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August 14, 2014 Nordstrom’s second quarter earnings were in line with its expectations.  The results come two weeks after the company said it was acquiring Trunk Club, a men’s personalized clothing service, for $350 million. Profit for the quarter remained flat compared to last year’s second quarter at $183 million.  Net sales for the quarter... Read more »

August 19, 2014 A 6.4% second quarter same store sales increase at U.S. stores enabled Home Depot to handily exceed analysts’ profit estimates and prompted the company to increase its full year outlook. The nation’s largest home improvement retailer said its sales for the quarter ended August 3 increased 5.7% to $23.8 billion and net... Read more »

August 18, 2014 Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes rose two points to 55 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) for August, released today.  This third consecutive monthly gain brings the index to its highest level since January. “As the employment picture brightens, builders are... Read more »

August 18, 2014 Dollar General bid $78.50 for Family Dollar this morning in a $9.7 billion deal that exceeds the $74.50 a share Dollar Tree offered for Family Dollar on July 28. The deal would create a small format powerhouse with nearly 20,000 stores in 46 states and sales of more than $28 billion. “For... Read more »

Health Costs, Weak Store Traffic Hinder Wal-Mart August, 14, 2014 The world’s largest retailer is having a hard time returning to growth and doesn’t expect sales to improve in the U.S. for much of the rest of the year. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT -0.66%) cut its earnings guidance for the year after it posted its... Read more »

August 13, 2014 Facing slight headwinds from economic pressures and mounting concerns over global unrest, consumers in July cut back on discretionary spending, reflecting a trend that shows many are juggling their spending between goods and services. NRF retail sales in July, which exclude autos, restaurants and gas, were largely unchanged over June, increasing 0.1... Read more »

August 14, 2014 Kohl’s exceeded analysts’ profit expectations in the second quarter, but it wasn’t due to top line strength and now the company has a lot riding on the back-to-school season. The company’s sales for the second quarter ended August 2 declined to $4.242 billion from $4.289 billion and same-store sales fell 1.3% after... Read more »

August 14, 2014 Nationwide housing affordability dipped in the second quarter of 2014 as several markets saw a firming of home prices, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity (HOI), released today. In all, 62.6 percent of new and existing homes sold between the beginning of April and the end of... Read more »

August 11, 2014 Import volume at major U.S. container ports is expected to hit an all-time record in August as retailers concerned about the lack of a West Coast longshoremen’s contract rush to bring holiday season merchandise into the country, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation.... Read more »