Research Topic

In case you missed it because you were too busy putting away the noisemakers or watching college football, the first day of 2011 was not just another New Year’s Day. It was a significant generational milestone: The first members of the Baby Boom generation turned 65.

New York City -- Clarity and ease of use are sticky points for retailers when it comes to implementing business intelligence, according to a recent survey on BI in retail by Chain Store Age.

Mother’s Day may be considered a “Hallmark Holiday,” but that won’t stop consumers from showering mom with gifts on May 8. According to NRF’s 2011 Mother’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions survey, conducted by BIGresearch, the average person celebrating the holiday is expected to spend $140.73 on gifts, up from $126.90 last year, and a return to 2008 spending levels. Total spending is expected to reach $16.3 billion.

New York City -- Newegg and QVC took top honors in the retail category in Compuware Gomez’s Best of the Web 2010 Awards, which honor the strongest web performers across various industries. The retail winners were determined based on the annual cumulative response time, availability and consistency of their web and mobile sites, as well as multi-step business process transactions

Sidney, Neb. -- Cabela's said Thursday that stronger revenue helped its fiscal first-quarter profit more than double from results weighed down by a hefty charge a year ago.

The reported net income of $17.8 million in the three months ended April 2, up from $8.1 million a year earlier.

The year-ago period included an $11.9 million charge related to a 2009 FDIC compliance examination.

Revenue increased 5% to $586.7 million, from $559.6 million. Same-store sales rose 8.9%.

By Jim McNeill and Gary K. Brucker Jr., [email protected], [email protected]

New York City -- Jones Group's net income fell 34% in the first quarter, weighed down by higher costs and charges tied to an acquisition.

Jones Group earned $25.9 million, compared with $39.4 million a year ago.

Jones Group said its quarterly results included about $11 million in costs and charges tied to its Stuart Weitzman acquisition and other restructuring and strategic review costs. Last year's quarter included costs and charges totaling approximately $3 million.

New York City -- Consumer confidence recovered somewhat in April, though the impact of rising gasoline prices is still evident, according to data released Tuesday by the Conference Board.

The confidence index hit 65.4 in April, from an upwardly revised 63.8 in March. The reading is still below the 72.0 mark of February.

New York City -- Speaking at the Barclays Capital analyst conference in New York City on Tuesday, Kroger Co. chairman and CEO David Dillon said grocery prices are rising slightly. He also said the chain may benefit from rising fuel prices because the discounts it offers on gasoline could attract more shoppers.

Grocery prices have gone up approximately 2%, Dillon said, in what he called "the low side of moderate" inflation, since late last year as suppliers deal with higher commodity and energy costs, the Associated Press reported.

New York City -- Coach's third-quarter net income increased 18% amid higher demand in North America, which helped offset an estimated $20 million hit to its revenue from Japan's tsunami and earthquake. Same-store sales in North America rose 10.3%. Analysts said Coach’s results offered further proof that spending by affluent shoppers is back on track and rising faster than other segments.

Net income rose to $186 million for the three months that ended April 2, up from $157.6 million a year earlier. Revenue rose nearly 15% to $950.7 million.