Budgets/Spending/Market Size

After spending more on school supplies and electronics in 2014, parents this year will head into the back-to-school season evaluating what their children really need before spending on new items.

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation on Wednesday asked the Labor Department to give businesses more time to respond to the administration’s proposal to expand overtime saying the plan’s “drastic changes” will require “extensive analysis” and require companies to speculate on “hypothetical proposals.”

Quebec -- The Quebec City-based Simons department store chains is planning to extend its brand across Canada, according to Canada’s Global News.

The 175-year-old Canadian retailer - plans to spend up to $200 million over the next four years on its expansion plan, which will result in eight additional stores openings across the country, the report said.

New York -- Chain Store Age magazine is accepting nominations for its 11th annual “Top Redevelopers” listing, which recognizes shopping center owners and developers’ retail redevelopment efforts over the last 12 months. Selections will be based on square footage redeveloped between June 30, 2014 and June 30, 2015, financial investment, and project significance.

San Diego – Net income at warehouse club retailer PriceSmart Inc. stayed essentially flat at $21.2 million during the third quarter of fiscal 2015, compared to $21.3 million in the prior year period. Meanwhile, total revenues rose 13% to $697.1 million, from to $615 million.

Higher income taxes kept PriceSmart’s profits flat even as rising export sales and membership income boosted total revenues. Same-store sales increased 4% during June 2015, compared to the same month in the previous year.
 

San Jose, Calif. – An analysis of June sales by store analytics provider RetailNext served up mixed results.

Although overall sales suffered a year-over-year decline in June 2015, retailers can take solace in the fact the consumers who were shopping spent more money. According to RetailNext’s Retail Performance Pulse report, June experienced a 3.3% year-over-year increase in sales per shopper, one of the strongest performances in any month of 2015 so far.
 

Just months after being named the nation's best department store by USA Today, Stein Mart is reporting a big jump in same store sales for June.

The Florida-based retailer reported total sales for the five-week period ended July 4 of $121.7 million, a 7.5% increase over total sales of $113.2 million for the five-week period ended July 5, 2014. Same store sales for the five-week period ended July 4 increased 5.8% from June 2014.

Atlanta – Home furnishings retailer Havertys is on a roll. Sales for the second quarter of fiscal 2015 increased 7% to $187.7 million from $175.1 million a year earlier, and the company plans to open a new store in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in the third quarter.  

Same-store sales for the quarter increased 4.8%. Total written sales increased 5% and written same-store sales increased 2.4%. Havertys also plans to complete two store renovations in the third quarter.