Forever 21 Pursues Big-Store Branding
The Wall Street Journal (New York) - Forever 21 Inc. is set to open a massive new store in New York’s Times Square on Friday, the latest and most aggressive step in the low-priced fashion retailer&#...
06.24.2010
Wal-Mart's Wind Power Gripe in Massachusetts
Bloomberg Businessweek (New York) - This spring Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) trumpeted its installation of wind turbines atop light poles at a supercenter in Worcester, Mass. The project, which supplies the stor...
06.24.2010
Casino-hotel transactions outlook
Hotel News Now (Clevaland, OH) - The transaction market for casino hotels has ground to a halt during the past year, but activity is expected to eventually pick up. The fact that the industry is so reg...
06.15.2010
Sara Lee CEO on leave to recover from stroke
Tulsa World (Oklahoma) - Sara Lee Corp. CEO Brenda Barnes said she was recovering from a stroke she suffered “a few weeks ago,” and the company will provide an update on her plans by Aug. 12. ...
06.15.2010
Approach Made About Deal With Wendy's
The Wall Street Journal (New York) - Billionaire hedge fund executive Nelson Peltz said Thursday he was approached by an outside party about a potential acquisition involving fast-food chain Wendy’s...
06.11.2010
McDonalds Beats Estimate
Live Trading News (New York) - Sales at restaurants open at least 13 months increased 4.8 percent, the world’s largest restaurant company said today in a statement. Analysts projected global sales would a...
06.08.2010
McDonald’s May Sales Rise 4.8% on New Frappes, Snack Wraps
Bloomberg.com (New York) - McDonald’s Corp.’s global sales rose more than some analysts estimated last month as diners purchased new beverages such as frappes. “Beverages will likely drive traffi...
06.08.2010
McDonald’s Recalls ‘Shrek’ Drinking Glasses in U.S.
Bloomberg.com (New York) - McDonald’s Corp., the world’s biggest restaurant chain, is recalling drinking glasses promoting the new “Shrek” movie in the U.S. because they’re tainted with cadmium. The d...
06.04.2010
McDonald's Recalls 'Shrek' Glasses
The Wall Street Journal (New York) - McDonald’s Corp. is recalling 12 million glasses sold as a promotional tie-in to the latest “Shrek” movie because they contain the toxic metal cadmiu...
06.04.2010
Wal-Mart Profit Rises 10% on International Growth
Bloomberg.com (New York) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, said first-quarter profit increased 10 percent as growth in Mexico, Canada and China helped make up for sales declines at U.S...
05.18.2010
Earnings Outlook: Investors await outlooks from Wal-Mart, Home Depot
MarketWatch (New York) - Against a broad pickup in consumer demand, Dow components Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Home Depot Inc. both are expected to report an increase in first-quarter profits on Tuesday. ...
05.17.2010
Wal-Mart Ramps Up To Boost Offerings In Mobile Electronics
Investor’s Business Daily (New York) - The back wall is filled with flat-panel TV sets at this Wal-Mart electronics department in Marietta, Ga. “It will take some years for Wal-Mart to catc...
05.13.2010
Dow Sheds 350 in Wild Selloff; VIX Tops 34
CNBC (New York) - Stocks staged a dramatic selloff Thursday as what may have been a trader error exacerbated losses in a market already jittery about the European debt crisis. Joseph Feldman of Telsey ...
05.06.2010
Can Walmart Survive a Gender Discrimination Suit?
Time (New York) - No one is more familiar with an old-fashioned public relations hit than Walmart, the world’s largest company. Over the last decade, the retailer has been criticized for squashing u...
04.29.2010
Restaurants Invest To Stay Ahead Of Consumer Rebound
DowJones Newswires (New York) - Restaurants are joining consumers in re-opening their wallets. “It’s encouraging to see companies investing in their business rather than closing stores,R...
04.22.2010
McDonald’s Profit Advances on Sales in U.S., Europe
Bloomberg.com (New York) - McDonald’s Corp., the world’s largest restaurant company, said first-quarter profit climbed 11 percent as comparable-store sales rose in the U.S. and Europe. That’s a sign th...
04.21.2010
Williams-Sonoma Shares, Options Jump on Takeover Talk
Bloomberg.com (New York) - Williams-Sonoma Inc.’s shares jumped to a two-year high and trading of bullish options surged to the highest level since July on renewed speculation that the U.S. gourmet-cookwa...
04.21.2010
Retailers Trounce Estimates, Aided by Early Easter
CNBC (New York) - Warm weather, an early Easter and a more confident consumer appear to have boosted retail sales in March, with the vast majority of the retailers who have reported results topping analys...
04.08.2010
Business Is Back For Houseware And Home Furnishings Chain
Investor’s Business Daily (New York) - As consumers kept a tight lid on spending, Williams-Sonoma (WSM) felt the pressure. Profit and sales sank like a souffle gone bad. “Stabilization in t...
04.07.2010
American Apparel's Times Are Tough, Turns To 'The Price Is Right'
The Huffington Post (New York) - American Apparel’s sales were down 10 percent last year and the brand is forecasting another ten percent decrease for the first quarter of this year, WWD reports. Th...
04.01.2010
The future for Farm Fresh? Still hazy
The Virginian-Pilot (Virginia) - After the longtime president of Farm Fresh retired early this month, all eyes turned to parent company Supervalu Inc. to see what changes it might make to the supermarket ...
03.29.2010
Wal-Mart Spurs Sustainable Toy Animals Into $1 Billion Market
Bloomberg(New York) - When Norma Ramos went to the Wal- Mart in North Bergen, New Jersey, last week to shop for her son’s birthday party, she passed over the plastic toys in favor of wooden ones with mini...
03.26.2010
Brinker Raises View, Boosts Dividend
The Wall Street Journal (New York) - Brinker International Inc. forecast fiscal third-quarter earnings above analysts’ expectation and also raised its outlook for the year as sales recently have imp...
03.26.2010
In surprise move, Wal-Mart plans to sell 3-D TV this year
MarketWatch (New York) - Retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said it plans to sell 3-D televisions before the crucial holiday season this year, in a move that highlights an increasingly head-to-head competi...
03.23.2010
Analysts See Slow Build for Madonna-Iconix
WWD (New York) - Madonna and Iconix Brand Group Inc. made a big media splash with Wednesday’s unveiling of their joint-venture fashion partnership – but analysts don’t expect the collaboration to cr...
03.11.2010
Whopper and Beers Debut in Miami
Financial News USA - Burger King Corp. said Friday it plans to open a Whopper Bar in the South Beach area of Miami next month. To keep up with Miami’s night life, Burger King (BKC)’s new Whopp...
03.10.2010
Don't Bet On A Retail Recovery
Forbes.com (New York) - Though some numbers show that consumer spending has gone up recently, financial advisors do not anticipate a booming retail recovery. If you insist on playing the retail sector, ho...
02.25.2010
Discounters Dollar Tree, TJX Top Views As Shoppers Continue To Spend Carefully
Investor’s Business Daily (New York) - Top discounters TJX and Dollar Tree kept up their winning streak, with Q4 results Wednesday that easily topped views as they lured shoppers with bargains. Appa...
02.24.2010
A high-stakes gamble
Penn Live.com (Pennsylvania) - Think Pennsylvania’s decision to double down on table games at casinos is a sure moneymaker? Think again. “I think table games are going to take a long time t...
02.24.2010
Wal-Mart holiday sales dip
Reuters (San Francisco, CA) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N) posted a drop in holiday sales at U.S. stores and gave a disappointing profit outlook, casting doubt on its ability to keep shoppers won in the re...
02.18.2010
Burger King to offer a slightly different $1 deal
The Miami Herald (Florida) - Burger King plans to raise the price of its controversial $1 double cheeseburger in April, replacing it with a similar value-engineered burger for $1. “For Burger King, it&...
02.17.2010
Luxe Brands Keep the Faith in Vegas
WWD (New York) - Fendi, Lanvin and Versace are in the latest wave of brands opening this month at the $8.5 billion CityCenter resort’s high-end shopping mall, the Crystals, and taking a long-term view abo...
02.17.2010
U.S. Economy: Retail Sales Climb, Consumer Confidence Slips
Bloomberg (New York) - January sales at U.S. retailers climbed more than anticipated, while consumer confidence unexpectedly fell this month from a two-year high, showing a recovery in household spending ...
02.12.2010
Shapely Stock
Forbes (New York) - Ever since 1920, when Ida Rosenthal and enid Bissett strapped two cups together with a piece of elastic and called it the Maidenform Brassiere, making female undergarments has been a p...
02.11.2010
Wal-Mart's moves at Sam's Club make Street sense
MarketWatch (New York) - Wal-Mart’s plans to cut more than 11,000 jobs at Sam’s Club and outsource its product sampling and demonstration will better showcase its products and bolster demand a...
01.25.2010
Burger King bar debuts in Miami
CNNMoney.com (New York) - Burger King Corp. said Friday it plans to open a Whopper Bar in the South Beach area of Miami next month. “That adds a new element to the Burger King brand,” said ...
01.23.2010
Which Region Will Hit the Gaming Jackpot?
TheStreet.com (New York) - Regional gaming – like a some hayseed who grabs a seat at the high-roller table, only to begin amassing a stack of chips – is making a major impact on the casino sec...
01.21.2010
Business Looking Up For Luxury Retailers
CNBC (New York) - Luxury retailers are showing signs of life after being bludgeoned by The Great Recession, with companies from Saks Fifth Avenue to Nordstrom to Tiffany churning out respectable sales i...
01.19.2010
Industry Vets Debate Luxury's Future
WWD (New York) - It’s a new year and the high-end apocalypse predicted by some retail pundits hasn’t materialized. The luxury business is still alive, albeit maybe not kicking. Companies are digging throu...
01.13.2010
American Apparel Goes G-Rated
Los Angeles Business Journal (California) - American Apparel Inc., a company that has long been known for its sexually charged ads and image, is testing a store with a fashion line that seems out of chara...
01.11.2010
Fashion patriarch fronts a model of success
Financial Times (United Kingdom) - There is a ritual at the end of every Ralph Lauren fashion show. After the final model parade, Mr Lauren appears on the runway to take his bow, and his family – wi...
01.02.2010
Retailers Are Revealing Their After-Christmas Sales
Dow Jones Newswires (New YOrk) - Retailers all holiday season have unveiled deals earlier than they have in years past, and after-Christmas sales will apparently be no exception. “Historically, t...
12.23.2009
Retailers Should Still Ring Up A Profitable Christmas
CNBC (New York) - So maybe the snowstorm that struck the Northeast wasn’t the Grinch that stole a profitable Christmas away from retailers after all. Dana Telsey, chief research officer at Telsey...
12.22.2009
Last-Minute Shopping May Counter Snow; Sales Forecast Unchanged
Bloomberg (New York) - Last-minute shopping in the days leading up to Christmas may make up for lost weekend sales on the U.S. East Coast after record snowfalls shut stores early and kept shoppers at home...
12.21.2009
Don't Write Off Best Buy Just Yet
MoneyShow.com (New York) - Despite reporting positive earnings on Monday, Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) shares dropped sharply, with traders concerned about the company’s margins being pinched. (It fell 8.5%...
12.17.2009
Pull the Plug on Best Buy
Barron’s (New York) - Even after today’s selloff in Best Buy (BBY) shares, better buys can be found elsewhere in the market. As Telsey Advisory Group analyst Joseph Feldman notes, this is e...
12.15.2009
No more bargain dinners
MarketWatch (New York) - Casual-dining restaurants may be lifting their foot off the promotional pedal. Chains that shied away from discounting during the recession, like Darden Restaurants Inc. (NYSE:...
12.11.2009
Costco, Dollar General sales up on bargain-hunting
Reuters (New York) - Bargain-seekers continued to flock to retailers offering low prices, giving Costco Wholesale Corp and newly public discounter Dollar General Corp a lift last quarter. “Consum...
12.10.2009
McDonald's US same-store sales dip amid price fight
Reuters (Chicago) - McDonald’s Corp said sales at established U.S. restaurants fell for the second-straight month as competitors like Burger King and Taco Bell pushed low prices to attract customers...
12.08.2009
Target, ShopNBC dial Simplexity for cell help
Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal (Minnesota) - Target Corporation and ShopNBC have teamed with a national firm to launch their own online mobile-phone stores. Joe Feldman, an analyst at Telsey Adv...
12.04.2009
Yum Sees 10% EPS Growth In 2010, Calls Year 'Challenging'
DowJones Newswires (New York) - Yum Brands Inc. (YUM) plans grow per-share earnings at least 10% in 2010 in what the global fast-food chain expects to be another challenging year. China remains the key...
12.04.2009
McDonald’s Operating Chief Alvarez to Retire for Health Reasons
Bloomberg.com (New York) - McDonald’s Corp., the world’s largest restaurant company, said Ralph Alvarez will retire as president and chief operating officer for health reasons. “We did see him as the h...
12.02.2009
Putting Cash to Work
Footwear News (New York) - As weaker companies scramble to keep goods flowing and the bankers at bay, the powerhouses that managed to sock away money during the credit crunch might start putting their ext...
11.30.2009
Give thanks for the confidence of US consumers
The Sunday Times (United Kingdom) - On Friday, an estimated 134m bargain-hunting Americans descended on malls and shops on the second-biggest shopping day of the year (the Saturday before Christmas ranks ...
11.29.2009
Gaming could shape South Florida's future
Herald Tribune (South Florida) - WEST PALM BEACH – It’s a glitzy megalopolis that attracts gamblers throughout the United States, if not the entire world, a place where there’s high- and...
11.29.2009
The Battle for Your Holiday Dollars
CBS News (New York) - Bargain hunting is the theme of this holiday season. With the country still in the economic doldrums, retailers ordered less merchandize this year and are slashing prices early, repo...
11.29.2009
A Black Friday To Be Thankful For?
The Weekly Standard (Washington, DC) - Yesterday, an estimated 134 million Americans descended on the malls and shops in search of bargains on the second biggest shopping day of the year (the Saturday bef...
11.28.2009
Longer Lines, Fuller Carts This Black Friday
CNBC (New York) - By all accounts, the holiday season appears to be off to a robust start, with lines longer and carts fuller than a year ago, but a key question remains: What will happen after the holida...
11.30.2009
South Florida turning into a gambling strip
The Palm Beach Post (Florida) - It’s a glitzy megalopolis that attracts gamblers throughout the United States, if not the entire world, a place where there’s high- and low-stakes action aplent...
11.27.2009
Sorry Santa, We’re Out of Stock
CNBC (New York) - You might want to snatch up that netbook for Dad and those UGG boots your daughter has been ogling over pretty quickly this holiday season. Throughout the year, retailers have trimmed...
11.20.2009
CityCenter could make - or break - Las Vegas
MarketWatch (Las Vegas, NV) - CityCenter, also known as, “The Thing That (Almost) Ate MGM Mirage”—is getting ready to open its first phase in just a few weeks. A big concern is whether i...
11.20.2009
Las Vegas crossing fingers for recovery
MarketWatch (Las Vegas, NV) - The hard data points are at best mixed, but as the casino industry gathers for its annual Global Gaming Expo here this week, operators are seeing glimmerings of hope that the...
