Budgets/Spending/Market Size

Washington, D.C. -- Americans will spend a little bit more on dad this year, stretching their budgets enough to show their favorite man just how much he is appreciated, according to a survey by the National Retail Foundation.

The group, 2013 Father’s Day spending survey, conducted by BIGinsight, found that the average consumer will shell out $119.84 on dad’s gifts this year, up from $117.14 last year. Total spending for Father’s Day is expected to reach $13.3 billion.

Chicago -- During a morning keynote session on Wednesday at the Internet Retailer Conference in Chicago, former Vice President and self-described “recovering politician” Al Gore related a couple of interesting facts about how the Internet is shaping modern commerce. First, he stated that when an online network increases in size its value increases by a squared amount, so that for example a network that doubles its number of users quadruples in value.

Dallas – Neiman Marcus had a strong third quarter fiscal 2013, reporting a substantial increase in net earnings as well as growth total revenues and same store sales.

Net earnings grew 13% compared to third quarter of last year, from $62.6 million to $70.8 million from $62.6 million.

Total revenues increased 4%, from $1.06 billion to $1.1 billion.

Same store sales grew 3.6%.

New Orleans -- Stirling Properties and JCH Development have announced a joint venture to develop the first 6,000-sq. ft. building of Magnolia Marketplace Shopping Center in New Orleans at the intersection of South Claiborne Avenue and Fourth Street. A second phase of the development will commence this fall at South Claiborne and Toledano.

New York -- Research released by IBISWorld showed that Father’s Day sales are forecast to total $13 billion in 2013, a 2% year-over-year increase. Results are expected to get a boost from the overall rise in consumer spending.

Special outings, such as dining out and watching sporting events, are expected to account for the largest share of Father’s Day spending this year, contributing 18.8% of total holiday sales, up 3.5% from 2012.

Tokyo -- A Sunday report by Bloomberg said that 7-Eleven parent Seven & I Holdings Co. is planning more acquisitions here and may more than double the number of c-store stores it operates in North America.

The company “could increase our store number to 20,000 or even 30,000 [in North America],” chairman Toshifumi Suzuki told Bloomberg in an interview.  7-Eleven currently has more than 8,000 convenience stores in North America.

No time-frame for the planned expansion has been defined.

Thanks to a rebounding economy, dads this year stand to get more than just a boring tie, a pair of socks or a pat on the back for Father's Day.

According to industry research firm IBISWorld, Father's Day sales are expected to total $13 billion this year, a 2% increase from 2012. Traditional Father’s Day gifts, such as automotive accessories and clothing, will take a backseat to gift choices reflecting economic recovery, like home-improvement tools. This increase is mainly due to the overall rise in consumer spending during the past year.

The Kids In Need Foundation will hold its 15th annual Kids In Need Foundation Education Celebration Gala Wednesday, Sept. 25, at the Depot, in Minneapolis, Minn. 

A cocktail reception, sponsored by Target, will kick things off at 6:30 p.m., followed by the Gala Dinner, sponsored by 3M, at 7:30 p.m.