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Pier 1 Q3 profit up, beats Street
Fort Worth, Texas -- Pier 1 Imports Inc.'s third-quarter profit climbed 10% to $23 million from $21 million a year earlier, better than analysts expected.
Revenue increased 8% to $382.7 million from $353.8 million, boosted by a higher average ticket and more traffic. Same-store sales were up 7%.
The retailer also said Thursday that its sales so far in December are strong and that it expected the momentum to continue until Christmas.
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NRF boosts holiday forecast
WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation is putting its faith in the holidays by upgrading its spending forecast for the season.
After initially anticipating sales growth of 2.8%, the NRF said it now expects holiday sales to rise 3.8% to $469.1 billion. The projection may be lower than the 5.2% increase the retail industry saw last year, but the group said a number of factors, such as strong year-over-year sales and the fact that not all consumers have completed their holiday shopping lists, could provide the industry with a great gift after all.