11.16.2009
Wal-Mart profit rises, but holiday view light
Reuters (California) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc posted a higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Thursday, but forecast earnings during the key holiday quarter that could miss Wall Street estimates as its cus...
11.12.2009
Burger King franchisees sue over $1 double cheeseburger
The Miami Herald (Florida) - Burger King’s franchisees are taking their fight against the company over sandwich pricing to court. “I think the benefits outweigh the costs right now,” said Tom For...
11.12.2009
Firms Loaded With Cash in Position to Diversify
WWD (New York) - As weaker fashion companies scramble to keep goods flowing and the bankers at bay, the powerhouses that managed to sock away money during the credit crunch might just start putting their ...
11.10.2009
Price war, no deals barred
Los Angeles Times (California) - Wal-Mart’s rivals fear the chain’s power to undercut them, but they have holiday plans of their own. “They put a stake in the ground and said, ‘...
11.07.2009
Wal-Mart prepares for Christmas price cuts
UPI.com (Arkansas) - Wal-Mart is preparing a round of Christmas-season price cuts that are making smaller U.S. competitors nervous, analysts say. “They put a stake in the ground and said, ‘...
11.07.2009
Starbucks Net Climbs; Annual Profit Forecast Raised
Bloomberg (New York) - Starbucks Corp., the world’s largest coffee-shop operator, increased its 2010 profit forecast and said fourth-quarter profit jumped as cost cuts expanded margins. The shares rose 3....
11.05.2009
MGM Mirage Beats Analysts’ Estimates in Third Quarter
Bloomberg (New York) - MGM Mirage, the biggest casino owner on the Las Vegas Strip, reported third-quarter results that beat analysts’ estimates, helped by a surge in baccarat play. “Vegas is all about...
11.05.2009
Burger King's $1 deal may boost profits
The Miami Herald (Florida) - Alexis Parrish treated herself to two $1 double cheeseburgers for lunch Thursday at a Miami Burger King. But Parrish, a 20-year-old art student, didn’t buy any soda or ...
10.29.2009
DineEquity Up On 3Q Beat, Improving Sales
Dow Jones Newswires (New York) - DineEquity Inc. (DIN) shares rose 12% after the company said same-store sales declines moderated in October with a refined version of its “Two for $20” promoti...
10.29.2009
Burger King profit, revenue miss expectations
Reuters (Chicago) - Burger King Holdings Inc (BKC.N) posted a weaker-than-expected quarterly profit on Thursday and said an unpredictable consumer environment would persist, sending its shares down more t...
10.29.2009
Wynn Resorts Falls on 33% Drop in Third-Quarter Net
Bloomberg.com (New York) - Wynn Resorts Ltd., the casino company founded by Stephen Wynn, declined the most in five months in U.S. trading after reporting a 33 percent drop in third-quarter profit. “Wy...
10.27.2009
Wal-Mart takes gloves off, sounds holiday price war
Reuters (San Francisco) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N) will slash prices each week this holiday season as the discount retailer fights off rivals and strives to keep its newly won market share this holiday...
10.21.2009
Post-Clunkers, retail sales drop 1.5% in September
Associated Press (Washington) - Retail sales declined in September by the largest amount this year as car sales plummeted after the end of the government’s Cash for Clunkers rebate program. But apar...
10.15.2009
Dow breaks 10,000 barrier
KansasCity.com - The Dow Jones industrial average is back above 10,000 for the first time in a year as investors bet the economy is indeed recovering from the financial crisis and recession. Retailers ...
10.14.2009
Domino's shares slide as revenue falls short
Reuters (New York) - Domino’s Pizza Inc (DPZ.N) posted a steeper-than-expected decline in quarterly revenue, sending its shares down nearly 7 percent on Tuesday. Telsey Advisory Group analyst Tom...
10.13.2009
Conference Highlights Retail Bright Spots
Footwear News (New York) - Retailers’ prospects are beginning to brighten, according to participants at a recent retail conference. “Everyone is better positioned this year to have a more profita...
10.12.2009
Canteen trucks get a tune-up
Reuters (Los Angeles) - Every Thursday night, Lonnie Bishop and Lisa Case have a dinner date. For $5 each, the couple dines on fancy hot dogs served from a food truck parked outside their favorite wine sh...
10.10.2009
Costco Entering Holiday Shopping Season in Strong Position
The Seattle Times (Washington) - Costco Wholesale is heading into the holidays armed with better sales figures than it has seen all year and shelves stocked early with seasonal items. An uptick in the ...
10.08.2009
Costco and Family Dollar beat expectations
Reuters (New York) - Family Dollar Stores Inc and Costco Wholesale Corp both reported better-than-expected quarterly profits on Wednesday and said sales improved in September from preceding months, boosti...
10.07.2009
Costco’s 4Q Profit Falls, But Recent Sales Improve
DowJones Newswires (New York) - Costco Wholesale Corp.’s (COST) fiscal fourth-quarter earnings fell 6% as the nation’s biggest warehouse club continued struggling with weak sales of nonfood products, but ...
10.07.2009
Some Restaurants Find Spot Market Tasty For Near-Term Buying
DowJones Newswires (New York) - Some restaurant chains are buying more ingredients on the volatile spot market, with suppliers reluctant to sign long-term contracts while commodity markets are in a demand...
10.05.2009
Darden's Sept Sales Key In Gauging Casual-Dining Momentum
Dow Jones Newswires (New York) - After signs that casual-dining bounced from summertime lows, investors are looking to Darden Restaurants Inc.’s (DRI) fiscal first- quarter earnings on Tuesday to se...
09.24.2009
US holiday 2009 sales may fall from low 2008 level
Reuters (San Francisco) - U.S. retailers have had a year to reposition their businesses to prepare for a recession Christmas, but early forecasts are that 2009 holiday sales will likely be flat to down ve...
09.22.2009
Subway's $5 deal a hard habit to break
Reuters (Los Angeles) - Subway’s $5, foot-long sandwich deal has given birth to the biggest restaurant pricing trend since McDonald’s Corp’s (MCD.N) 2002 Dollar Menu debut, but some to w...
09.17.2009
Walmart's Latest Move to Crush the Competition
Time (New York) - Walmart loves to shock and awe. City-sized stores, absurdly low prices ($8 jeans!) and everything from milk to Matchbox toys on its shelves. And with the recession forcing legions of sto...
09.09.2009
Recession drives U.S. restaurateurs, diners to trucks
Bloomberg (Los Angeles) - Every Thursday night, Lonnie Bishop and Lisa Case have a dinner date. For $5 each, the couple dines on fancy hot dogs served from a food truck parked outside their favorite wine ...
09.06.2009
Activision Meets Walmart in Recession With Market-Share Gains
Bloomberg (New York) - At Activision Blizzard Inc., instilling a “culture of thrift” means you wait 13 years before you change the office carpet, according to Chief Executive Officer Bobby Kotick. “Bas...
09.04.2009
Retailers Anticipate Tough Holiday Season
WWD (New York) - As they trudge through the back-to-school season, retailers don’t see much of a break for holiday. “If we could even get to a flat season, that would be a victory,” said Dana Telsey, f...
08.26.2009
Chicago McDonald's offers $1 breakfast items
Reuters (Los Angeles/Chicago) - McDonald’s Corp restaurants around Chicago are offering a new breakfast Dollar Menu promotion as morning visits to fast-food chains decline and competition intensifie...
08.26.2009
McDonald’s in Chicago now offers breakfast items for $1
Chicago Tribune (Chicago) - According to the Chicago Tribune, McDonald’s Corp. restaurants in the Chicago area now have the breakfast menu for $1. With the bad economy, unemployment is rising and morni...
08.26.2009
Adapting for Survival: Vendors Redoing Model for Era of ‘New Normal’
WWD (New York) - Even as vendors and retailers continue to struggle with nonshopping consumers, declining sales and a near-term outlook that remains uncertain, the outlines of the world beyond the economi...
08.24.2009
Home Depot, Target, Saks Results Top Estimates on Cost Cuts
Bloomberg.com (New York) - Home Depot Inc., Target Corp. and Saks Inc., reported second-quarter results that topped analysts’ estimates after reducing operating expenses, sending the stocks higher in New ...
08.18.2009
How Hot Topic's Culture-Heavy Strategy Helped It Sizzle During the Downturn
Fast Company (New York) - John Kirkpatrick is a lucky guy. “My teenage daughter and 10-year-old son think I have the coolest job,” he says. As chief music officer of the retailer Hot Topic, Ki...
08.18.2009
Lowe’s same store sales dip for 12th consecutive quarter
The Money Times (Toronto) - Lowe’s Cos (NYSE: LOW) reported a sharper –than-expected 19 percent fall in second-quarter profits. The world’s second-largest home-improvement retailer, next only ...
08.18.2009
Wal-Mart beats expectations
MarketWatch (New York) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. on Thursday topped analyst expectations with its fiscal second-quarter results, and offered a slightly more upbeat forecast for the rest of the year. The r...
08.13.2009
In final lap of U.S. earnings, it's retailers' turn
Reuters (New York) - If the strong earnings trend keeps up next week, black will be back in style on the balance sheets of more of the nation’s retailers. “We’ve seen the retailers tr...
08.07.2009
Brinker's Restaurants Report Lower Sales
The Wall Street Journal (New York) - Brinker International Inc. reported weak sales at its three restaurant brands, and the casual-dining chain offered a disappointing outlook that highlights the earnings...
08.06.2009
Brinker, Wendy’s/Arby’s Sales Drop as Diners Eat in
Bloomberg.com (New York) - Brinker International Inc., the owner of the Chili’s Bar & Grill and Maggiano’s restaurant chains, and Wendy’s/Arby’s Group Inc. posted sales that fell as diners ate at home...
08.06.2009
Wendy's/Arby's posts profit, sees better July trends
Reuters (New York) - Wendy’s/Arby’s Group Inc (WEN.N), the third-largest U.S. fast-food chain, posted a quarterly profit on Thursday and said July sales trends were improving, sending shares u...
08.06.2009
McDrop-Off
The Big Money (New York) - If McDonald’s recent string of strong profit reports came thanks largely to the recession (people seeking the chain’s cheap eats), does that mean that its latest rep...
07.23.2009
McDonald’s Shares Decline as Revenue Trails Estimates
Bloomberg (New York) - McDonald’s Corp., the world’s largest restaurant company, dropped the most in nine months in New York trading after second-quarter revenue declined more than analysts projected. ...
07.23.2009
McDonald's 2Q Held Back On Weak Sales; Profit Down 8%
Dow Jones Newswires (New York) - McDonald’s Corp. (MCD) second-quarter was held back on weak June sales, even as the company met earnings expectations with an 8% decline due to unfavorable exchange ...
07.23.2009
P.F. Chang's Falls On Weak July Trends, 2H09 Margins
DowJones Newswires (New York) - P.F. Chang’s China Bistro Inc. (PFCB) shares slumped in late trading after the restaurant chain said sales deteriorated in July and that its margins would contract in...
07.22.2009
P.F. Chang's, Domino's top views despite slowdown
Reuters (New York) - P.F. Chang’s China Bistro Inc (PFCB.O) posted better-than-expected quarterly profit on Wednesday and raised its 2009 forecast as cost cuts dulled the pain of consumers dining ou...
07.22.2009
Going Green Presents Challenges and Opportunities
WWD (New York) - Will more consumers buy expensive green products even though the economics of retailing have fundamentally changed? “It resonates well with consumers when they see retailers and compan...
07.22.2009
Starbucks to start turning corner
Reuters (New York) - Starbucks Corp should begin reaping benefits from slashing costs, closing stores and removing trinkets from shelves, but analysts say growth could remain elusive until the U.S. econom...
07.17.2009
Yum: Chinese Consumer Saving But Bullish On Region
Dow Jones Newswires (New York) - Yum Brands Inc. (YUM) is seeing Chinese consumers cut back more on extras like drinks as they try to save money, though the fast-food operator remains bullish on its futur...
07.15.2009
Markdowns Strike Early, Cut Deep
WWD (New York) - Key department and specialty stores held weekend promotions in which spring and summer merchandise was reduced 40 to 80 percent. “Since the holiday season, we’ve been in a new environm...
07.13.2009
Money Men...and Women
HFN (New York) - It wasn’t the best year to be a Money Man: the stock market, despite its recent run-up, is still a disaster, those year-end bonuses ain’t what they used to be and money itself...
07.06.2009
Retailers find new ways to fine tune discounts
MarketWatch (New York) - At the Banana Republic store in New York’s World Financial Center, a white pleated skirt was on sale for $39.99, marked down from $69. The same skirt was discounted to $33.9...
07.02.2009
McDonald’s Angus Burger Adds Higher-Priced Option to U.S. Menus
Bloomberg.com (New York) - McDonald’s Corp. will introduce the first new line of hamburgers since 2001 across the U.S. starting tomorrow to broaden its menu beyond the value meals and $1 fries that have a...
07.01.2009
Starbucks Swaps in Fresh Berries in Healthy-Food Push
Bloomberg.com (New York) - Starbucks Corp., the world’s largest coffee-shop operator, is introducing food without preservatives and additives to entice more customers to include a muffin or sandwich with ...
06.30.2009
Williams-Sonoma swings to loss on declining home furnishings
Medill Reports Chicago - Williams-Sonoma posts a first quarterly net loss of 18 cents per diluted share, surpassing analysts’ expectations of 21 cents per diluted share. With household names like...
06.03.2009
Fast-Food Chains In For Job-Loss Pain
DowJones Newswires (New York) - Continuing job losses spell bad news for the entire restaurant industry, as consumers become more reluctant to spend, but some analysts say fast-food chains may be in for a...
06.03.2009
Dealscape - The better-burger business model
The Daily Deal (New York) - Last week I popped “burger” and “private equity” into Google, and the first hit returned is not Burger King Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BKC)—the No. 2 U.S...
05.26.2009
Target's profit declines, but tops estimates
MarketWatch (New York) - Target Corp. said Wednesday that its first-quarter profit fell a much less-than-expected 13% after the company controlled expenses, inventory and reduced clearance discounts to of...
05.20.2009
Shopping center industry notes bright spots at Vegas convention
Las Vegas Sun (Nevada) - Struggling with bankruptcies and store closings, the shopping center industry opened its annual convention Sunday in Las Vegas by highlighting retailers that continue to aggressiv...
05.17.2009
Wal-Mart profit flat as dollar offsets gains on value shoppers
MarketWatch (New York) - Retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. on Thursday said that its first-quarter profit was flat after its strategy to use low prices to help win it old and new budget-conscious shoppers...
05.14.2009
Wal-Mart Defection Drains Heft From Comps
WWD (New York) - The often revealing monthly ritual of reporting comparable-store sales results seemed set to lose a great deal of its influence after Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said last week it would forgo th...
05.12.2009
Eddie Bauer Said to Be in Talks With Potential Buyers
Bloomberg (New York) - Eddie Bauer Holdings Inc., the U.S. outdoor-clothing chain, is in talks with potential buyers including Gordon Brothers Group and Hilco Consumer Capital LLC, according to people wit...
