Consumer Attitudes & Behavior

SAN LEANDRO, Calif. — The North Face, the outdoor product company specializing in outerwear, footwear and backpacks, is partnering with state parks around the country to encourage participation in outside activities. 

Houston -- Stage Stores reported a loss of $6.9 million for the first quarter, compared with a loss of $418,000 for the year-ago period, as the retailer dealt with cool weather that put a damper on sales of spring apparel.
 
"The unseasonably cool weather in March and April, particularly when compared to last year's warm spring, strongly impacted our sales performance," president and CEO Michael Glazer said.

Revenue rose 4% to $378.6 million from $365.7 million. Same-store sales inched up 0.7%.
 

New York - Ethnic consumers represent strong potential for retailers, according to new data released by the Nielsen Company. For example, the 43 million African-Americans in the U.S. (about 14% of the population) buy more hand and body lotion products than the average consumer.

RACINE, Wis. — Fisk Johnson, SC Johnson's chairman and CEO, has been named "Friend of the Library" by the Racine Public Library. Johnson received the award for sponsoring the Racine Reads: Dream Big! program during the 2011-2012 school year. 

The program challenged 10,000 local elementary school students to read 1 million books during the school year — an average of 100 books per child. Students rose to the challenge, by more than quadrupling the national average, by reading 180 books per student and 1.8 million books in total. 

Maidenhead, United Kingdom -- Sixty-nine percent of shoppers expect a brand’s online store, mobile app and physical store to offer same pricing, discounts and sales, according to a survey by SDL that looked at the mobile and social media habits of consumers in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Singapore.
 

ECRM compared retail circular advertising in April 2012 vs. April 2013 and noticed some common overall trends across top retail chains.  While looking at the data, the biggest change from April 2012 to April 2013 came from Lowe’s Home Improvement.

Kohl's Corp. reported a 5% drop in first-quarter profit on weak sales due to unseasonably cold weather in large parts of the United States.

Kohl's net income fell to $147 million in the quarter ended May 4, down from $154 million a year earlier.

Sales fell 1% to $4.2 billion. Comparable-store sales fell 1.9%.

San Diego -- Despite being the most tech-savvy generation in history, Generation Y, the 80-million strong cohort of Americans between the ages of 18 and 35, has not forsaken shopping in stores for online purchasing – as long as retailers keep their offerings "fresh" and interesting, according to a new report from the Urban Land Institute (ULI).