Research Topic

Oak Brook, Ill. -- The J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Home Improvement Retailer Store Satisfaction Study again ranked Ace Hardware “Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Home Improvement Retail Stores.” Ace has held this position since the organization began researching the home improvement category five years ago.

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New York City -- A jobs report on Friday that showed a slowing hiring market sent retail shares tumbling. According to the Labor Department, U.S. employers added just 54,000 new workers in May, the fewest in eight months. With unemployment at 9.1%, those retailers most closely tied to the job market, including Staples and Office Depot, saw the most negative impact.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Wal-Mart Stores's board of directors has approved a new program authorizing the company to repurchase $15 billion of its shares, the company announced at its 41st annual meeting of shareholders Friday. This program replaces the previous $15 billion program, announced on June 4, 2010, that had approximately $2 billion of remaining authorization. Under the program, repurchased shares are constructively retired and returned to unissued status.

Kansas City, Kan. -- A report released Thursday by Compdata Surveys found that although the economy is still struggling to make significant strides towards recovery, small improvements are starting to become more evident.

The 2011 Compensation Data Services survey results found pay increase budgets remained relatively stable at 2.4%, reflecting a slight increase from 2.2% in 2010. Pay increase budgets are projected to continue slowly increasing in 2012 to 2.5%.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target reported a 2.8% same-store sales increase for May, falling short of Wall Street's expectation for a 3.5% increase, as consumers remained cautious. The retailer reported that net sales for the four-week period were $4.8 billion, an increase of 3.8%t from $4.6 billion for the four weeks ended May 29, 2010. 

New York City -- A report released Wednesday by CB Richard Ellis found that New York City remains the world’s most expensive retail destination as retailers focus on the major fashion capitals, pushing global rents in prime locations even higher.

According to the latest CBRE Global Retail MarketView, the improving economy has had a measurably positive impact.

New York City -- New York City remains the world’s most expensive retail destination as retailers focus on the major fashion capitals pushing global rents in prime locations even higher, according to the latest CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) Global Retail MarketView.

The average rent for space along Fifth Avenue from 49th Street up to 59th Street hit $1,900 per square foot in the first quarter. Hong Kong and Sydney came in second and third place in the rankings, with average per-square-foot rents of $1,697 and $1,301, respectively.