Outlet stores have come a long way, baby. No longer mere repositories of last season's cast-offs, factory stores are now among the healthiest retail sectors, hawking new, trendy items made expressly for them. Credit the recession for the change -- and for more reasons than you'd expect.
Outlet stores have come a long way, baby. No longer mere repositories of last season's cast-offs, factory stores are now among the healthiest retail sectors, hawking new, trendy items made expressly for them. Credit the recession for the change -- and for more reasons than you'd expect.
June's tepid retail sales numbers are already casting a pall over the industry's outlook for autumn -- and they may bode ill for the winter, too.
Here are some of the items that will help shape the week that lies ahead on Wall Street: Retailers will report; video games will rebound; Howard Stern will re-energize, and Groupon will retrench.
NBC's design reality show Fashion Star wants viewers to vote -- with their wallets. The day after each episode, the line of that week's winning designer will be on sale at major retailers. Real fashions for real viewers to spend their real paychecks on. Clever -- but will it sell?
There's never a dull moment on Wall Street, especially now that the market's climbing as nicely as Jeremy Lin's stock over the past two weeks. Let's go over some of the items that will help shape the week that lies ahead.
Many retailers are reporting solid sales gains for December, capping a decent holiday season, but shoppers bent on discounts exacted a high price.
Retailers are reporting strong sales gains in November, boosted by a discount-fueled spending binge for the start of the holiday shopping season last weekend. Now, the challenge is to keep shoppers spending throughout the most important selling period of the year.
July retail sales were solid, with Costco, Macy's, JC Penney, Nordstron and Saks Fifth Avenue all beating expectations. Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners, the retail consultancy, says we could be having the best back-to-school selling season since 2006.
Firecracker remnants may still dot the nation's sidewalks, but retail forecasters are already talking about back-to-school shopping season -- and they're happy to do so. The improved economic environment is setting the stage for sales gains in everything from tablet computers to bold-colored jeans.
On Memorial Day weekend, retailers pull out all the stops to move fresh merchandise, and if you play your cards right, you can get some great deals. But even though it's the semi-official start of summer, you'll want to do your homework first. (Don't worry, you can cheat off of DailyFinance's personal finance columnist, Regina Lewis.)
Shoppers shrugged off higher gas prices and cool temperatures to give retailers a surprisingly strong March. "There is still a significant amount of pent-up demand,"said Ken Perkins, president of RetailMetrics LLC, a research firm. "I think the job recovery is catching on."
Retailers got some unexpected love from shoppers in the form of strong February sales. But whether consumers repeat the feat in spring could depend on gasoline prices and how they feel about their finances. So, March could be tough.
Many of America's best-known retailers, including Walmart, Home Depot and JCPenney, will be stepping into the earnings spotlight this week. Their reports come on the heels of disappointing January retail sales numbers from the Commerce Department.
U.S. shoppers piled up the presents under their Christmas trees, but retailers were still a bit disappointed. The Commerce Department's official tally shows what many suspected: Consumers did most of their holiday buying early this year.
As retailers wrapped up their earnings reports this week, most said they're back in cost-control mode and will tighten inventories after the holidays. Shoppers are still spending cautiously and costs are on the rise, so profits will have to be squeezed out of slowly rising sales.
Shoppers are still being careful with their money and hunting for bargains, but generally positive October sales numbers suggest that consumers are beginning to look beyond the basics.
Consumers are still cautious about spending as the effects of the recession linger. But many retailers are feeling more optimistic as we head into the holiday shopping season. Here's a look at the people who are leading retail out of the doldrums.
Knowing customers' likes and dislikes is about as basic as it gets in retailing. But for years, national department stores got it wrong. More concerned with controlling costs, big retailers focused on sameness. Not anymore.
Despite heat waves, penny-pinching parents and a weak job market, most retailers posted solid sales in August. They benefited from better inventory control -- giving local stores more say in merchandising -- and well-timed promotions.
Saks shares have spiked on takeover speculation. Reports say a private equity consortium with U.S. and U.K. players is interested in buying the retailer and could offer some $1.7 billion for it.
With the prospects for economic recovery iffy at best and consumer spending still sluggish, retailers are closing their weakest stores in order to protect profits.
The earnings spotlight falls on retailers this week, and expectations are high for many of them, including Abercrombie & Fitch and Dollar Tree, which has benefited from the recession and slow recovery.
The latest update from retailers shows that shoppers tightened their budgets in April, partly due to an earlier Easter. But after a March shopping spree, one expert says "overall, retailers have to be pleased with the spring selling season."
Macy's didn't waste a good economic crisis last year -- it restructured, refreshed its stores and products and rebounded with what looks to be a strong first quarter, prompting management to raise performance forecasts for the year. In the works: a fashion line from superstar Madonna.
The early arrivals of Easter and spring got shoppers out of hibernation in March. However, experts caution about reading too much into most retailers' strong sales numbers. The trends underlying double-digit sales gains show shoppers are still counting pennies.
