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Budgets/Spending/Market Size

  • Long term direction is clear, short term not so much

    The surge in February same-store sales Target reported Thursday morning didn’t come as a surprise to incoming CFO John Mulligan who alerted the market to the above plan performance when Target reported fourth-quarter results on Feb. 23.

  • Study: More than half of Americans struggle to afford the basics

    New York City -- A study released Thursday by WSL/Strategic Retail found that 52% of Americans are struggling to afford the necessities, and for many even that is a stretch.

    The “How America Shops MegaTrends report, Moving On 2012,” revealed among its significant findings that the youth market, 18-34 year olds, has the highest percent of those who do not have enough money to cover their basic needs, with close to a quarter (24%) in financial turmoil.

  • Costco Q2 profit rises on cheap gasoline

    New York City -- Costco Wholesale Corp. posted a bigger-than-expected rise in quarterly profit on Wednesday. Rising gasoline prices had a positive impact on sales at Costco, which prices its fuel below nearby stations.

    Net income in the quarter ended Feb. 12 rose 13% to $394 million, from $348 million a year earlier.

    Sales rose 10% to $22.51 billion. Same-store sales rose 8%, better than analysts had expected. 

  • Study: Mobile shopping on the rise

    Arlington, Va. -- A new study released by the Consumer Electronics Association found that more consumers are using their mobile devices for online transactions.

    The "Mobile Commerce -- Reinventing the Way Consumers Shop" study found that 37% of mobile device owners are engaging in some form of commerce from their device. This could mean making a purchase, redeeming a coupon or gift card or searching for a coupon.

  • Consumer confidence up dramatically in February

    New York City -- Consumer confidence in February shot up from last month to the highest level since a year ago, according to The Conference Board. The group’s Consumer Confidence Index now stands at 70.8, up from a revised 61.5 in January, buoyed by consumers' more positive assessment of the job market.

  • Dillard's Q4 profit beats Street

    Little Rock, Ark. -- Dillard’s Inc. reported Thursday that profit for the fourth quarter rose to $141.5 million from $109.6 million a year earlier, beating analysts’ expectations.

    Sales edged up 2% to $1097 billion. Same-store sales rose 3%.
     

  • Kohl’s Q4 profit falls 7.9% on sales decline

    Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl’s Corp. reported Thursday that profit for the fourth quarter dropped 7.9% to $455 million, from $494 million a year earlier, as the retailer experienced unexpected revenue declines during the holiday selling period.

    Kohl's reported that total sales dipped 0.3% to $6.02 billion in the period, and same-store sales dropped 2.1%. It was the chain’s first revenue decline in three years

  • Zale reports higher Q2 profit

    Dallas -- Zale Corp. posted a higher second quarter profit helped by a surge in holiday sales. Net profit rose to $28.8 million, from $27.2 million a year ago.

    Overall revenue rose 6% to $663.8 million. Same-store sales rose 5.8%.
     

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