05.06.2009
3-Supervalu names Wal-Mart int'l executive CEO
Reuters (California) - Grocer Supervalu Inc said on Wednesday Wal-Mart Stores Inc international executive Craig Herkert will become its new chief executive, replacing Jeff Noddle, who will become executiv...
05.06.2009
Dollar-store chains gaining respect, flourishing; Strong sales growth drives expansion plans
The San Diego Union-Tribune (California) - Wal-Mart may have become the premier place to shop for Americans struggling through a severe recession, but the giant chain has competition nipping at its heels....
05.03.2009
Office Depot reports Q1 loss
South Florida Business Journal (Florida) - Office Depot on Tuesday reported a loss of $54.7 million, or 20 cents a share, in the first quarter, down from a profit of $68.8 million, or 25 cents a share, a ...
04.29.2009
Starbucks Profit Declines as Consumers Spend Less
Bloomberg (New York) - Starbucks Corp., the world’s largest coffee-shop operator, said second-quarter profit fell 77 percent and announced it would open fewer stores than planned this year as consumer spe...
04.29.2009
DineEquity profit above Wall St view, cost cuts help
Reuters (New York) - DineEquity Inc (DIN.N), the parent of IHOP and Applebee’s restaurant chains, reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit on Tuesday, helped by cost controls and higher sale...
04.28.2009
McDonald’s Pancake, McMuffin Sales Boost Profit
Bloomberg (New York) - McDonald’s Corp., the world’s largest restaurant company, said sales of breakfast sandwiches helped lift first-quarter earnings 3.5 percent even as a stronger dollar ate into revenu...
04.22.2009
Burger King Falls Most in Three Years as Sales Miss Estimates
Bloomberg (New York) - Burger King Holdings Inc., the world’s second-largest hamburger chain, fell the most in almost three years in New York trading after preliminary third-quarter sales missed analysts’...
04.15.2009
Burger King results hit by demand drop
Reuters (Los Angeles/New York) - Burger King Holdings Inc said on Wednesday it saw a surprise drop in customer visits to its restaurants in March, shaking investor confidence and sending shares down 17 pe...
04.15.2009
Recession is fertile ground for dollar stores
Arkansas Democrat Gazette (Springdale, AR) - Job losses and shrinking incomes are pushing sales lower for most retailers, but not at dollar stores, which are continuing to increase sales and add stores as...
04.12.2009
Short Circuiting
Home Furnishings News (New York) - Circuit City’s $11 billion electronics business is up for grabs, with Best Buy, mass chains and online merchants like Amazon.com poised to gain most of those sales, anal...
04.06.2009
Office Depot restructures prices for public contract
Palm Beach Post (Florida) - Amid questions of overcharging, Office Depot Inc. has changed the pricing structure of one of its major contracts with public agencies. The new plan is also a bonus for Offi...
04.05.2009
Off the Beaten Strip
Forbes (New York) - Ever since the 1980s, when Michael Milken introduced casio operators to junk bonds, the industry’s debt addiction has fueled an arms race of development. Christopher Jones, an...
04.02.2009
Retail Stocks Rise 5.4 Percent Tuesday
WWD (New York) - Debt downgrades for luxury retailers Nordstrom Inc., Neiman Marcus Inc. and Saks Inc. failed to blunt a leap on Tuesday in retail stocks, which posted their second-largest gain this year ...
03.18.2009
Casino giant MGM Mirage loses $1.1B in 4th qtr
Associated Press (New York) - MGM Mirage Inc. may have held off its lenders for a few months, but that doesn’t mean the casino company can avoid making difficult, complicated decisions about how to ...
03.18.2009
Darden Restaurants 3Q Net Drops 15%, Co Boosts Fiscal Year
DowJones Newswires (New York) - Darden Restaurant Inc. (DRI) posted a 15% decline in fiscal third-quarter net income on slower sales, though tighter cost controls helped the casual-dining operator comfort...
03.17.2009
Pershing Square taps 5 nominees for Target's board
MarketWatch (New York) - Marking the start of a likely proxy fight as Target Corp. struggles with declining sales, Pershing Square Capital Management, headed by activist investor Bill Ackman, said it plan...
03.17.2009
Falling Market Caps Add to Uncertainty
WWD (New York) - Macy’s is also cutting its quarterly dividend, among other measures. “The volatility of the market and the lack of demand for [retail, apparel and luxury] stocks are at levels ne...
03.16.2009
Discounter hits the right note during the downturn
The Boston Globe (Boston) - After more than a decade, discounter A.J. Wright is finally getting it right. “It certainly seems like A.J. Wright has reached a new level of stability,” Dana Te...
03.15.2009
Would you like ribs with that? New broiler means new Burger King menu
The Miami Herald (Florida) - Imagine going to Burger King and ordering barbecued ribs, a grilled salmon sandwich or a steak kabob. “They’re very well-positioned for where we are today and c...
03.10.2009
Black is back at Yves Saint Laurent
The Financial Times (London) - Black is finally back at Yves Saint Laurent – on the balance sheet as well as the catwalk. They were not the only ones. “It’s amazing, given what happened in the second h...
03.08.2009
Retailers Expanding in The Face of A Downturn
CNBC (New York) - Due to the real estate downturn, retailers have the upper hand in negotiating deals with landlords, prompting some to expand and open new stores in places that would once have been almos...
03.04.2009
Limited Brands cutting 400 jobs Columbus headquarters hit hardest, with 230
The Columbus Dispatch (Ohio) - Lower-than-expected holiday sales have forced Limited Brands to lay off 400 workers, 230 of them at its Columbus headquarters, the company said yesterday. Dana Telsey, an...
02.27.2009
Dollar Tree profit up 11 pct, sees market share gain
Reuters (New York) - Dollar Tree Inc reported a better-than-expected 11 percent rise in quarterly profit on Wednesday and said it gained market share as customers seek out its rock-bottom prices amid the ...
02.25.2009
DineEquity shares rise on surprise Q4 profit
Reuters (New York) - DineEquity Inc, the parent of the IHOP and Applebee’s restaurant chains, contained costs and posted a surprise profit on Wednesday that sent its shares sharply higher. While ...
02.25.2009
Domino's 4Q Net Down 32%, Shares Fall >DPZ
DowJones Newswires (New York) - Domino’s Pizza Inc. (DPZ) shares fell more than 25% before recovering in recent trading after the company reported a 32% decline in fourth-quarter net income and soun...
02.24.2009
Fed's Outlook, Macy's Spark Retail Stocks Rally Tuesday
WWD (New York) - Better-than-expected results from Macy’s Inc. and some modestly encouraging remarks from the Federal Reserve chairman that the recession might end by 2010 boosted retail stocks to their b...
02.24.2009
Recession takes toll on Office Depot's bottom line
South Florida Business Journal (Florida) - With unemployment up and businesses tightening their belts, the demand for office supplies has plummeted. For companies such as Office Depot, that means a big hi...
02.23.2009
Starbucks has high hopes for its instant coffee
MarketWatch (New York) - After making the $3 latte an everyday thing, coffeehouse giant Starbucks Corp. wants to do something similar with instant coffee. “It’s an opportunity to give consu...
02.18.2009
Fast-Food Chains Going After Sit-Down Diner Dollars
DowJones Newswires (New York) - Fast-food chains are targeting cash-strapped patrons of casual-dining restaurants with premium products that are blurring the line between the two dining categories. Tom...
02.18.2009
Wal-Mart Holds Up In Sharp Recession, Beating EPS Views
Investors Business Daily (New York) - Wal-Mart’s value message rang loud and clear with thrifty shoppers in the fourth quarter, lifting the discount giant’s earnings above Wall Street’s ...
02.17.2009
Wal-Mart profit beats Wall St view
Reuters (New York) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc posted a profit that beat Wall Street forecasts, fueled by sales at its namesake U.S. discount stores, and said it expects to outperform rivals as a global downtur...
02.17.2009
Wal-Mart Profit Tops Estimates, Shares Rise
CNBC (New York) - Wal-Mart Stores posted a quarterly profit that beat Wall Street forecasts, helped by higher U.S. sales at its namesake discount stores, and said it expected to continue to perform better...
02.17.2009
Expenses hurt Wal-Mart's fourth-quarter profit Company plans to repurchase shares, lower capital spending
MarketWatch (New York) - Retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Tuesday fourth-quarter profit fell 7.4%, hurt by higher expenses and a stronger dollar even as its low-price position has helped it win traf...
02.17.2009
Big-Box Retailer Goes Little Best Buy Expands With Mobile-Phone Shops in Malls
The Wall Street Journal (New York) - At a time when many retailers are settling into a recession crouch, Best Buy Co. is expanding with smaller stores selling mobile phones – a crucial shift for the...
02.12.2009
P.F. Chang's profit tops view; growth plan is cut
Reuters (New York) - P.F. Chang’s China Bistro Inc (PFCB.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) posted a higher-than-expected fourth-quarter profit and pared 2009 expansion plans for its Asian-the...
02.11.2009
Starbucks plans instant coffee debut
Reuters (New York) - Starbucks Corp is moving into the instant coffee market as it works to shake off its reputation as a seller of pricey coffee drinks. “Starbucks is trying to go where the cust...
02.12.2009
3 U.S. restaurant chains beat views, but bottom elusive
Reuters (Los Angeles) - Three U.S. restaurant operators, including burrito chain Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG.N) reported quarterly earnings that topped Wall Street expectations on Wednesday, but analysts ...
02.11.2009
Specialty Spin-offs Face Uphill Climb
WWD (New York) - In a sequence of store closings, layoffs, huge promotions, inventory reductions and stalled expansion plans, specialty retailers hoping to survive the economic crisis may have to use more...
02.09.2009
Burger King 2Q Net Down On Stronger Dollar; Cuts Year View
DowJones Newswires (New York) - Burger King Holdings Inc. (BKC) reported a 10% decrease in fiscal second-quarter net income, as a stronger U.S. dollar took a toll on earnings despite improved sales. &#...
02.05.2009
Lee Scott Leaves Wal-Mart on High Note of Strong Sales Year
The Morning News (Arkansas) - Lee Scott went out with a financial bang in his last year as CEO. Still, Walmart has a large selection of consumables at reasonable prices, said Joe Feldman of New York Ci...
02.05.2009
Burger King takes foreign exchange hit; shares down
Reuters (New York) - Burger King Holdings posted a lower-than-expected quarterly profit Thursday and cut its forecast for the year as a stronger U.S. dollar weighs on the hamburger chain’s results. ...
02.05.2009
Bargain-Rate Buzz
Businessweek (New York) - Businesses everywhere are adjusting, painfully, to tough times and promoting their wares with limited funds. But that’s nothing new for Bob Thacker, the senior vice-preside...
02.09.2009
Best Buy CEO to retire in June, COO Dunn to take over
Reuters (New York) - Best Buy Co Inc (BBY.N) Chief Executive Brad Anderson will retire from his post in June and be succeeded by Chief Operating Officer Brian Dunn, the consumer electronics retailer said ...
01.21.2009
Used Games Score Big for GameStop
The Wall Street Journal - Amid a devastating period for most retailers, videogame seller GameStop Corp. has posted big sales gains, in part by aggressively marketing used products to cash-strapped consume...
01.21.2009
Stores Trim Views As Final Sales Data Confirm Grim Dec.
Investor’s Business Daily (New York) - Retailers on Thursday reported a weak finish to the holiday season as even Wal-Mart faltered, with prospects bleak for consumer spending in 2009. “We&...
01.08.2009
Wal-Mart Names McMillion
WWD (New York) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. on Wednesday promoted Doug McMillon to oversee the company’s second largest operating segment, Wal-Mart International, as president and chief executive officer. &#...
01.07.2009
Retailers to Wage Psychological Warfare
The Washington Independent (Washington, DC) - As the retail industry sifts through the rubble of its disastrous holiday shopping season, the next challenge begins: A struggle over the consumer psyche. ...
01.05.2009
Stores Loosen Return Policies In Hopes Of Better Sales
NY1 (New York) - The week after Christmas is one of the busiest weeks for retailers, as consumers return those holiday gifts they don’t want or can’t use. Joe Feldman, a retail analyst with...
01.01.2009
A ‘Bah, Humbug’ Holiday at Retail For Home
HFN (New York) - Retail sales of home furnishings and furniture plunged 22.5 percent from 2007, according to MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse, which tracks retail sales. Joseph Feldman, managing direc...
12.30.2008
Hard Times: Gift Cards Are Used For Cash, Necessities
CNBC (New York) - Late December and early January are typically when shoppers flock to the malls to spend their gift cards on discounted merchandise. This year, a lot of shoppers don’t want sales. T...
12.30.2008
Wal-Mart Will Offer Apple’s IPhone
Bloomberg.com - Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, said it will start selling Apple Inc.’s iPhone on Dec. 28 at almost 2,500 U.S. stores to bolster its offering of consumer electronics. ...
12.26.2008
Wal-Mart Enters The Duke Era
HFN (New York) Wal-Mart’s appointment of Mike Duke as its new leader signals a heightened focus on the company’s next big growth vehicle: the international market. Duke is “no nonsense, he’s not a high...
12.22.2008
Best Buy's Share Gains Seen Hard To Sustain, Given Economy
Dow Jones (New York) - Best Buy Co.’s (BBY) better-than-expected quarterly results and its moves to slash spending are driving shares higher Tuesday, but some industry watchers say the treacherous c...
12.16.2008
Speakers: Retail’s Long-Term View Optimistic
GlobeSt.com (Phoenix) - To put it mildly, the shopping center industry is going through a “rough patch,” but basic fundamentals and demographic trends bode well for the future, speakers said a...
12.04.2008
Retailers have another ugly month; Wal-Mart shines
MarketWatch (New York) - November retail sales missed already-lowered expectations, echoing a familiar theme that’s haunted U.S. retailers this year, as jittery consumers were pinched by an economy ...
12.04.2008
Williams-Sonoma Has Loss, Reiterates Profit Forecast
Bloomberg (New York) - Williams-Sonoma Inc., the biggest U.S. gourmet-cookware chain, reported a smaller third-quarter loss than analysts estimated as it kept a lid on inventories and catalog costs. &#...
12.04.2008
Staples Net Falls as Customers Cut Back
MarketWatch (New York) - Staples Inc., the largest U.S. office-supplies chain, said its fiscal third-quarter profit dropped 43%, hurt by customers cutting back on purchases of furniture, computers and bus...
12.03.2008
Sears swings to a steep loss
MarketWatch (New York) - Sears Holdings Corp., already struggling with declining sales and traffic in the face of rising competition, swung to a wider-than-expected third-quarter loss after the downturn i...
12.02.2008
Financial Outlook Challenging for Jewelers
WWD (New York) - Jewelers are likely to get a lump of coal for Christmas as consumers continue to pull back on luxury purchases. “This is probably one of the most challenging holiday seasons that...
12.01.2008
U.S. holiday sales get off to slow start
Reuters (New York) - The U.S. holiday shopping season got off to a slow start as consumers, squeezed by the economic crisis, bought carefully and said they would wait for better deals closer to Christmas....
11.29.2008
Retailers hope to set tone for holiday season
MarketWatch (New York) - Outside Minneapolis at the Mall of America, the biggest shopping center in the United States, more than 5,000 shoppers had lined up outside of the 520-store complex for free gifts...
