Research Topic

Layaway program have become all the rage the past few years as retailers seeks to offer shoppers every conceivable convenience to capture every available sales dollar.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens reported Wednesday that total sales for the month of September fell 7.8% to $5.48 billion. Front-end sales dipped 0.4% and same-store sales for the front decreased 1.5%.

Customer traffic fell off 2.3% in September, but the biggest factor in the slowed performance was the 10.3% decrease in same-store prescription sales for the month.

Overall, same-store sales dropped 11.1%.
 

Brisbane, Calif. -- Fashion retailer Bebe reported Wednesday that total sales for the first quarter fell 9.4% to $105.1 million. Same-store sales dropped 8.7%, missing expectations of a more moderate 6.8% decline.

The 250-store chain has officially launched a search for a new CEO, announcing on Wednesday it has retained Russell Reynolds Associates to lead the effort. Former CEO Gregory Scott resigned the post in January 2009, and founder Manny Mashouf has been serving in an interim capacity since that time.

Whiting, Ind. -- A survey of 2,339 shoppers by CouponCabin.com found that 34% are at least somewhat likely to purchase items on layaway this holiday season.
 
The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, also found that 9% are very likely to use layaway; 29% said maybe.

When asked what they believe are the benefits to using a layaway program for holiday shopping, U.S. adults said the following:

Matthews, N.C. -- Family Dollar Stores reported Wednesday that net income for the quarter ended Aug. 25 inched up to $80.9 million, from $79.8 million in the same period last year. Results were impacted by an $11.5 million litigation charge stemming from the preliminary settlement of a lawsuit in New York.

Sales for the quarter rose 10.8% to $2.36 billion, a record for the company, and same-store sales increased 5.4%.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Kmart has designated this Friday as the official start of Halloween shopping with its "Orange and Black Friday" event.

Kmart's "Orange & Black Friday" event features: 50% off Halloween costumes and Halloween kitchen textiles, tabletop, decor, as well as a "Kmart Kreator" tool (www.Kmart.com/kreator), a social tool where users can create their own Halloween "Kreature" using costumes and accessories available at Kmart.

NEW YORK — Research released Monday by Citigroup and published by Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch found that digital sales for the holiday 2012 shopping season are expected to increase at least 20%, thanks to two additional shopping days and amped-up retail marketing efforts.

WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation released its 2012 holiday forecast on Tuesday, which shows sales increasing 4.1% to $586.1 billion, down from last year's 5.6% growth.

However, the NRF's 2012 estimate tops the 10-year holiday sales growth average of 3.5%.

CINCINNATI — Procter & Gamble has introduced its Pantene Expert Collection, which addresses the needs of both aging hair and extreme hair damage.

The Expert Collection brings two new premium hair care lines to Pantene: AgeDefy and Advanced+ Keratin Repair. The products utilize Pantene’s most advanced technologies and promise to help women experience healthy-looking hair with luster, bounce and damage repair.

New York -- Smartphone and Internet users actively seek out and prefer to engage with mobile-friendly sites, but such sites must meet certain expectations in order to convert users from visitors to consumers, according to a Google study conducted by independent market research firms Sterling Research and SmithGeiger.