Retail

Howard Schultz, the politically progressive — and famously outspoken — founder of Starbucks Coffee Corp., weighed in on the rally and violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, and its aftermath in an emotional speech to company employees.    Speaking at a standing-room only employee forum, Schultz did not specifically blame or criticize the President, saying he would let his (the President’s) actions speak for themselves. But the legendary retailer left little doubt of how he felt.  

Facebook is getting in on the “daily deals” game.   The social media giant is teaming up with eBay to bolster third-party sales. Through the collaboration, Facebook’s Marketplace service — a section on its mobile app — now features a selection of inventory from eBay’s Daily Deals program, according to TechCrunch.   

Gap Inc. beat the Street in its second quarter with both bottom and top line gains, boosted by its Old Navy division and fewer discounts.    The apparel retailer earned $271 million net income, or 68 cents per share, in the quarter that ended July 29. That's up from $125 million, or 31 cents per share, a year ago.   

Shoppers just can't stay away from off-price stores.   Ross Stores' earned $317 million, or 82 cents a share, in the quarter ended July 29, up 15% from $282 million, or 71 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Analysts had expected earnings of $0.76 per share.   Sales rose 8% to $3.43 billion. Same-store sales increased 4%.  

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) is looking for a few good tech innovators.    The group has put out a call for applications for its first annual (R)Tech Retail CEO Innovation Awards. The awards will highlight innovations that enable retail's future. Winners will be invited to showcase, pitch and network with the retail chief executives at RILA's annual Retail CEO Forum Jan. 21-23 in Tucson, Arizona.  

While Wall Street cheers Urban Outfitters for not doing quite so badly as forecast, the reality is that this is a lousy set of results. Not only are the numbers sequentially worse than a pretty dire first quarter, but they also show that many of the initiatives put into play remain a long way from delivering.  

Target Corp. came roaring back in its second quarter from a year-long sales slump amid evidence that its investments in online and store remodels are paying off. The discounter raised its outlook for the year.   Sales rose 1.6% to $16.43 billion in the quarter ended July 29, beating analysts' estimates of $16.30 billion. Same-store sales rose 1.3%, also more than analysts had expected. Comparable digital sales surged 32%.  

Off-price powerhouse TJX Companies still seems plenty of room for store expansion — particularly in the home good sector.    The retailer, which reported strong second quarter results on Tuesday, has more than 3,800 stores worldwide and will open 260 new locations this year. Long term, it sees the opportunity for 5,600 stores with it current banners, or about 1,700 more locations than it currently operates.