11.28.2008
A Bailout For Small Business? Owners Worry That $800 Billion Package May Not Help
The Washington Post (Washington) - First, Michael Greenwald’s M&M Appliance in Northwest Washington was slammed by the housing slump. When construction of subdivisions and apartment buildings dr...
11.28.2008
Stores lure shoppers online and off
Marketplace (New York) - Retailers are rolling out specials for what’s typically one of the busiest holiday shopping weekends. Will the shoppers come? New York Bureau Chief Amy Scott reports. Tom...
11.27.2008
Wal-Mart Shuffles CEO Ranks
Footwear News (Boston) - With the ship thundering ahead, Wal-Mart president and CEO H. Lee Scott will step down after nine years, handing the wheel to a veteran groomed to take over the post. “A ...
11.24.2008
Duke Brings Global Heft to Wal-Mart
WWD - With the selection of Mike Duke as president and chief executive officer of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., H. Lee Scott hands off to a confidante with a strong international résumé as the world’s largest ret...
11.24.2008
Wal-Mart taps Duke as CEO in surprise move
MarketWatch (New York) - In a surprise move, top retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc. named its senior international executive, Mike Duke, to succeed Lee Scott as president and chief executive officer, effective...
11.21.2008
For Exiting Wal-Mart CEO, a Victory Lap
BusinessWeek (New York) - Michael Duke will replace Lee Scott in February after Scott revived the big-box retailer’s sales and share price, as well as his reputation “He’s really help...
11.21.2008
Wal-Mart Replaces Chief Scott With Overseas Head Duke
Bloomberg.com (New York) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, unexpectedly announced the retirement of Chief Executive Officer H. Lee Scott after almost nine years at the helm, replacing ...
11.21.2008
Jones, Liz Claiborne Swept Up in Dow’s Plunge
WWD (New York) - Stocks swooned again Thursday, establishing a new low for the bear market and clamping down ever harder on companies dependent on consumer spending — including two of fashion’s marquee na...
11.21.2008
Wal-Mart's Scott retiring as CEO, Duke to succeed
Reuters (New York) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N: Quote), the world’s largest retailer, said Lee Scott will retire as chief executive early next year, and will be succeeded by Mike Duke, who heads it...
11.21.2008
Pershing’s Ackman sets new Target plan but shares fall
Reuters (New York) - Hedge fund manager William Ackman unveiled on Wednesday his latest plan to boost Target Corp’s (TGT.N) stock price by forming a trust that owns the land under its discount store...
11.19.2008
Best Buy Forecast, Other Retailers May Follow
Bloomberg (New York) - Best Buy Co., the largest U.S. electronics retailer, said full-year profit and sales will fall more than it projected because of a “seismic” slowdown in consumer spendin...
11.12.2008
Wal-Mart net rise 10 percent, but outlook lowered
Reuters (New York) - NEW YORK: Wal-Mart Stores Inc reported a slightly better-than-expected 10 percent rise in quarterly profit on Thursday, as shoppers scoured its aisles for discounts on groceries and m...
11.13.2008
Best Buy cuts forecast as sales slump
Reuters (New York) - Best Buy Co Inc, the No. 1 U.S. electronics chain, slashed its profit forecast on Wednesday, the latest sign that the deepening economic crisis may bring a bleak holiday season, sendi...
11.12.2008
High-End, Or Dead End?
IDD Magazine(New York) - An admittedly nervous manager of the cosmetics counter at New York’s Century 21 department store has noticed the slowdown. A window shopper in front of that store says he...
11.10.2008
The Retail Mindset
Home Furnishings News (New York) - It’s that time of year when home furnishings retailers and industry pundits size up the retail sector as they head into the make-or-break holiday selling season. Circ...
11.10.2008
Holiday Outlook Gloomier After Weak October Sales
CNBC (New York) - Retailers are reporting some of the weakest sales in more than a decade as consumer spending dried up in October amid the uncertainty brought on by the financial crisis and mounting layo...
11.07.2008
BUY OR SELL- Do rival closures make Best Buy a buy?
Reuters (New York) - Electronics retail leader Best Buy Co (BBY.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) may be facing an easier competitive landscape in coming months as weaker rivals close stores, but ...
11.07.2008
Wal-Mart Tops Estimates, Bucking Trend of Weak Sales
CNBC (New York) - Wal-Mart said its same-store sales, which track sales at stores open at least a year, rose 2.4 percent without fuel prices. The increase topped Wal-Mart’s predicted range for the m...
11.06.2008
Cheaper Chic
Condé Nast Portfolio (New York) - With even the rich feeling financially pinched, businesses are quietly offering discounts on everything from spa services to private jets. Over the next few months, Da...
10.29.2008
Wal-Mart Cutting U.S. Store Openings Further
Reuters (New York) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc will slow the pace of U.S. store openings and cut back on capital spending, aiming to boost sales by remodeling existing stores and improving its merchandise selec...
10.27.2008
Best Buy discounts Blu-ray players, anticipating tight holidays
Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal (Minnesota) - Best Buy Co. Inc. is betting on Blu-ray to help offset sluggish television sales this holiday shopping season. “It probably will be one of the ...
10.24.2008
Adams Talks Macy’s Home
Home Furnishings News (New York) - They say all politics is local; the same may be said of home store retailing. The Stewart collection helped “elevate” Macy’s home business, which started ...
10.20.2008
In Tough Times, Men Go Shopping
CNBC (New York) - The retail environment looks bleak, but some are betting on an unlikely sector: menswear. “The discrepancy [between men’s and women’s clothing sales] may not be as large given o...
10.20.2008
Cape bemoans loss of 'Linens'
Cape Cod Times (Massachusetts) - A trip to Linens ‘N Things turned out to be doubly disappointing for West Harwich resident Rosemary Schreiner yesterday. The going-out-of-business sales at the Li...
10.16.2008
Bah, Humbug!
Newsweek (New York) - Here’s a scenario that will be more common this holiday season: You fill your arms with purchases and head to the register, where you’ve been told you’ll receive a ...
10.15.2008
Linens ’n Things throws in the towel
The Record (New Jersey) - Linens ’n Things, the Clifton, N.J.-based housewares retailer, has run out of options and is expected to get the approval in Bankruptcy Court on Wednesday to immediately begin go...
10.15.2008
Take a sneak peek at this year's luxury wish list
Forbes (New York) - Someone might need to tell the folks at Neiman Marcus that we’re on the brink of a recession. Retailers are anticipating this hesitancy to shop, which will result in deeper di...
10.12.2008
Retail stocks reach new lows as Macy's warns
Reuters (New York) - Investors sold off retail shares on Friday, fearing the global financial crisis would prompt a deeper freeze in U.S. consumer spending, with signs this week including disappointing Se...
10.10.2008
Crisis Imperils Retail Plans for Global Growth
WWD (New York) - The tightening global credit crisis and economic slowdown exacted a 6.2 percent toll on retail shares Tuesday and may begin to limit retailers’ plans for international expansion. Josep...
10.10.2008
Wal-Mart keeps outlook, Target warns
Reuters (New York) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc said September same-store sales rose in line with its forecast as shoppers flocked to its stores for bargains on necessities. Joseph Feldman, a retail analyst w...
10.10.2008
September retail sales miss, some forecasts cut
Reuters (New York) - U.S. retailers posted disappointing September sales on Wednesday, hurt by a global financial crisis that prompted shoppers to turn frugal and raised concerns of an even weaker holiday...
10.10.2008
Credit Squeeze Threatens Foreign Retail Expansion
DNR (New York) - The tightening grip of the now-global credit crisis and economic slowdown exacted a 6.2 percent toll on retail shares Tuesday and is increasingly clamping down on stores’ plans for intern...
10.10.2008
Can You Afford It? World's Ultimate Wish List
Forbes (New York) - Someone might need to tell the folks at Neiman Marcus that we’re on the brink of a recession. Retailers are anticipating this hesitancy to shop, which will result in deeper di...
10.10.2008
Economy gives new allure to Europe's outlet centers
International Herald Tribune (France) - It wasn’t that long ago that designer brands declared they would rather burn their precious inventory than sell it at discounted outlets. Now they’re ea...
10.07.2008
Retail analyst is bullish on customer service and innovation
NRF Stores (Washington, DC) - From her perch at Fifth Avenue and 44th Street in New York, veteran retail analyst Dana Telsey runs an independent equity research and consulting firm focused on retail. Clie...
10.01.2008
Circuit City posts loss, withdraws outlook
Reuters (New York) - Electronics retailer Circuit City Stores posted a wider quarterly loss and withdrew its financial outlook as it reviews its business ahead of the key holiday shopping season, sending ...
09.29.2008
U.S. retailers face worst holiday in years
Reuters (New York) - The impending U.S. holiday shopping season is expected to be a weak one, but the debate is coming down to whether it could go down as one of the worst on record, as U.S. consumers sho...
09.18.2008
The Design Difference - An Interview with Dana Telsey
Macerich Happenings (California) - Design makes a difference for retailers, according to retail consultant Dana Telsey, especially right now. “Innovation and newsness – in merchandise, cust...
09.17.2008
Cotton Board approves CI budget
Southeast Farm Press - The Cotton Board approved Cotton Incorporated’s proposed 2009 budget of $78 million during the Cotton Board’s recent annual meeting. The Cotton Board also approved $3.1 millio...
09.10.2008
OfficeMax sponsors fashion, pens style to lift sales
MarketWatch (New York) - No. 3 U.S. office-supply chain OfficeMax Inc. is penning fashion into products such as binders to clips, hoping to lift its declining sales due to competitive pressures and the ec...
09.09.2008
Experts Explore The Business Value Of Social Networking Sites
Stores (New York) - If you accept the premise that retailing is a social business, then it would follow that Facebook should be a slam-dunk application for retail companies. Dana Telsey, CEO and chief ...
09.01.2008
Wal-Mart Sales Rise on Back-to-School; Gap, Saks Fall
Bloomberg (New York) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s August sales exceeded analysts’ estimates after discounts lured shoppers from department stores and malls facing what may be the worst back-to-sch...
09.04.2008
Increased designer-retailer hookups defy results
Crain’s New York Business (New York) - The Fashion Set is a notoriously biting clique. So early this year, when news of a partnership between luxury designer Norma Kamali and Wal-Mart Stores hit the...
09.01.2008
Dillard’s Falls Deeper Into Red
WWD (New York) - Dillard’s Inc. might have brought its once high-flying ways down to earth under pressure from investors, but the retailer still isn’t on the flight path many analysts would like to see. ...
08.28.2008
Target finds some trouble adjusting to consumers' tightened grip on wallets
MarketWatch (New York) - Discount retailer Target Corp. reported lower profits last week, as more consumers were delinquent on credit card payments and cut back their spending on apparel and other discret...
08.24.2008
BJ’s Profit Exceeds Estimates
The Wall Street Journal online (New York) - BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc. reported fiscal-second-quarter profit that exceeded analysts’ estimates and raised its full-year profit outlook. But invest...
08.21.2008
BJ’s Takes a Hit Amid Inflationary Pressures
MarketWatch (New York) - Investor concerns about how quickly the company may be able to pass on cost increases to consumers sent shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc. lower, even as the No. 3 U.S. whol...
08.20.2008
Target net drops 8% on late payments, apparel sales
MarketWatch (New York) - No. 2 U.S. discount retailer Target Corp. said its second-quarter profit fell 7.6% as more consumers were delinquent on credit-card payments and pared back on apparel and other di...
08.19.2008
Earnings Preview: Target
Seeking Alpha (New York) - Target Corporation (TGT) is expected to report Q2 earnings Tuesday before the open with a conference call scheduled for 10:30 am ET. Telsey Advisory’s Joseph Feldman sa...
08.18.2008
Bargain hunters push Wal-Mart profit but global volatility dims its outlook
The Wall Street Journal (New York) - Wal-Mart Stores yesterday reported a 17 percent rise in quarterly profit and raised its view on full-year earnings as shoppers sought low prices on food, healthcare pr...
08.18.2008
US EQUITIES WEEK AHEAD: Retailer Results, Producer Prices Due
CNN Money.com (New York) - More major retailers report fiscal second-quarter results next week after Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) and J.C. Penney Co. (JCP) issued muted outlooks with their earnings reports ...
08.15.2008
Housing malaise seen to hurt Home Depot, Lowe’s
MarketWatch (New York) - The fallout from the housing market’s collapse and the downturn in the U.S. economy are expected to continue to put a dent into second-quarter profits of No. 1 home-improvem...
08.15.2008
How Retailers Are Faring in Tough Times
MarketWatch (New York) - VIDEO: Senior analyst Joe Feldman of Telsey Advisory Group talks about how retailers are faring as shoppers pull back on discretionary income and looks ahead at big-box stores lik...
08.15.2008
Wal-Mart Tracks Gains as Economy Falters
WWD (New York) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is getting a major boost from the troubled economy…and a better apparel offering as well. “They’re well positioned for the environment, but they are do...
08.15.2008
Wal-Mart Profit Gains but Guidance a Concern
Reuters (New York) - Tougher times are proving to be a boon for Wal-Mart Stores, which reported a 17 percent rise in quarterly profit Thursday as shoppers headed to its stores for low prices on food, heal...
08.15.2008
Wal-Mart Profit Climbs 17%; Company Cautions About Economy
Dow Jones Newswires (New York) - Retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. on Thursday said its second-quarter profit rose a better than expected 17%, as bargain-hunting shoppers, hurt by the rising cost of food ...
08.15.2008
High-definition TV goes for gold
The Sacramento Bee (California) - The high-definition splendor of Beijing Games has been ratings gold for NBC Television and inspired some TV hunger. A struggling economy and a February 2009 deadline t...
08.15.2008
Wal-Mart profit climbs 17%, ups 2008 goal
MarketWatch (New York) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. on Thursday reported a 17% profit rise in second-quarter profit and upped its annual earnings goal as bargain-hunting shoppers, hurt by the rising cost of foo...
08.14.2008
Wal-Mart Expected To Outshine Retailers In Downbeat Quarter
Dow Jones Newswire (New York) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT), which has benefited from economy-battered consumers trading down and seeking bargains, is again expected to reap rewards from its low-price mess...
08.14.2008
Office Depot Posts Second-Quarter Loss on Lower Sales
Bloomberg (New York) - Office Depot Inc., the world’s second-largest office-supplies retailer, posted a second-quarter loss as smaller businesses and consumers pared purchases at its U.S. and Canadi...
08.01.2008
Office Depot reports loss
Palm Beach Post (Florida) - Office Depot Inc. stumbled into the red last quarter. Office Depot is losing market share to a larger rival, Framingham, Mass.-based Staples Inc., whose store design and ser...
08.04.2008
M&A: Feeding Frenzy Ahead?
Footwear News (New York) - The high-flying days of private, equity-led buyouts may have come to a standstill, but don’t count out the potential for some serious deal-making in 2008. “I keep heari...
07.29.2008
CEO’s, Better Roll Up Your Sleeves
WWD (New York) - Employees and shareholders are nervous, the company needs to be at the top of its game to maintain or pick up market share and leadership is essential. Dana Telsey, president of Telsey...
