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April 17, 2014 Solid growth is expected in the home remodeling market this year but momentum should begin to moderate in the fourth quarter, according to the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA), released today by the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.  Sluggishness in the housing market... Read more »

April 15, 2014 Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes rose one point to 47 in April from a downwardly revised March reading of 46 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) released today. “Builder confidence has been in a holding pattern the past three months,” said... Read more »

April 16, 2014 Led by a 6 percent rise in single-family starts, nationwide housing production rose 2.8 percent above an upwardly revised February rate of 920,000 to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 946,000 units in March, according to newly released figures from HUD and the U.S. Census Bureau. “We see improving signs of new-home... Read more »

April 14, 2014 Last week: During a quiet week with relatively little news, the drop in stock prices garnered headlines, even as corporate profit reporting gets underway.  There seems to be a little more retail activity in early spring, as the wet, cold winter fades into memory.  And forecasts continue to reflect optimism that the... Read more »

April 14, 2014 To help customers save water and grow its sales in the process, Home Depot will execute a massive customer education initiative later this month. Home Depot regularly holds in store clinics to arm customers with knowledge to tackle home improvement projects, and its newest initiative applies that thought process to a less... Read more »

April 14, 2014 Warmer spring weather spurred continued consumer spending and activity this March.  According to the National Retail Federation, March retail sales, which exclude automobiles, gas stations and restaurants, increased 0.8% adjusted month-to-month and 1.6% unadjusted year-over-year. “Consumers shed their winter coats last month for fresh, spring merchandise,” NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay... Read more »

April 10, 2014 In the wake of acquiring Houston-based RediClinic, Rite Aid reported revenues of $6.6 billion for the fourth quarter ended March 1, resulting from a 2.2% lift primarily attributed to an increase in pharmacy same-store sales. For the full year, Rite Aid reported $25.5 billion in revenues, up 0.5%. For the quarter, the... Read more »

April 10, 2014 Family Dollar plans to close 370 underperforming stores, cut jobs and lower prices on 1,000 basic items following a disappointing second quarter, which was adversely affected by the extra week in last year’s quarter, severe weather, holiday promotions and a challenging consumer environment. The company is also slowing its new store growth... Read more »

April 9, 2014 Average spending per person is forecast to decline this Easter, despite pent up demand from a long cold winter.   According to new consumer research from the National Retail Federation, fewer people will celebrate Easter this year and average spending per person will decline to $137 from $145 last year.  Total spending is expected to reach... Read more »