Consumer Attitudes & Behavior

News reports this week speculated Denver might be getting a new CityTarget store. Get used to seeing similar speculation in other major markets as the company seeks to tap a new growth frontier.

WASHINGTON — Organized retail crime is a growing concern for all retailers, with a staggering 96% reporting that their company has been the victim of a crime in the past year, according to NRF's Organized Retail Crime Survey. This number is up from 94.5% in the past year.  In addition, 87.7% say ORC activity in the United States has grown over the past three years.

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation released Tuesday the Top 10 cities for organized retail crime activity.

Topping the list is Atlanta. The other nine are:

NEW YORK — Retail executives have more cash, are adding employees and enjoying stronger revenue, but they remain quite guarded longer term, not seeing a complete economic recovery until 2014 or later, according to the 2012 Retail Outlook Survey by audit, tax, and advisory firm KPMG LLP.

In the recent survey, 77% of retail executives indicate that their companies have significant cash on the balance sheet – up from 72% in KPMG's 2011 survey – and 56% say their companies' cash positions have increased from last year.

Washington, D.C. -- The number of retailers that fell victim to organized retail crime groups increased in the past, according to the National Retail Federation’s Organized Retail Crime Survey.

Of the 125 retail companies surveyed for NRF’s eighth annual survey, a record-setting (96%) said their company has been the victim of organized retail crime in the past year, up from 94.5% last year. Another 87.7% said ORC activity in the United States has grown over the past three years.

Greenpeace has released its latest "Carting Away the Ocean" report, and Target should be pleased with where it ranked on the list. With a score of 6.4, Target placed fifth and earned an orange, or "passing," rating. While that may not seem so great, it is important to keep in mind that only two retailers, Safeway and Whole Foods received green, or "good" ratings for their scores of 7 and 7.1, respectively -- the first time any retailer has recieved such distinction.

Minneapolis -- Christopher & Banks Corp. reported Tuesday a loss of $13.4 million, compared with a loss of $8.2 million in the year-ago period.

Net sales dropped to $93.6 million, from $110.4 million in the comparable period last year. Same-store sales decreased 15%.

“Our financial results reflect continued customer resistance to the residual merchandise assortment that consisted of styles that were too updated and priced too high while lacking in key categories,” said Joel Waller, president and CEO.

RESTON, Va., and ATLANTA — A simple and convenient returns policy is an important factor in the decision to make a purchase online, a new study form comScore and UPS found. According to the Online Shopping Customer Experience Study, 63% of online shoppers look at a retailer’s return policy before making a purchase. Nearly half said they would shop more often and recommend a retailer with a lenient returns policy, indicating its value in driving customer loyalty.