce Department.  For the year, overall housing starts topped 1 million units. “Today’s figures continue to be in... Read more »