07.29.2008
Target needs tougher talk on paying less
Reuters (New York) - For the past few years Target Corp (nyse: TGT – news – people ) has focused on the first half of its “Expect More. Pay Less” tagline to lure consumers with the...
07.29.2008
Costco warns on quarterly profit
Reuters (New York) - Costco Wholesale Corp warned Wednesday that its quarterly profit would miss current Wall Street targets because of soaring energy costs and other inflationary pressures, sending share...
07.24.2008
Costco's profit warning sparks more worries
MarketWatch (New York) - The economic downturn prompted shoppers to make one-stop trips to Costco Wholesale Corp. to buy bulk items at low prices. Now, that effort has come back to bite the nation’s...
07.24.2008
Office supply sector may see more consolidation
MarketWatch (New York) - When Brian Sozzi, a Wall Street retail analyst, went shopping for a computer this year, his stops included Office Depot Inc., Staples Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Best Buy Co. ...
07.17.2008
Clothing Going Out Of Style?
Investor’s Business Daily (New York) - With the economy wobbling, many people are putting off buying new clothes and shoes and instead getting more use out of what already is in their closets. &#...
07.17.2008
U.S. retailers avoid June swoon
SignOnSanDiego.com (California) - Summer weather, aggressive promotions and tax rebates sent many U.S. consumers shopping in June, giving retailers struggling in the weak economy their strongest month in ...
07.17.2008
Retailers Post Strong Sales, Discounters Lead The Way
CNBC.com (New York) - Retailers, including Wal-Mart Stores, are posting solid same-store sales growth in June, as expected, as seasonal weather and tax rebate checks helped get consumers to the store. ...
07.17.2008
Stocks rise on Dow Chemical deal, Bernanke
Reuters (New York) - Stocks rose on Thursday, helped by optimism about a major deal in the chemicals sector and after the Federal Reserve chairman said the central bank and the government are focused on s...
07.17.2008
Blockbuster takes back Circuit City bid
Marketplace (New York) - Blockbuster has taken back its billion-dollar bid for electronics chain Circuit City. Weak sales and stiff competition are partially to blame. Amy Scott reports Circuit City may s...
07.07.2008
Pier 1 Rises 6% After Withdrawing Cost Plus Bid
Bloomberg.com (New York) - Pier 1 Imports Inc., the biggest U.S. retailer of imported furniture, rose 6 percent in New York trading after withdrawing its offer to buy Cost Plus Inc. because the price woul...
06.27.2008
Firms with merger plans getting negative market reaction
WFAA.com (Texas) - Stocks of retail companies involved in pending mergers cratered again Monday, but one analyst said the market’s reaction shouldn’t be taken as a signal to all retailers thin...
06.25.2008
Circuit City's Drop Means Blockbuster Deal Unlikely: Analysts
MarketWatch (New York) - Shares of Circuit City Stores Inc., which has opened its books to potential acquirer and video-rental chain Blockbuster Inc., tumbled 19% Monday, signaling that investors have los...
06.25.2008
Inventory a Primary Focus in Difficult Climate
WWD (New York) - Stringent inventory control may be the mantra for most apparel retailers, but there is still plenty of fat to trim. “But this scarcity could create demand and more full-price sel...
06.17.2008
Coming Under Pressure: Activist Shareholders Target Retailers Again
WWD (New York) - Target Corp., Dillard’s Inc., Chico’s FAS Inc., Charming Shoppes Inc., Syms Corp. and Haggar Corp. are just some of the fashion firms that have faced, or are confronting, acti...
06.17.2008
Wal-Mart does its thing...cut costs, look for growth
MENFN.com (Arkansas) - The mantra “Save money, live better” has filtered right down to Bruce Bartlett, a 46-year-old associate working the night shift at Wal-Mart’s store in Rogers, Ark....
06.09.2008
May Comp-Store Sales Lift Retail Stocks
WWD (New York) - Positive surprises in May comparable-store sales sent retail shares up on Thursday, but analysts say there really isn’t all that much to cheer about. But in the grand scheme of t...
06.09.2008
Wal-Mart's sales beat the Street
MSN Money (New York) - Retailers report May same-store sales, with discounters faring well. Continental, the latest airline to cut jobs and jets because of high oil prices, says the industry is in ‘...
06.05.2008
Williams-Sonoma Net Beats Estimates on Cost Controls
Bloomberg (New York) - Williams-Sonoma Inc., the biggest U.S. gourmet-cookware chain, reported first-quarter profit that decreased less than analysts estimated as it kept a lid on costs in the face of dec...
06.04.2008
Sears still has long way to go: analysts
MarketWatch (New York) - Billionaire hedge fund investor Edward Lampert’s struggling Sears Holdings Corp. said Thursday it would repurchase another $500 million of shares and gave its first earnings...
05.30.2008
Telsey on Retail
Macerich Happenings (California) - Dana Telsey offers a quick take on today’s retail environment Her passion for retail started early…in her family’s book store on Madison Avenue. &#...
05.23.2008
GameStop, Barnes & Noble, Dick's Decline on Forecasts
Bloomberg.com (New York) - GameStop Corp., the world’s largest video-game retailer, Barnes & Noble Inc. and Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. fell in New York trading on forecasts that sales may ...
05.22.2008
Target Income Declines 7.5%
WWD (New York) - Target Corp. on Tuesday said first-quarter earnings fell 7.5 percent, due in part to disappointing sales as customers pinched pennies and shied away from discretionary purchases such as a...
05.21.2008
Retail Picks? Depends on the Growth
CNBC (New York) What should investors look for in retail stocks this week? Dana Telsey of the Telsey Advisory Group made some suggestions on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Wednesday. Dana Telse...
05.21.2008
One Sparkling Sector: Demand Stays Buoyant For High-End Jewelry
WWD (New York) - Top-tier jewelry companies aren’t flinching in the face of the U.S. economic slowdown…and are proceeding full-speed ahead with their store expansion programs. “When y...
05.20.2008
Bulgari 1Q Shows Need For Changing Economic Trends
Dow Jones International (Rome) - Italian luxury jeweler Bulgari SpA (BUL.MI) Thursday said net profit fell 4.6% in the first quarter as its operating costs rose and sales fell in regions such as Italy and...
05.16.2008
Macy's Magic Act
Portfolio.com (New York) - Wall Street has praised Macy’s for reporting quarterly results that were not as bad as its rivals, sending its stock up as much as 8 percent today. “With such a l...
05.15.2008
Wal-Mart Forecasts Profit That May Trail Estimates
Bloomberg (New York) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer and a benchmark for the U.S. economy, posted higher first-quarter profit and said earnings may trail analysts’ estimat...
05.14.2008
Wal-Mart Shares Fall on Weak Earnings Forecast
CNBC (New York) - Wal-Mart Stores, the world’s largest retailer, said Tuesday quarterly profit rose 7 percent, helped by bargain-hungry U.S. consumers looking for discounts on necessities like food ...
05.13.2008
Wal-Mart Profit Probably Rose as Shoppers Fled Sears
Bloomberg.com (New York) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, may report tomorrow that first-quarter profit rose after discounts lured Target Corp. and Macy’s Inc. customers c...
05.13.2008
Europe's Top Performers Go Global
BusinessWeek (New York) - Companies, such as retailers Inditex and H&M, are using the resiliency honed in famously inhospitable home markets to succeed overseas “H&M has been gaining trac...
05.13.2008
Russia Appears Ripe for Wal-Mart
WWD (New York) - The retailer is exploring opportunities in a largely untapped and fertile market. “Moving into Russia is a good move for Wal-Mart,” said Joseph Feldman, an analyst with Telsey Advisory...
05.06.2008
Retail Sales Surge in April, but Shoppers Still Wary
CNBC (New York) - Most retailers delivered same-store sales gains in April that were both better than expected and higher than they’ve been in months. However, most consumers are sticking to bargain...
05.09.2008
Shopping; Americana: The Beautiful?
Los Angeles Times (California) - L.A.’s love-it or hate-it open-air mall that’s more insular universe than shopping center. Now think of the Grove on steroids. The fountains are jazzier, the s...
04.28.2008
U.S. retailers will struggle to win tax rebate sales
Reuters (New York) - Eagerly awaited tax rebates will begin reaching U.S. consumers Monday, but struggling retailers may only get a small boost from the stimulus checks as shoppers use the extra cash to p...
04.28.2008
Clothing stores feel sharp economic pinch...High fuel, food prices crimping spending on apparel
MSNBC (New York) - After years of routinely asking consumers what they think of the coming fashion season, it would seem that nothing could surprise C. Britt Beemer. But this year, when Beemer asked women...
04.25.2008
Out of Fashion? Home furnishings retailers wrestle with business downturn
Investment Dealers’ Digest (New York) - Swooning consumer confidence amid a steady drop in US home sales, as well as a jump in energy costs, have sapped home furnishings retailers, many of them owne...
04.22.2008
Circuit City gets unsolicited bidder
Los Angeles Times (California) - Promising a “game-changing retail concept,” Blockbuster Inc. told Circuit City Stores Inc. shareholders Monday that it would pay just under a 50% premium for t...
04.15.2008
JC Penney faces growth questions at Wall St meeting
Reuters (New York) - At its analyst meeting last year, J.C. Penney Co Inc outlined an aggressive growth plan that included opening 250 new stores over the next five years. Dana Telsey, a retail analyst...
04.14.2008
Blockbuster-Circuit City deal gets thumbs down
Reuters (New York) - The proposed corporate tie-up of Blockbuster Inc and Circuit City Stores looks more like a desperate effort to save two struggling retailers than a bold turnaround initiative. R...
04.14.2008
Blockbuster offers up to $1.3 bln for Circuit City
Reuters (New York) - Blockbuster Inc said Monday it has offered up to $1.3 billion to buy electronics retailer Circuit City Stores Inc, a bid that drew questions and criticism from Wall Street. “...
04.14.2008
Linens 'n Things may file for Chapter 11: report
Market Watch (New York) - Home furnishings retailer Linens ‘n Things, weighted by an increasing debt load and declining house market, may file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection by Tuesday, accord...
04.11.2008
March Madness: Sales Drop and Stocks Pop
WWD (New York) - March sales were so bad they made Wall Street happy. So many retailers posted comparable-store declines and the weakness was so broad-based that investors appeared to buy retail stocks on...
04.11.2008
Slowdown biting into discretionary retail sales
MarketWatch (San Francisco) - Economic worries and cold weather coupled with an early Easter and lack of fashions combined to deliver retailers’ worse-than-expected sales last month…the weakes...
04.11.2008
'Dowdy' Talbots Hopes Makeover Can Revive Sales
The Wall Street Journal (New York) - Trudy Sullivan confronted a major problem when she became the new chief executive of Talbots Inc. last summer. A survey found that all the chain’s customers (eve...
04.02.2008
Best Buy builds VC unit to find next big things
Mlive.com (Michigan) - Best Buy Co. Inc. is launching a corporate venture-capital arm to get in on the ground floor of emerging technologies. The right people could help Best Buy make up for a shortage...
03.31.2008
Tommy Hilfiger Tries Fifth Avenue On For Size
Forbes (New York) - To get a sense of the best-and most expensive-shopping New York City has to offer take a stroll down Fifth Avenue. Apparel retailer Tommy Hilfiger plans to be there next time you go, a...
03.14.2008
Neiman Marcus Headed to East Bay Area
WWD (New York) - Northern California’s Bay Area is getting another shot of luxury, courtesy of Neiman Marcus. “The arrival of Neiman’s elevates the mall, signals high-end luxury and s...
03.14.2008
Analysts see merit in Target's proposed credit-card deal
Market Watch (New York) - Target Corp.’s announcement that it’s in talks with an investment partner to sell half of its credit card receivables may be a nice compromise against the backdrop of...
03.14.2008
Some Relief; View Still Dim
The Wall Street Journal online (New York) - Retail sales in February were higher than analysts’ weak expectations, but chain stores aren’t changing their outlook for a tough spring. Telsey ...
03.07.2008
Make Your Mark Pottery Barn Goes Bold; Accents
The Knoxville News Sentinel (Tennessee) - Pottery Barn loyalists may be a bit shocked: What are these red and orange poppy print duvets and bright yellow lamps splashed all over the pages of its neutral l...
03.07.2008
Retailers report better-than-expected sales
Market Watch (New York) - U.S. retailers, led by discounters, reported better-than-expected February sales, as budget-conscious consumers sought bargains and made consolidated trips. “Wal-Mart ha...
03.07.2008
Wal-Mart's retail surprise
MSN Money (New York) - The retail giant beats The Street’s expectations for retail sales. Two European banks leave interest rates alone. Thornburg Mortgage gets a default notice. Icahn boosts his st...
03.06.2008
Costco, BJ's profits jump; Big Lots raises guidance
Market Watch (New York) - Thanks to value-seeking shoppers, Costco Wholesale Corp., the largest U.S. wholesale club, said Wednesday that quarterly profit jumped 31%, boosted by international demand and U....
03.06.2008
Kamali to Design Line for Wal-Mart
WWD (New York) - Norma Kamali will create an exclusive collection for the world’s largest retailer in an agreement brokered by Cherokee Inc. The licensing deal is long term, and the designer will es...
02.28.2008
Dollar Tree posts higher-than-expected profit
Reuters (New York) - Dollar Tree Stores Inc said on Wednesday that quarterly profit fell 3 percent, hurt by one less week than in the year-earlier period, but the results beat analysts’ estimates, a...
02.28.2008
Paint writ large
StarTribune.com (St. Paul, MN) - Think of it as a paint chip on steroids: Hirshfield’s has introduced the “Big Swatch,” shown below, an 11-inch square several times the size of most pain...
02.27.2008
Buying Dutch firm would let Staples grow quickly
- An uncharacteristic hostile takeover bid by Staples Inc. underscores the potential for the office supply giant to quickly expand what has become its fastest-growing line of business, contract deliveries to...
02.20.2008
Penny-pinching shoppers boost Wal-Mart profit
Reuters (New York) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) posted better-than-expected fourth quarter profit on Tuesday as penny-pinching U.S. shoppers scoured its discount stores for low ...
02.20.2008
Wal-Mart Keeps Its Head Up
Forbes (New York) - Wal-Mart’s keeping its head above water by keeping prices and its international growth high. “Wal-Mart is perfectly positioned for this type of environment,” said ...
02.20.2008
Wal-Mart Profit Climbs on Grocery, Electronics Sales
Bloomberg (New York) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, said fourth-quarter profit rose more than analysts estimated after it stepped up U.S. holiday discounts and boosted sales i...
02.20.2008
Pop Goes the Color at Pottery Barn
The Washington Post (Washington, DC) - Pottery Barn loyalists who plopped down on their beige sofas to enjoy the latest catalogue that arrived in the mail may have been a bit shocked: What are these red a...
02.07.2008
Bad news for Cisco, Wal-Mart
MSN Money (New York) - The tech giant’s revenue forecast adds to the market’s worries. The Bank of England cuts interest rates. Wal-Mart reports weak retail sales for January. Another analy...
02.07.2008
Signet Grp 4Q LFL Sales -6.7%, US Mkt Difficult
Dow Jones International (London) - Signet Group PLC (SIG) reported Thursday a 6.7% fall in fourth-quarter like for like sales as the specialty retail jeweler struggled in what it described as a “ver...
