-
NRF: St. Patrick’s Day spending set to rise
Washington, D.C. -- Consumers are opening up their pocketbooks for St. Patrick’s Day, according to the National Retail Federation’s St. Patrick’s Day Spending Survey.
The survey, conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics, finds that nearly 127 million Americans are planning to celebrate the traditional Irish holiday and will spend an average of $36.52 on green garb, festive food and more, compared to $35.78 last year.
-
PetSmart fetches higher profits
Amid an $8.7 billion pending sale to an investment firm, PetSmart reported fourth quarter profit and revenue that exceeded Wall Street’s expectations.
For the period ended Feb. 1, the company posted a profit of $132.1 million, or $1.32 a share, up slightly from $131.5 million, or $1.28 a share a year earlier. Revenue grew 6% to $1.91 billion, topping the $1.87 billion analysts had predicted.
Net sales increased 6% to $1.9 billion, from $1.81 billion. Same-store sales growth, including sales from online websites, rose 2.6%.

