Consumer Attitudes & Behavior

Charleston, S.C. -- Colonial Candle said it is opening its first retail and research boutique in Charleston, S.C. The 3,000-sq.-ft. flagship store is the 103-year-old candle company's first and only boutique.

Located in The Shops at Charleston Place, the Colonial Candle boutique joins Godiva, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Lacoste at the center.
 
The new store is slated to open in early fall 2012.

SUNBURY, Pa. — Weis Markets has raised $191,000 in donations and pet supplies for 94 local animal shelters and rescue organizations in its five state market area through its Paws for Pets program, nearly double the total raised in 2011.

The four-week program ran through Memorial Day weekend in the Company's stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and West Virginia.  During this time, 64 stores also hosted pet adopt-a-thon events with local pet organizations.

There was quite a bit of excitement heading into this year’s RECon convention. The event is, in many respects, the annual event for retail real estate professionals from around the country (and more recently from around the world). It seemed to have a little bit more industry buzz going for it than in recent years. I think the combination of some encouraging economic indicators and the feeling that the industry is on the cusp of what may be a more sustainable long-term recovery had everyone’s optimism in high gear.

PLANO, Texas — Investors who were holding out for some of Michael Francis' Target marketing magic to rub off on JCPenney will be left wondering what could have been, as the company announced Francis' departure effective Monday.

CEO Ron Johnson will assume direct responsibility and oversight of the company's marketing and merchandising functions.

Johnson said, "We thank Michael for his hard work at JCPenney and wish him the best in his future endeavors."

Cambridge, Mass. -- Walmart Supercenter wins the pricing battle over Amazon and Walmart.com, according to a new study by Kantar Retail. The study evaluates how a Walmart Supercenter basket contends with its online equivalent, Walmart.com, and its key online competitor, Amazon.

New York -- School is just ending in some areas of the Northeast, and already the first back-to-school shopping survey has been released. The survey, by online shopping site PriceGrabber, reveals that nearly half (46%) of consumers are planning to spend more this back-to-school shopping season than in 2011. In comparison, only 13% of shoppers planned to spend more last year, and this data was reflected in an overall disappointing back-to-school season for retailers in 2011.

LOS ANGELES — Nearly half of U.S. shoppers plan to spend more this back-to-school shopping season than in 2011, according to the latest PriceGrabber survey.

Pooling responses from 4,450 U.S. online shopping consumers, with 1,509 of the respondents planning to shop this back-to-school season, 46% said they plan to spend more this year that in 2011, while 35% said they plan to spend the same amount (compared with 52% that expressed this sentiment in 2011) and 19% are looking to spend less this year (compared with 35% in 2011).

Homebuyers who factor resale value into their purchase decision may want to consider proximity to Walmart before completing their deal, according to new research out this week showing it helps to be near a Walmart.