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August 8, 2014 Gap posted positive comps in July for the four-week period ended August 2, buoyed by sales at Banana Republic; but preliminary second quarter results show that comparable store sales were flat compared to the same period last year. Net sales in July increased 5% to $1.17 billion compared with net sales of... Read more »

August 7, 2014 Fred’s returned to positive comparable-store sales in July, reflecting stronger trends in general merchandise sales and improved customer traffic. But Fred’s is also exercising some caution and has cut its second quarter outlook.  The company now expects to report a loss for the quarter in the range of $0.15 to $0.20 per... Read more »

August 7, 2014 Costco saw a boost in net sales and same-store sales during the month of July. Net sales totaled $8.55 billion for the four weeks ended August 3, an increase of 9% from $7.87 billion during the similar four-week period last year. Same-store sales increased 5%, while U.S. same-store sales also increased 5%... Read more »

August 7, 2014 Builder confidence in the single-family 55+ housing market for the second quarter is up year over year, according to the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) 55+ Housing Market Index (HMI) released today.  Compared to the second quarter of 2013, the single-family index increased three points to a level of 56, which... Read more »

August 7, 2014 Markets in 56 of the approximately 350 metro areas nationwide returned to or exceeded their last normal levels of economic and housing activity, according to the National Association of Home Builders/First American Leading Markets Index (LMI), released today.  This represents a year-over-year net gain of seven markets. The index’s nationwide score moved... Read more »

August 7, 2014 Steady Improvement Builds In U.S., Uncertainty Continues In Europe Labor markets were mixed across the advanced economies, according to unemployment rates and employment growth data compiled and standardized by The Conference Board International Labor Comparisons (ILC) program for June 2014. Unemployment rates in June fell in three of the nine countries compared... Read more »

August 5, 2014 Office Depot softened the blow of weak second quarter sales by bumping up the pace of 400 store closings to drive greater than expected operating profit growth and expense savings related to the merger with OfficeMax. Office Depot merged with Office Max last November and shortly thereafter announced plans to close 400... Read more »

Source: National Retail Federation

August 5, 2014 As today’s healthcare market continues to evolve, CVS Caremark’s portfolio of enterprise assets is enabling the company to provide innovative solutions and products that are delivering results, as evidenced by its “strong” second quarter results released Tuesday morning. “As the health care environment evolves we are uniquely positioned to address the quality,... Read more »