02.07.2008
Analysts still bullish on Home Depot, despite cuts
The Atlantic Journal-Constitution (Georgia) - The future of the home improvement business looks bright despite Home Depot’s decision this week to cut 500 jobs at its corporate headquarters in Atlant...
02.01.2008
Burger King profit up, U.S. business not slowing
Reuters (New York) - Burger King Holdings Inc posted a quarterly profit on Thursday that topped Wall Street expectations and said it has not experienced the slowdown in U.S. consumer spending that has con...
01.31.2008
Sears' Lewis Out as CEO
WWD (New York) - As Sears Holdings Corp. gears up to reorganize its business, the retailer said Monday that its chief executive officer would be leaving the company. “All of these retailers have ...
01.29.2008
Telsey Advisory Group Initiates Coverage on Restaurant Sector
Business Wire (New York) - Telsey Advisory Group LLC (TAG), an independent research and consulting firm founded by veteran Wall Street retail analyst Dana Telsey, today announced that it has initiated cov...
01.25.2008
Liz Claiborne hires Mizrahi in a loss to Target
Reuters (New York) - Apparel maker Liz Claiborne Inc stole Isaac Mizrahi away from Target Corp on Tuesday, naming the designer creative director of its Liz Claiborne brand in a move that ends Mizrahi̵...
01.18.2008
Ulrich Retiring, Steinhafel Taking Over at Target
Retail Wire (New Jersey) - Target Corp. announced yesterday that CEO Bob Ulrich is retiring from the company and that his longtime lieutenant Gregg Steinhafel would be taking over at the helm of the retai...
01.10.2008
Target chairman, CEO Ulrich retiring May 1
Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal (Minnesota) - Target Corp. CEO and Chairman Robert Ulrich will retire as CEO on May 1. He will be succeeded by Gregg Steinhafel, who is now president of the company. ...
01.10.2008
Black Friday bargains may not be after all
The State (South Carolina) - Merchants long have tried to lure shoppers into rising at ungodly hours to snare blockbuster bargains on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. But are the deals actually ...
01.07.2008
Fifth Avenue duel: Best Buy vs. Circuit City
USA Today (New York) - Consumer electronic rivals Best Buy (BBY) and Circuit City (CC) are battling head-to-head in Midtown Manhattan this holiday season. “Best Buy has slightly longer hours, and...
12.20.2007
Target delaying decision on credit-card business
Reuters (New York) - Target Corp (TGT.N) said on Wednesday it is taking longer than expected to determine whether to sell its $7 billion in credit card receivables, hampered by current market conditions. ...
12.20.2007
Best Buy seen posting profit; Circuit City struggles
Reuters (New York) - Analysts are expecting two of the largest U.S. electronics retailers to get a boost from holiday sales, but their third-quarter earnings are likely to differ, with Best Buy Co posting...
12.18.2007
Crunch time hitting for holiday retail sales
Reuters (New York) - The holiday shopping home stretch run starts this weekend, and U.S. retailers hope that dilly-dallying shoppers are ready to open up their wallets and get serious about spending. T...
12.17.2007
Costco Wholesale profit rises, led by overseas gains
MarketWatch (New York) - Costco Wholesale Corp. on Thursday said quarterly profit rose 11%, helped by international gains and U.S. consumers buying gasoline and food in bulk. “The health of the c...
12.14.2007
World's Stylish Holiday Window Displays
Forbes (New York) - Whether in San Francisco, St. Louis or Paris, many of us have memories of visiting holiday window displays at department stores like Macy’s, Harrods and Marshall Fields. At these...
12.12.2007
Holiday sparkle
Indystar.com (Indiana) This Christmas, Eli Benisty is operating in a safe retail bubble of diamonds. The slowing economy, high gas prices and home mortgage foreclosures haven’t touched his busine...
12.10.2007
Wal-Mart sees 'solid' holiday start; Target warns
Reuters (New York) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc Thursday reported a 1.5 percent rise in November sales at U.S. stores open at least a year, saying it had “solid” sales as the holiday rush got under w...
12.07.2007
They Said What?
Barron’s (New York) - The National Retail Federation is predicting the slowest holiday-shopping season in five years, and retailers from Kohl’s to J.C. Penney have slashed their forecasts amid...
11.26.2007
Retailers Brace For Soft Holiday Season
DNR (New York) - Retailers aren’t exactly in the holiday spirit Dana Telsey of Telsey Advisory Group is projecting a sales gain of 3 to 4 percent this year, lower than the average gain of 4.8 per...
11.26.2007
Shoppers search out deals on Black Friday
Greenbay Press Gazette (Wisconsin) - Shoppers who lined up hours before Shopko opened its doors at 5 a.m. Friday were among many in the area and across the country who got up in the middle of the night to...
11.24.2007
Bargains heat up Black Friday
Akron Beacon Journal (Ohio) - While Black Friday got off to a white start Friday morning in Summit County, the cold, sometimes snowy weather didn’t deter shoppers from standing in lines outside stor...
11.24.2007
Stores Usher in Holiday Shopping Season
Examiner.com (New York) - Shoppers – shrugging off a spate of lead-tainted toy recalls and higher prices for food and gas – jammed stores before dawn Friday to grab discounted TVs, toys and cl...
11.24.2007
Shoppers Hit Stores For Early-Bird Deals, But It's Just A Start
Investors.com (New York) - Shoppers jammed stores before dawn Friday to grab discounted TVs, toys and the hard-to-find Nintendo Wii, for the official start of the holiday season, expected to be the weakes...
11.23.2007
Bedlam, yes, but are they buying?
Globeandmail.com (Canada) - By 2 o’clock Friday afternoon, Dana Telsey had already visited the malls of New Jersey, the luxury retailers of the Upper East Side, and the sprawling department stores o...
11.23.2007
Check Out Line: Predictions lined up as Thanksgiving weekend looms
Reuters (New York) Check out the impending Thanksgiving holiday shopping weekend and anxious retailers preparing for the shopping rush with door-busting deals and discounts. Telsey Advisory Group: Spea...
11.21.2007
'Affordable Luxury' Stores Feel Economy's Pinch
The Wall Street Journal (New York) - Kristine Maine, a Redondo Beach, Calif., engineering manager and mother of two, in recent years has lavished her loved ones with expensive holiday gifts from Nordstrom...
11.12.2007
Bernanke on Holiday: Wait and See
WWD (New York) - The Federal Reserve Chairman said he is somewhat optimistic when it comes to holiday selling. Bernanke testified in front of Congress’ Joint Economic Committee on Thursday, saying i...
11.12.2007
Everyone’s talking about the bubble, and when it will burst
The New York Times (New York) - Handbag sales in the $7 billion United States market are expected to increase by 15 percent this year, according to the stock research firm Telsey Advisory Group. This is c...
11.01.2007
Tarnished Luxury Goods
Financial Times - The bull case for luxury goods stocks is fraying. Last week, fashion and spirits conglomerate LVMH delighted investors with strong sales across divisions and regions in its first nine mo...
10.24.2007
Super Luxury
Financial Times - So far, they’re still shopping. Luxury goods conglomerate LVMH delighted investors last week with 13 percent organic sales growth in its first nine months and strong performance ac...
10.24.2007
Wal-Mart Lowers Prices on 15,000 More Items
Dow Jones (New York) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc., in an aggressive move to entice holiday shoppers, said Thursday it cut prices on 15,000 additional items this week, 20% more than last year. The world’s ...
10.22.2007
Home Depot Marketing Chief Resigns; Laptop Stolen
Dow Jones (New York) - Home Depot Inc., the largest U.S. home-improvement retailer, said its marketing chief Roger Adams is leaving. In an unrelated development, the company also reported the theft of a l...
10.22.2007
Coach, Handbag Sellers' Sales Gains May Slow as Jewelry Shines
Bloomberg (New York) - The $7 billion U.S. market for handbags, the fastest-growing product in the fashion industry, may be slowing from record growth. Telsey Advisory estimated 14 percent U.S. growth ...
10.09.2007
CEOs vs. Designers: Who's Got More Clout?
WWD (New York) - Left brain-right brain. In the world of fashion and luxury goods these days, one needs both sides to beat the competition. “The blend of the financial and the creative is essenti...
10.08.2007
Holiday Forecast Calls for Mild Slowdown in Luxury Sales
Retail Traffic (New York) - One of the defining trends of the retail industry in the past decade has been a great hollowing out of the middle. Mid-tier chains have struggled or disappeared entirely. Disco...
10.04.2007
MAKING HOME HER CASTLE: Attention, female shoppers: Home Depot will test a concept aimed at softening its big-box image.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia) - Just six months after the launch of a small-store format in California, Home Depot is testing another retail concept, this time with female shoppers in mind. ...
10.04.2007
Dior's Latest Makeover Focuses on the Grown-Ups
The Wall Street Journal (New York) - Paris—Two years ago, Dior Chief Executive Sidney Toledano suddenly panicked after the company sold 300 T-shirts in a single day. Worried that the more than $2...
10.01.2007
Williams-Sonoma Profit Falls as Retailer Cuts Prices
Bloomberg (New York) - Williams-Sonoma Inc., the biggest gourmet-cookware retailer in the U.S., said second-quarter profit fell 27 percent after it reduced prices on Pottery Barn home furnishings amid the...
08.29.2007
American Eagle, J. Crew Top Picks for B-T-S
WWD (New York) - Even with the newest gadgets vying for teens’ attention, back-to-school is expected to remain a top-selling season for apparel and accessories. “With the newness out there ...
07.09.2007
Electronics retailers look for sales to bounce back
USA Today (Virginia) - Sales are expected to perk up later this year for electronics retailers whose profits are getting hammered by increased competition from discounters and belt-tightening by consumers...
06.27.2007
End of an Era
WWD (New York) - After 20 Years at the Helm, Talbolts Chairman and CEO Arnold B. Zetcher Prepares to Retire “The big question at Talbots is succession planning,” said Dana Telsey, CEO and C...
06.18.2007
$700,000 pens and $40,000 purses raise a new luxury standard
Associated Press (New York) - Forget about the $350 stilettos. Shoes with status these days come with $1,000 price tags. And $600 handbags have become so bourgeois. A-listers don’t want to be seen w...
06.15.2007
Designer Tom Ford Plans 100 Stores Across The Globe
The Wall Street Journal (New York) - Two months after opening an emporium on New York’s Madison Avenue to sell his new men’s line of Savile Row-inspired suits and handknit socks, designer Tom ...
06.12.2007
Wal-Mart Says U.S. Same-Store Sales Rose 1.1% in May
Bloomberg (New York) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which is upgrading stores and cutting prices to counter sluggish growth, reported May sales at the low end of its forecast range. Memorial Day weekend, whic...
06.08.2007
Tiffany to Open First Men’s Boutique
DNR (New York) - Tiffany will open its first men’s-only boutique in Tokyo this fall. James Hurley, managing director and senior research analyst of Telsey Advisory Group LLC, said he believes the...
06.04.2007
The Luxury of Success
Chain Store Age.com (New York) - Financial analysts have turned even more bullish on Coach, raising the 12-month target price for the high-end leather-goods and accessories company from $38-$40 to a range...
06.01.2007
Circuit City slashes jobs again
Richmond Times-Dispatch (Virginia) - Circuit City Stores Inc. has sliced hundreds of jobs again as it tries to boost its bottom line and better compete in a cutthroat industry. “It makes sense th...
06.01.2007
Glum & Glummer Amid Downturn, Investors Seek Bargains In Retail
New York Post (New York) - Like cost-conscious shoppers, investors have begun to pore through heaps of marked-down retail stocks in search of bargains. A key clue will be whether retailers continue to ...
01.06.2009
How New Backers Are Altering High Fashion
The Wall Street Journal Online (New York) - Flush with cash, private-equity investors have been gobbling up everything from Chrysler to Harrah’s casinos. Now, they are wooing luxury-goods purveyors ...
05.24.2007
Circuit City enters new phase
Richmond Times-Dispatch (Virginia) - Circuit City Stores Inc. continues to have nagging health problems as it nears its 60th birthday Joe Feldman, a retail analyst at Telsey Advisory Group in New York,...
05.24.2007
Consumer hesitation holds down Lowe's profit
The Charlotte Observer (North Carolina) - Lowe’s Companies Inc. reported weaker than expected profits for the first quarter Monday, as consumers remained hesitant to buy big-ticket items for their h...
05.23.2007
Paris. Milan. Hackensack?
The Record (New Jersey) - Salvatore Ferragamo USA picked The Shops at Riverside in Hackensack for its second New Jersey home because it liked the neighbors: Tiffany & Co., Hermes, Burberry and Louis V...
05.22.2007
Home Depot profit falls as investments ramp up
Reuters (New York) - Home Depot Inc., the world’s largest home improvement chain, posted lower-than-expected quarterly profit on Tuesday as the softer U.S. housing market and cooler temperatures hur...
05.16.2007
Wal-Mart pumps up the volume on electronics
USA Today (Virgina) - Wal-Mart will expand its selection of electronics products today, a move sure to ignite more competition in the battle for market share in that retail segment. Best Buy, on the ot...
05.15.2007
Northeast Florida's gilded suitor: Luxury
The Florida Times-Union - Anyone believing that Jacksonville is more suited to the likes of Kohl’s and Wal-Mart than high-end couture is in for a change. And 2007 promises similar growth in the u...
05.15.2007
The Luxury Effect
Retail Traffic Magazine (New York) - Out of nowhere in the summer of 2002, you couldn’t walk down the street — in both cities and suburbs — without tripping over a young mother pushing her baby in a...
05.09.2007
US retailers seen having weaker April results
Reuters (New York) - Recent profit warnings and other negative data suggest that April was a weaker month for many retailers as consumers grapple with a dismal U.S. housing market and rising gasoline pric...
05.01.2007
Armani, Versace Step Into Furniture Fair Spotlight
(Dow Jones, Milan)- With the red carpet parties and herds of international press, Salone Internazionale del Mobile, Milan’s international furniture trade fair, is starting to look a lot like fashion we...
04.23.2007
Designers Eye 'It' Shades
(The Wall Street Journal, New York) – With handbag prices sky-high, makers push sunglasses as entry-level luxuries. When Elizabeth Gryska got a Saks Fifth Avenue gift card, she intended to use it to...
04.21.2007
The Mooresville Globetrotter: Lowe's has visions of growth outside North America
(Home Channel News, New York)- Before ringing up a single retail sale in Canada and Mexico, Lowe’s let it be known that North America isn’t the only continent worthy of consideration as a place t...
04.16.2007
Bagging the baggy
(The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore)- Hip-hop’s XXXL fashion has begun adopting the more slender style lines of skateboarders. On a sunny afternoon at Lexington Market recently, Travis Johnson strolled through ...
04.16.2007
Our world is their oyster; Tiffany-owned pearl store will open in Paramus
(The Record, New Jersey) – North Jersey has a taste for pearls, and Iridesse, a division of Tiffany & Co., is hoping to cultivate that with a new jewelry store opening today at Garden State Plaza i...
