Research Topic

London — The International Council of Shopping Centers’ executive committee has elected Marcus Wild, CEO of SES Spar European Shopping Centers, as divisional VP for the association’s European division.

Los Angeles -- Guess? reported Thursday that adjusted net earnings for the quarter ended May 4 plummeted 56.1% to $11.7 million, from $26.6 million in the year-ago period.

According to CEO Paul Marciano, the results were better than the company had expected.

"Despite the continued global economic challenges … these earnings reflect the ongoing success within the company to globally streamline and improve productivity,” he said.

By Crosby Renwick, [email protected]

The pundits say retail, as we’ve known it since the ancient Egyptians, is coming to an end. Ouch. That’s big. You have to admit the logic is not bad: When retail is literally everywhere, when we can buy virtually anything off our phones and have it delivered, why go to a store?

Whiting, Ind. -- Survey results released Thursday by CouponCabin.com found that more than one-in-10 Americans say their shopping habits have put them in debt, with 20% saying the most amount of shopping debt they've been in exceeds $5,000.

The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, also revealed that 41% of U.S. adults have created shopping debt of more than $1,000. Eleven percent consider themselves to be shopaholics.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Nearly 60 years to the day after Edmund Hillary and Tensing Norgay climbed Mount Everest, 48-year-old Russian Valery Rozov has jumped off its north face at 23,667 ft. to set a world record for the highest B.A.S.E. jump.

Chicago -- Ebay, Walmart and McDonalds are tops when it comes to in-store charity donations, according to a study by Cause Marketing Forum that ranked the largest consumer donations at the point-of-sale last year. More than $358 million was raised in 2012 through a total of 63 corporate-backed charity checkout campaigns identified by Cause Marketing.

Los Angeles – A survey from online shopping site PriceGrabber indicates U.S. consumers are leaning toward practical Father’s Day gifts this year. Almost four-in-10 (38%) consumers plan to purchase practical Father’s Day presents this year, such as tools, auto accessories or appliances.

Nearly one-fifth of respondents (18%) are planning to shop for a tech-type gift such as a computer, tablet or smartphone. Forty-five percent of men plan to buy a practical gift, compared to 33% of women.