Budgets/Spending/Market Size

Atlanta -- Hurricane Sandy impacted spending in the Northeast, according to First Data’s most recent SpendTrend report, which analyzed date for the full month of October 2012 compared with October 2011. SpendTrend tracks same-store consumer spending by credit, signature debit, PIN debit, EBT, closed-loop prepaid cards and checks at U.S. merchant locations.

New York -- Companies remain committed to constructing green buildings, according to a survey by Turner Construction Co. The company’s 2012 Green Building Market Barometer found that while executives remained committed to incorporating sustainable building practices into their building programs, fewer said their companies were likely to seek LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council when constructing a green building.

New York -- Holiday sales will reach a record $556.8 billion, a sluggish 2.8% increase from 2011, according to retail consultancy Customer Growth Partners’ 11th annual Holiday Forecast.  

New York -- Hurricane Sandy is being held responsible for reducing U.S. retail sales in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast region by about $4 billion last week, according to MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse.

According to the report, the region, which accounts for about 24% of retail sales nationwide, typically generates $18.7 billion in sales for that particular week ended Saturday, the Associated Press reported. But revenue came in at about $15 billion. (The figures exclude auto sales.)

Reston, Va. -- Online retail spending in the United States reached $41.9 billion in the third quarter, up 15% versus year ago, according to comScore. This represents the twelfth consecutive quarter of positive year-over-year growth and eighth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth.

New York -- Cache reported Tuesday a loss of $6.4 million for the quarter ended Sept. 29, widened from a loss of $1.8 million in the year-ago period.

Sales dropped 5.9% to $45.8 million, and same-store sales declined 2.9%.

The retailer is currently on a hunt for a new president.

North Bergen, N.J. -- Vitamin Shoppe Inc. reported Tuesday that net income for the third quarter leaped 36.8% to $16.3 million, from $11.9 million last year.

Revenue rose 14.4% to $239 million, missing Wall Street’s expectations of $241.8 million in revenue. Same-store sales surged 9.6%, marking the company’s 28th consecutive quarter of positive comps.

For the current year, Vitamin Shoppe said it expects to open 52 new stores and, for fiscal 2013, the preliminary forecast is to open 57 new stores.

Boca Raton, Fla. -- Office Depot Inc. reported Tuesday a loss of $61.9 million for the third quarter, compared with net income of $100.9 million in the same period last year. Results still edged analysts’ expectations.

Revenue dropped 5.1% to $2.69 billion, missing Wall Street’s expected $2.89 billion revenue mark.

Revenue for the office supply chain has fallen for the past three quarters.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens on Monday reported October sales of $6 billion, down 2.1% compared with October 2011. The results include the brunt of the impact from Hurricane Sandy — at the peak of the storm, approximately 750 of 1,400 stores in the impacted area were closed, Walgreens said. Nearly all of those locations have since reopened.

Total same-store sales were down 5.9%.