04.13.2007
Circuit City Climbs in Afternoon Trading
Associated Press (New York) - Shares of Circuit City Stores Inc. closed higher Wednesday after analysts came away from recent management meetings enthusiastic about the electronics retailer’s prospe...
04.12.2007
Lowes and Home Depot battle in N.J.
The Record (New Jersey) - The front line of the hardware war between Home Depot Inc. and Lowe’s Cos. is at Tonnelle Avenue and 76th Street in North Bergen. What Home Depot is “trying to do ...
04.10.2007
For Bulgari, a New Look and New Ventures
The New York Times (New York) - Francesco Trapani, 50, the chief executive of Bulgari, said the company’s two hotels were its most audacious new ventures. Within the next several years, he said the compan...
04.09.2007
Circuit City posts loss of $12.2 million: More staff changes possible as retailer attempts turnaround
Richmond Times-Dispatch (Virginia) - Circuit City Stores Inc. posted a fourth-quarter net loss of $12.2 million, weakened by falling prices of flat-panel television sets and the costs of turning around it...
04.05.2007
Best Buy profit, Circuit City loss show chains' widening gap
Associated Press (New York) - Everyone knew Circuit City was having a bad fourth quarter. Which made Best Buy’s good one a little bit of a surprise. “I think Best Buy is just executing on a...
04.04.2007
Out of work for making too much money
The Charlotte Observer (North Carolina) - They are words many workers fear: “We’re letting you go for someone we can hire for less.” “I think today people are coming to their se...
04.03.2007
Circuit City cuts higher-paid jobs
OC Register (California) - Chain lays off 3,400, but will let them reapply at lower wage. In O.C., 60 workers at nine stores were let go. Joseph Feldman, an analyst with Telsey Advisory Group in Manhat...
03.30.2007
Wal-Mart's plan to conquer the world
CNNMoney.com (New York) - Despite Wal-Mart’s wobbly track record overseas, industry experts say it’s becoming more crucial than ever for the world’s largest retailer to get its internati...
03.28.2007
Hermes is coming to Hackensack
The Record (New Jersey) - Hermes the ultra-luxury brand known for its $45,000 handbags with the six-month-plus waiting lists, has signed a lease to open its first New Jersey store at The Shops at Riversid...
03.26.2007
Ross reports higher profit, big plans
ContraCostaTimes (California) - Ross Stores Inc., an operator of nearly 800 discount department stores, reported on Wednesday higher sales and profits for its most recent quarter and year and plans to ope...
03.23.2007
Ross' dd's discount chain growing up
ContraCostaTimes (California) - dd’s discounts looks a lot like its older sibling, Ross Dress for Less. Both have stores stocked with one-of-kind and closeout items carried over from other retailers...
03.23.2007
Hermes Second-Half Profit Rises on Japanese Expansion
Bloomberg (New York) - Hermes International SCA’s second- half profit increased 9.1 percent after the French maker of Kelly and Birkin handbags expanded its main Japanese store. “Hermes is ...
03.22.2007
Bulgari May Say Profit Fell on New York Store Costs: Outlook
Bloomberg (New York) - Bulgari SpA, the world’s third-largest jeweler, may say tomorrow fourth-quarter profit dropped because of costs for remodeling the company’s two New York stores. “The...
03.22.2007
Madonna Goes Chic-n-Cheap
Forbes (New York) - The queen of reinvention is at it again, this time as clothing designer. Madonna’s “M by Madonna” fashion and accessories line hits H&M stores worldwide tomorrow....
03.22.2007
Dahling, You Look Simply Maahvelous!
Barron’s (New York) - Saks seems to have turned a corner in its effort to replace the new Saks Fifth Avenue with the old Saks that its well-heeled customers knew and loved. The sector is expected...
03.20.2007
Back to work: Under Frank Blake's leadership, Home Depot builds its store image
Home Channel News (New York) - Atlanta- Walking into Home Depot’s Atlanta headquarters on Paces Ferry Road, visitors will notice the pictures on the walls of the 22-story building’s main lobby...
03.19.2007
New Line of Backers Say 'Too Fickle,' 'Too Risky' Are So Last Season
At a recent New York apparel trade show, Bradley M. Bloom walked the aisles, looking at fabric and fashion trends for fall 2007. Sales of luxury goods, now a $150 billion global market, have been growing ...
03.19.2007
Home Depot workers say new CEO changing culture
Reuters (New York) - Home Depot Inc. staffers and analysts say a change in culture is taking place at the home improvement retailer as its new chief executive reaches out to consumers, workers and investo...
03.19.2007
Stylist Basks in the Stars' Light: Celebrity Lifestyle: Behind-the-scenes talent leads to strolls on the red carpet
National Post (Los Angeles, CA) - Rachel Zoe strums her moods like the strings of a guitar. Her tone, dulcet when she talks about the women she has dressed — Hollywood nymphets like Keira Knightley and Mi...
03.17.2007
Tales of the Tape
DowJones Newswires (New York) - Investors could neglect Williams-Sonoma Inc.’s (WSM) shares like a catalog buried in a stack of mail while the retailer tries to revitalize its Pottery Barn chain. ...
03.15.2007
Shop 'Til You Drop: $63,169 to Dress for Success on Wall Street
Bloomberg (New York) - Dressing for success on Wall Street can get expensive. Consider Christiana Stamoulis, a former investment banker at Goldman Sachs Group Inc., who said in court papers she spent more...
03.14.2007
The Rich and the Poor
WSJ.com (New York) - Lackluster sales results for Wal-Mart Stores in February and the company’s stock performance further a trend that’s persisted in the past four years of this economic boom: namely, sto...
03.09.2007
Remodeling Home Depot
BusinessWeek (New York) - Home Depot, promising to fix itself up under new CEO Frank Blake, got cheers from investors, who welcomed the $90 billion company’s honesty in admitting it needed turning a...
03.09.2007
American Eagle spin-off struggles to reach new base
Pittsburg Post-Gazette (Pennsylvania) - American Eagle Outfitters Inc. seems to be having an easier time getting into the underwear business than into the heads of 25- to 40-year-olds. The stumbles at ...
03.08.2007
Gap Pulls Plug on New Concept
The Street (New York) - Gap (GPS) said Monday that it will pull the plug on its 18-month-old Forth & Towne concept to focus on its struggling existing brands. Dana Telsey, CEO and chief research of...
02.27.2007
Wal-Mart's 9.8% earnings surprise; But Home Depot profit drops expected 28%
USA Today (New York) - Two retail giants announced fourth-quarter and year-end earnings Tuesday, one surprising analysts and one not. Dana Telsey of Telsey Advisory Group sees retailers being reinvigor...
02.23.2007
Sears, Kmart Share Top Merchant As Wurl Fills Expanded Position
Home Furnishings News (New York) - Sears and Kmart will share a top home merchant for the first time With one merchant overseeing both chains’ home businesses it raises the issue of “how Se...
02.22.2007
To get rich customers, drugstores selling European cosmetics
The Florida Times-Union (Florida) - Taking a cue from department stores and beauty emporium Sephora, drugstores such as Walgreens and CVS Pharmacy are sprucing up their beauty departments with airy displa...
02.06.2007
Gucci's High Style—and Growing Revenues
Business Week.com (New York) - The luxury label has overcome sluggish sales and rebounded, thanks to savvy branding strategies. “The challenges are, you’ve got this tremendous history you n...
02.05.2007
Fairfax affluence draws new retailers to Tysons
The Washington Examiner (District of Columbia) - Twice a year Telsey Advisory Group, one of the nation’s most respected retail analysis firms, takes their institutional investor clients shopping. The trip...
02.02.2007
Home Depot dives as Lowe's thrives
The Charlotte Observer (North Carolina) - Home Depot dives as Lowe’s thrives Steady management a key to Mooresville firm’s success Nichole Monroe Bell. “The issues with Home Depot jus...
01.28.2007
Gap seeks rescue CEO
The Mercury News (California) - Gap, the troubled retailer in search of a new chief executive officer, is running on autopilot. Sell some or all of the company. Vera Van Ert, specialty store analyst wi...
01.25.2007
Williams-Sonoma, Home Depot Reel as Home-Furnishing Cools
Bloomberg (New York) - Macy’s, the flagship chain of Federated Department Stores Inc., is promoting ``amazing deals’’ and free shipping on bedding and china. Williams-Sonoma Inc.’s...
01.26.2007
Retailer sets sights on Mexico
The Charlotte Observer (North Carolina) - Mooresville-based Lowe’s Cos. Inc. said Wednesday it plans to expand into Mexico in two years as part of its strategy to expand the company’s internat...
01.25.2007
Coach 2Q Net Up 30.6%, Raises Guidance for 2007
WWD.com (New York) - Coach Inc., which easily beat Wall Street’s second-quarter expectations, raised its full-year 2007 guidance Tuesday, and indicated that with a $7 billion playground, the company...
01.24.2007
Son of Gap founder replaces struggling CEO
USA Today (New York) - Gap and CEO Paul Pressler “mutually agreed” he would resign from the struggling apparel chain Monday and be replaced by a son of the company founder. “This is n...
01.24.2007
Rich America, Poor America
Barron’s (New York) - Twenty-five apartments in Manhattan sold for more than $20 million in 2005, up from five in 2004, with a few fetching $40 million-plus. NetJets couldn’t meet the enormous...
01.22.2007
Nardelli era ends at Home Depot
Home Channel News (New York) - Just two days after ringing in 2007, and a few weeks removed from a vote of confidence in its CEO, Home Depot’s board of directors and its top executive parted ways, m...
01.18.2007
Who'd Buy The Gap?
Forbes (New York) - The 3,050-store chain has hired Goldman Sachs to explore strategic alternatives, including the sale of some or all of its stores. Finding a buyer is gonna be tough—especially at ...
01.11.2007
Analysts looks to fresh new start for apparel retailers
Associated Press (New York) - With a disappointing holiday season behind them, the nation’s apparel merchants are regrouping and rethinking their strategies for 2007. “This is a time for re...
01.10.2007
The Big Picture: What It Takes to Grow in 2007
WWD.com (New York) - Although the business of fashion and retailing is getting tougher and tougher, there is plenty of room to expand and grow a brand, according to a panel of industry experts who shared ...
01.08.2007
Home Depot's new CEO has much repair work to do
Reuters (New York) - Home Depot Inc.’s new chairman and chief executive, Frank Blake, has a ton of repair work to do for shareholders, workers and consumers, experts said this week. At the stores...
01.05.2007
Nardelli out at Home Depot
CNN Money.com (New York) - No. 1 home improvement retailer gives ex-CEO $210 million package; vice chairman Frank Blake takes the helm. “The timing of his departure is a big question,” said...
01.04.2007
New Home Depot CEO Relatively Short On Retail Experience
Dow Jones Newswires (New York) - Home Depot Inc.’s (HD) new chairman and chief executive has a formidable resume when it comes to strategy and deal making, but relatively little experience in the re...
01.04.2007
Nardelli quits at Home Depot, Blake named new CEO
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia) - Home Depot Chairman and Chief Executive Bob Nardelli has resigned from the Atlanta-based home improvement retailer, the company said Wednesday. “A lot...
01.04.2007
New Owners of Struggling Eddie Bauer Face Challenges: Can retail PE pros breathe new life into a quality but languishing brand?
Mergers & Acquisitions (New York) - Despite being savvy investors in the retail and consumer products sectors, Sun Capital Partners and Golden Gate Capital have their work cut out for them in revitali...
01.03.2007
Final week before Christmas was on low side of expectations
The Dallas Morning News (Texas) - The holiday retail season appears to be a mixed bag for major chain stores. "We're not sure why there's so much doom and gloom," said Joseph Feldman, a managing direc...
12.28.2006
Stores cut prices to meet holiday sales goals
CNN Money.com (New York) - Robust sales over Christmas weekend were too little too late; total holiday sales gains fell short versus last year. Joseph Feldman, research analyst with Telsey Advisory Gro...
12.26.2006
Weekend is the final call for last-minute shoppers 'Full Saturday and Sunday before Christmas' has retailers looking toward strong finish
The Dallas Morning News (Texas) - Today is expected to be the biggest shopping day of the season, with spenders well outnumbering browsers on the final weekend before Christmas. “It’s the p...
12.23.2006
THE SANTA PAUSE: H’Day Weekend Shoppers Waiting Til Last Minute
The New York Post (New York) - While shoppers have become ever more adept at waiting until the last minute to nab the best holiday bargains, this year promises to be more of a nail-biter than usual, analy...
12.23.2006
Style & Substance: Outshouted by Prada and Gucci, Goyard Quietly Attracts the People Who Count
The Wall Street Journal (New York) - IN THE WORLD of fashionable accessories and luggage, where the recognizable brands of Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Prada scream luxury, Goyard only whispers the word—...
12.21.2006
Hey big spender, want to live life in the luxe lane? Give these over-the-top gifts a spin
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia) - In less than eight minutes, Saks Fifth Avenue sold all 20 special-edition 2007 Mercedes-Benz CL600s in its gift catalog for a cool $160,000 each. Neiman Marcus...
12.21.2006
Retailers Poised For Markdowns Heading Into Holiday Home Stretch
WWD.com (New York) - With two weekends left before Christmas, retailers face warmer weather and consumers are waiting for the “big sale.” Some retailers already have pulled the trigger on thei...
12.21.2006
Sink or Swim
dailyii (New York) - Maybe you can have too much of a good thing. In 2003, as part of the $1.4 billion global settlement designed to address Wall Street’s conflict-of-interest ills, the Securities and Exc...
12.21.2006
High-Heeled Moccasins Sell for $495, Mink Ponchos for $11,600
Bloomberg.com (New York) - Madison Avenue’s high-end retailers are brimming with $2,000 satchels, fur ponchos and chunky diamond watches. Are holiday shoppers biting? I hit the priciest strip, betwe...
12.19.2006
Shopping for the common good
The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville, FL ) - This season, going shopping may be your best chance to splurge in the name of charity. Indeed, products that benefit charities are often a big draw for con...
12.19.2006
Best Buy Debuts Cell Phone Concept Store in New York
DDI (New York) - Best Buy Co. Inc., Richfield, Minn., recently launched a pilot program in New York, banking on the idea that customers want more options for cell phone technology and service, according t...
12.19.2006
Home Depot's map quest: The retailer pursues several routes of expansion beyond the box
Home Channel News (New York) - In the current market, with housing sales in decline, throwing down new stores across the map in rapid-fire fashion just won’t cut it anymore – particularly for ...
12.19.2006
Federated Ink - This Year, The Mega-Retailer Generated All The News That's Fit To Print - And Then Some
Footwear News (New York) - On Saturday, Sept. 9, the U.S. woke up to a national Macy’s -and the accompanying media blitz made sure that everyone knew it. “They were the ones, the newsmaker,...
12.11.2006
Spend, Spend, Spend: Luxury Retailers Predict Boom for Holiday
WWD (New York) - Wal-Mart might be having a tough holiday season so far, but at the luxury end of the spectrum, over-the-top extravagance seems to be the name of the game. And brands are out to capital...
12.04.2006
Asprey Heads To Madison
Forbes.com (New York) - For Wal-Mart, opening a single store is no big deal. But for Asprey, the 225-year-old British luxury goods purveyor, taking a new space on New York’s tony Madison Avenue this...
