Resources

February 6, 2014 The weather posed a significant challenge for Fred’s in January.  According to CEO Bruce A Efird, Mother Nature not only disrupted consumer shopping patterns, but also resulted in more than 120 store closings during the final week of the month. “Prior to the last week of January, sales were running in the... Read more »

February 6, 2014 Retail industry sales (which exclude automobile, gas stations, and restaurants) will increase 4.1% in 2014, up from the preliminary 3.7% growth seen in 2013, according to the National Retail Federation.  The association’s 2014 economic forecast calls for online sales to grow between 9% and 12%. A number of factors contributed to NRF’s... Read more »

February 6, 2014 Kohl’s January sales were significantly lower than planned as a result of lower traffic and low levels of clearance merchandise.  Comparable-store sales decreased 2%.  Combined November and December same-store sales increased 0.8%. Unanticipated expenses in servicing its e-commerce business led to higher-than-expected costs for the quarter.  As a result of these expenses,... Read more »

February 4, 2014 On the heels of a healthy yet modest holiday shopping season, cautious consumers aren’t quite ready to splurge on Valentine’s Day this year, continuing to keep their budgets in check. According to the National Retail Federation’s 2014 Valentine’s Day spending survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics, 54% of Americans will celebrate... Read more »

February 4, 2014 J.C. Penney scored its first positive quarterly sales result since 2011, reporting a same store sales increase of 2% in the fourth quarter, which included the holiday season. “While 2013 brought a lot of change and challenges to J.C. Penney, the steady improvements in our business show that the company’s turnaround is... Read more »

February 5, 2014 Strong demand for apartments will increase over the next several years, said panelists during a press conference at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Las Vegas.  And while multifamily construction continues to be strong, NAHB does expect the speed to decrease as sustainable levles are reached... Read more »

January 31, 2014 Bad weather and a reduction in food stamps led to weaker-than-expected sales at Walmart and Sam’s Club, which combined with greater-than-expected international expense, prompted an uncharacteristic pre-announcement from the company that fourth quarter profits would be worse than expected. Walmart said its earnings per share adjusted to exclude several non-recurring and greater-than-expected... Read more »

January 31, 2014 When it comes to meeting consumer expectations, the stakes for retailers have never been higher.  Digital age consumers are more discerning, have high expectations for the quality of product information and use technology in a variety of ways to make educated purchasing decisions.  They use search engines to get more information about... Read more »

February 3, 2014 Homeowners Doled Out $130 Billion Last Year For Renovations Americans are spending lavishly again to upgrade their homes, indicating they remain confident about the long-term prospects for the recovery despite recent signs of weakness. Homeowners spent $130 billion on remodeling projects last year, according to data released Monday by the U.S. Census... Read more »