Retail

By James McCandless and Kenneth Katz,  X Team International

The recent government shutdown has analysts scrambling to determine how much damage was done to the national economy. From a retail perspective, understanding the scale and scope of the shutdown requires a more thorough understanding of the issues at play; including a closer look at how retailers responded and a breakdown of how the lingering effects of the partial government closure may impact the holiday sales season.

The ripple effect on retail

New York -- Nook Media LLC, a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, Inc., is releasing the new Nook GlowLight e-reader.

At 6.2 ounces, it is the lightest Nook device ever, and new lighting technology light is evenly distributed, turns on instantly and adjusts with a touch. The built-in anti-glare screen on the re-engineered display offers what Barnes & Noble says is paper-like readability, even in bright sunlight.

Retail sales fell in September for the first time in six months, but the decline was credited to a drop-off in auto purchases. Most U.S. retail sectors actually experienced broad sales gains during the month, according to the National Retail Federation, which reported that, excluding automobiles, gas stations and restaurants, retail sales grew a seasonally 0.6% compared to the previous month and 3.8% unadjusted compared to the prior year.

Results of specific sectors include:

Seattle -- Nordstrom announced that it plans to open a Nordstrom Rack at Gateway Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The approximately 33,000-sq.-ft. store is scheduled to open in fall 2014. Gateway Center is owned and managed by Related Companies.  

When it opens, the Gateway Center Nordstrom Rack will be the company's second Brooklyn location. The first Brooklyn Rack is set to open on Fulton Street in spring 2014.

New York – Gowex is launching a new “social WiFi” network called We2 in New York City on Dec. 15. We2 will work by harnessing the global presence of Wi-Fi by turning “private” hotspots, such as those found in shops and restaurants, into public hotspots, which can be accessed for free by users registered on the We2 network.

The Jones Group had better-than-expected third-quarter results for fiscal 2013, as net income soared 67% to $28.3 million from $17.8 million. However, revenues in the quarter ended Oct. 5 fell about 1%, to $1.02 billion from $1.03 billion.

Oakland, Calif. -- GT Nexus announced that The Children's Place, the largest pure-play children’s specialty apparel retailer in North America, has selected its technology platform and services to enable its global supply chain and support business growth. The cloud-based platform will help Children’s Place, which operates 1,116 stores and an online store, automate and streamline ordering, manufacturing and transportation processes.

New York -- Consumers who use mobile devices to research purchases visit retailer sites more frequently than those who use PCs alone. According to research from Millward Brown Digital, mobile visitors engage with top retailers twice as often as PC visitors (on average, 6.2 times per month compared to 2.9 times per month).