12.04.2006
Big-name stores like what they see here
Azstarnet.com (Arizona) - In terms of shopping, Tucson won’t measure up any time soon to San Diego, Dallas or even Phoenix. And those factors bode well for Tucson, said James Hurley, managing dir...
12.04.2006
Tiffany profit up, holiday sales ahead of plan
Reuters (New York) - Luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co. Inc. reported a 22 percent rise in quarterly profit Wednesday and said holiday sales growth was above expectations so far, sending its stock up 7 per...
11.30.2006
NEXT UP - Wal-Mart's rivals likely to shine at its expense
Reuters (New York) - Wal-Mart dented optimism for the holiday retailing outlook earlier this week with its cautious overview of November’s sales, but investors should bank on hearing a different sto...
11.30.2006
Shoppers off to Modest Start
NJBIZ (New Jersey) - Though shoppers came out for Black Friday and crowded stores across the country, lukewarm sales from the weekend and Monday’s news about Wal-Mart’s 0.1 percent decline in ...
11.29.2006
Chico's Styles Growth In White House/Black Market; Facing financial challenges, retailer fashions new attack.
Brandweek (New York) -Despite having been on a growth jag for the past 10 years, Chico’s is experiencing its share of woes. Fashion missteps this summer resulted in the retailer’s first declin...
11.27.2006
Is Sarasota a Tiffany's Market?
HeraldTribune.com (Florida) - There is something about Southwest Florida these days that makes a neighborhood Tiffany store not seem like such a crazy idea. “I think Sarasota’s sort of cons...
11.27.2006
Shopping Pop; Black Friday Crowds Good Omen For Holiday Retail
New York Post (New York) The holiday shopping season got off to a whirlwind start yesterday, as a combination of earlier opening times, bargains galore and crisp fall weather across much of the country cr...
11.25.2006
Retail 'Black Friday' poised to be best in years
Reuters (New York) - This year’s “Black Friday” could be the strongest opening to the holiday shopping season in years if the droves of Americans eager to exploit early-bird specials are...
11.24.2006
Target, Best Buy expect plenty of jingle
Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal (Minnesota) - Local retailers Target and Best Buy are in line for a busy holiday shopping season, but a full-fledged price war with Wal-Mart could cut into their sale...
11.24.2006
Shopping in a Window Wonderland
Business Week (New York) Holiday shoppers strolling down Chicago’s stylish Michigan Avenue are accustomed to the extravagant window displays beckoning consumers to buy pricey gifts. But this year, t...
11.23.2006
Investors, analysts set for retailers' Black Friday
Reuters (New York) - Dana Telsey will hurry into a New Jersey mall at 5 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving, but instead of shopping for holiday bargains, the independent analyst will be counting shoppers and...
11.22.2006
Black Friday's impact may be waning
ContraCostaTimes.com (California) - Some retailers have been trying to lure shoppers into stores early this year to start holiday shopping, but for many shoppers, the kick off date has been, is and always...
11.22.2006
Holiday shoppers, on your marks, get set for great deals, go
The Arizona Republic (Arizona) - Shop early, shop often. That is the plea from retailers as consumers with wish lists, credit cards and comfortable shoes start their holiday shopping. “With pric...
11.22.2006
Profits up, but Lowe's hurt by housing slump
The Charlotte Observer (North Carolina) - Mooresville-based Lowe’s Companies Inc. reported Monday that third-quarter profits rose to $716 million – an 11 percent jump over the same period last...
11.22.2006
Holiday retailers can't wait
The Seattle Times (Washington) - At the Old Navy near Southcenter, the tinsel trees went up five days before Halloween. The Christmas ornaments at Cost Plus? Dangling by late August. Retail analyst Dan...
11.20.2006
Valentino Hopeful After CEO's Fashionable Exit
Forbes.com (New York) - Michele Norsa is gone from luxury fashion house Valentino, but apparently not forgotten. The departed chief executive, who left the firm last month to join rival Ferragamo Group, w...
11.15.2006
Retail stocks jump on heels of Wal-Mart, Target
Reuters (New York) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Target Corp. posted better-than-expected quarterly earnings on Tuesday, sending retail shares higher as investors placed bets on a strong fourth-quarter hol...
11.14.2006
Flat-panel TV price cuts accelerate ahead of Black Friday
Market Watch.com (New York) - Consumer electronics retailers are accelerating price cuts on flat-screen televisions ahead of Black Friday, which could mean bargains for shoppers. Many analysts had been...
11.13.2006
Gap, others, see "Red" for the U.S. holiday season
Reuters (New York) - Charity Red is the new black this holiday season, but for many companies even a high level of global altruism may not be enough to push their own finances any further into the black. ...
11.12.2006
Luxury Items Find Home In NWA
The Morning News (Arkansas) - Bill Schwyhart was one of the first few hundred customers to shop at the new Dillard’s in Pinnacle Promenade in Rogers when it opened recently. He went there to purchas...
11.12.2006
Kohl's quarterly profit rises 45 percent
Reuters (New York) - Kohl’s Corp. said on Thursday its third-quarter earnings jumped 45 percent as the department store operator opened new stores and its focus on offering exclusive, name-brand mer...
11.09.2006
Dept. Stores' October Comps Strong, Wal-Mart Forecast Weak
WWD.com (New York) - October comps blew hot and cold as department stores sizzled and some specialty retailers fizzled because of their fashion mix, but the surprise was Wal-Mart’s forecast of flat ...
11.03.2006
Wal-Mart's poor showing deals retail stocks a blow; Weakness not expected to mean slow holiday season
USA Today (New York) - Falling fuel prices were supposed to give retail stocks a lift. They did, until just running out of gas. But investors who figure Wal-Mart’s disappointing results are harbi...
11.03.2006
Tahari on a Tear
Time (New York) - The sportswear innovator is taking his contemporary outfit upscale with a luxury twist. “Tahari’s success comes from the fact that the look is not too fashion forward and ...
11.02.2006
New Billion-Dollar Baby: Dolce & Gabbana Sales Top Benchmark in 2006
WWD.com (New York) -MILAN — Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana referenced Napoleon Bonaparte in their fall collection, and their company’s annual report provides even more evidence the duo is buildi...
10.30.2006
What Do Women Want? Just Ask
The New York Times (New York) - Some are “identifying stores that have more female shoppers and offering additional services,” including sales support, customized signs and special product displays, said ...
10.29.2006
The Quiet Giant
Trump (New York) - Richemont, a South African luxury conglomerate, wins customers over with Love. “They’ve got a very powerful collection of brands,” says James Hurley, a luxury-goods analyst with the ...
10.16.2006
Home Depot Exec Shuffle Raises CFO's Stock
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia) - Home Depot finance chief Carol Tome, the only senior executive who served under company founders Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank, took a big step toward a possi...
10.16.2006
Tiffany, Vuitton Set Up in Nashville as Luxe Stores Branch Out
Bloomberg.com (New York) - E. Kelly Sanford, a sociology professor at Tennessee State University in Nashville, no longer has to go hundreds of miles to pull out his credit card at Tiffany’s and Loui...
10.11.2006
Talbots Takes on Seasonal Weak Spot
The Wall Street Journal Online (New York) - Over the past three years, fall hasn’t been friendly to the Hingham, Mass., women’s clothier. In 2003, Talbots reported a third-quarter profit decli...
10.11.2006
Apparel Maker Copies Fashionable Business Trend
The Wall Street Journal Online (New York) - MILAN—Members of luxury-goods maker Salvatore Ferragamo’s controlling family were in Los Angeles yesterday for a red-carpet reception in Hollywood t...
10.10.2006
Shopping Meets Style in New Store
Los Angeles Daily News (California) - CANOGA PARK: To help a store opening in Southern California, a marketer polled shoppers: What is Nordstrom? The overwhelming answer: a refrigerator dealer. Analys...
10.10.2006
Cautious Optimism' - Merchants' outlook is good but not great
The Sacramento Bee (California) - Talk with retailers and analysts about the upcoming holiday shopping season, and the phrase “cautious optimism” will probably pop up early in the conversation...
10.10.2006
Retailers Beat Earnings Expectations
U.S. News & World Report (Online) - Retailers beat Wall Street’s expectations left and right this morning when they released their closely watched “same-store sales” figures for Sept...
10.06.2006
Telsey: Retailers RE-inventing To Boost Sales
Homeworld Business (New York) - Retail expert Dana Telsey thinks this is an exciting time for retailing. “There are too many stores and lots of people are shopping”. she said. She attributes...
09.29.2006
Retailers Try to Train Shoppers to Buy Now
USA Today (Virginia) - They spent years drawing consumers into stores with highly publicized sales and markdowns. Now retailers and their vendors are struggling to convert sale shoppers to full-price buye...
09.27.2006
Costco Cuts View, Citing Markdowns On Pricey Goods
The Wall Street Journal Online (New York) - Costco Wholesale Corp. said it expects fiscal fourth-quarter profit to miss Wall Street’s forecasts, joining other middle- to high-end retailers who have ...
09.25.2006
Forging the Future
WWD.COM (New York) - Salvatore Ferragamo Italia SpA is preparing to enter the next phase of its life — on the stock market. Last month the company hired Valentino SpA chief executive Michele Norsa and ...
09.25.2006
Bulgari Makes Style Statement With Accessories-Only Stores
The Wall Street Journal Online (New York) - MILAN—As the city prepares for this week’s women’s fashion shows, luxury jeweler Bulgari SpA has unveiled its own brand-stretching plan to inc...
09.25.2006
A Whole New J. Crew
AVENUE (New York) - With innovative leadership in place, the brand known for perfecting casual, classic clothing is adding black label luxury designs to its traditionally cool mix. Dana Telsey, who has...
09.18.2006
Best Buy profit rises, flat panel TV demand robust
Reuters (New York) - Best Buy Co. Inc. on Tuesday reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit, boosted by new store openings and sales of high-priced electronics, easing fears that consumers were pu...
09.13.2006
Green Is the New Black
Time (New York) - Fashion is suddenly a hot commodity for private-equity firms flush with cash. From Paris to New York City, they’re taking their seat in the proverbial front row and betting on a bu...
09.13.2006
Marriages Made to Profit
WWD.com At an unprecedented rate, established accessories players are forming partnerships through mergers and acquisitions with independent accessories labels, and industry experts said the trend shows n...
09.11.2006
Macy's hopes to win shoppers as it puts its name on Foley's, other stores
Dallas News (Texas) Macy’s is putting its best foot forward at all 800 stores this weekend as it officially places its name on Foley’s and 10 other regional department store chains. Parent Fed...
09.09.2006
Marketing Seen Key To US Retailers Holidays
Reuters (New York) Retailers may turn in a strong holiday season performance if they have successful advertising campaigns, says retail analyst Dana Telsey, allaying retail investors’ fears about fa...
09.07.2006
Tiffany, Zale Results Solid but Don't Dazzle
Reuters (New York) Jewelers Tiffany & Co. Inc. and Zale Corp. on Thursday reported strong revenue growth, but both posted lower gross margins, which helped push their shares down. Tiffany blamed hi...
08.31.2006
Marc Jacobs Wants to Carry Your Books
Business Week Online Luxury spending is up. Luckily, Mizrahi and Vuitton have back-to-school (or work) bags to start you off in style. It’s that time again: once Labor Day passes, it’s bye-...
08.30.2006
Competition Grows As Brands Lose Places To Hang Their Wares
USA Today (McLean, VA) Walk into the Hecht’s department store at Tysons Corner Center mall here and the first thing you’ll likely notice are all the Macy’s signs going up. The next easil...
08.29.2006
August Retail Sales To Hint At Holiday Winners
Reuters (New York) August retail sales, always an important measure of back-to-school consumer demand, have taken on even more significance this year amid fears about rising interest rates, higher energy ...
08.29.2006
TALES OF THE TAPE: Gap Falters With Early Fall Fashions
Dow Jones (New York) If you’re wondering whether Gap Inc.’s (GPS) fashions are finally on the mend, it depends whom you ask. Claire von Derau says it had been a matter of years – not sea...
08.23.2006
Back to Shopping School Season = More Spending
Daily News By the time Frauenfelder, 38, of Tarzana, is done shopping at the Woodland Hills Target, she estimates she will have shelled out $200 to $300. “I still spend more for vacation and holiday...
08.21.2006
Lowe's 2Q Net Up 11%; Co Lowers FY07 EPS View
Dow Jones (Charlotte) Lowe’s Cos. (LOW) on Monday reported that fiscal second-quarter profit rose 11.4%, but the home-improvement retailer lowered its sales and earnings outlook for the second half ...
08.21.2006
Home Hardware Rally Faces Test From Lowe's Earnings
Reuters (New York) A nascent rally in shares of home hardware companies could hinge in part on the outlook from Lowe’s Cos. Inc. , the No. 2 home improvement chain, at the start of next week. Mak...
08.21.2006
Limited Quarterly Profit Up, Outlook Cautious
Reuters (Los Angeles) Limited Brands Inc. posted a 39 percent rise in second-quarter earnings on Wednesday, meeting a better-than-expected forecast it gave on Tuesday, on strong sales at its Victoria̵...
08.18.2006
AnnTaylor Profit Jumps, Forecast Is Raised
Reuters (New York) AnnTaylor Stores Corp. on Friday posted better-than-expected quarterly earnings on strong sales of its business and casual clothing for women at full price. The company, which also rais...
08.18.2006
Gap 2Q Profit Falls, Lowers Year View
Associated Press (New York) Gap Inc. reported on Thursday that second-quarter profit dropped by more than 50 percent because of sluggish sales and “aggressive” discounting and dramatically cut...
08.17.2006
Gap Posts Lower Quarterly Net Profit, Cuts View
Reuters (Los Angeles) Gap Inc. on Thursday said quarterly net profit fell 53 percent, hurt by aggressive markdowns, higher marketing costs, and declining same-store sales that dogged the company during th...
08.17.2006
July Comp Results Fail to Clarify Retail Outlook
WWD.com (New York, NY) Retail same-store sales presented a mixed picture in July as the impact of higher gas prices and hotter than-normal temperatures decelerated consumer spending… “The w...
08.04.2006
Strong Sales Boost Coach Net 31%
WWD.com (New York, NY) NEW YORK — Consistently bringing to market fashionable handbags and accessories drove Coach Inc.’s fourth-quarter sales up 23 percent and pushed profits up nearly 31 percent&#...
08.02.2006
Former Bear Stearns Analyst Launches Telsey Advisory Group
Home Furnishing News (New York, NY) Former Bear Stearns analyst Dana Telsey has formed Telsey Advisory Group here, an independent, equity research firm covering the broad-lines, hard-lines, luxury-goods a...
08.02.2006
Telsey Advisory Group Launches With Coverage On 38 Companies
Integrity Research Associates (Darien, CT) Dana Telsey, one of Institutional Investor’s top ranked retail sector analysts over the past decade, announced today that her newly launched independent re...
08.01.2006
Analysts' Forecast: Despite Hurdles, Shoe Biz Still Solid
Footwear News (New York, NY) Dana Telsey and Vera Van Ert were recently featured in the June 26th edition of Footwear News. The 5-page article is available here: Footwear News Article, June 26, 2006