Research Topic

New York City -- The Private Label Manufacturing Association reported Tuesday that store brands have capped a decade of strong growth by posting sales increases across all three of the major retail channels in 2010 and pushing dollar market share to new all-time highs in supermarkets, drug stores and total outlets.

San Francisco -- Survey results released Tuesday by online customer experience management firm Tealeaf and conducted by Econsultancy showed that nearly 23% of online revenue is lost annually by U.S. companies due to poor online customer experiences.

New York City -- Retailers lost $37.14 billion to theft last year, or 1.58% of retail sales, up from 1.44% in 2009, according to preliminary results of the National Retail Security Survey. The annual survey is conducted by the University of Florida for the National Retail Federation, with funding from ADT Commercial.

As in previous years, employee theft accounted for the largest (approximately 44%) portion of the losses. Shoplifting and organized retail crime was second, with 33%. Administrative errors, vendor fraud and unknown causes make up the rest.

PORT WASHINGTON, NEW YORK — Women are the majority spenders in the juvenile products market, accounting for 77% of total dollars spent, while nearly half of all dollars spent come from parents buying for their own children, according to The NPD Group.

Buyers ages 25 to 44 account for 57% of dollars spent on juvenile products, while more than half (55%) of the dollars spent in the juvenile products market comes from occasion-based shopping such as childbirth, baby showers, and adoption.

New York City -- A report by the Associated Press on Tuesday said that private equity firm Aletheia Research & Management has once again reduced its stake in Barnes & Noble.

The major shareholder, which Barnes & Noble has said joined forces with Ron Burkle last year during a proxy fight, has for the second time in a month cut its shares, now owning about 3.2 million shares, or 5.4% of Barnes & Noble's outstanding stock, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Tuesday.

Washington, D.C. -- A report released Monday by the Commerce Department showed that consumer spending unexpectedly stalled during the month of May, as prices climbed and 9.1% unemployment caused shoppers to cut back.

Commerce Department figures showed that purchases were flat in May, after a median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News called for a 0.1% gain. Prices excluding food and energy rose more than forecast.

The most recent iteration of a pricing study conducted by Credit Suisse shows Target was 4.7% more expensive on a basket of items in Chicago and Dallas compared with 4% the prior month. 

The monthly pricing survey Credit Suisse conducts at Walmart stores and various competitors in Chicago and Dallas market reveals the company continues to offer the lowest prices. That’s the good news for consumers; the bad news is Walmart, like every other company, is passing through increased product costs to shoppers.