Retail

New York City -- After coming off a strong November, retailers found their momentum waned in December, with many turning in mixed sales for the month. Industry experts said sales were impacted by a still-cautious consumer and the blizzard the crippled the Northeast in the days immediately following Christmas.

Thomson Reuters, which tracks same-store sales for a group of 28 national chains, said total sales for the group were expected to post a 3.4% increase in same-store sales for December, following a 5.6% bump in November.

TJX reported same-store sales of 2% December, beating Wall Street estimates for a 2.5% decline. Total sales rose 6% to $3 billion.

"I am extremely pleased with December's sales results, as we significantly exceeded our plans during this important period," TJX CEO Carol Meyrowitz, CEO, TJX.

Richardson, Texas -- Wingstop announced it will add another 20 stores in Mexico over the next three years thanks to an extended development agreement with current international franchisee WIS de Mexico S.A. de C.V.

Wingstop has more than 475 restaurants open across the United States and Mexico.

“We are thrilled with our success in Mexico over this past year,” said David Vernon, VP franchise sales for Wingstop.

NEW YORK - After coming off a strong November, U.S. retailers found their momentum largely waned in December, with sales impacted by a still-cautious consumer, early discounting and a blizzard that crippled the Northeast in the days immediately after Christmas. But while many chains missed Wall Street’s heightened expectations for December, the retail industry still turned in its strongest holiday performance since 2006.

Parsippany, N.J. -- CyberShift, a provider of workforce management services and solutions, has added Metropark, a Los Angeles-based specialty chain with 70 stores, to its roster of retail clients. The specialty apparel retailer has deployed CyberShift’s workforce management solution via its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model to automate store scheduling and will be expanding the relationship to include time and attendance.

Alexandria, Va. -- Shoppers who shop with others are different from those who shop alone and retail marketers need to take note, according to a new report by the Point of Purchase Advertising International (POPAI). The study finds that solo shoppers are likely to spend an average of 11% more per trip than those accompanied by friends or family members, while consumers who shop with family members are likely to spend an average of 13% more than those shopping with friends.

Columbus, Ohio -- Retail same-store sales eased to 3.2% growth in December in the wake of November’s exceptionally strong promotional activity and an ongoing shift toward online shopping, according to Kantar Retail. The sales-weighted composite for the 31 retailers reporting -- most of them apparel retailers -- was weaker than the 5.6% same-store sales gain last month, but slightly better than the 3.0% gain in December of 2009. (The calculations no longer include Walmart, which stopped reporting monthly results in 2009. )

Expectations outpaced the willingness of consumers to spend during December, as large numbers of retailers reported results that were less than expected. Weather certainly affected the ability of shoppers to get to stores, as heavy rains pelted California and blizzards hit the Northeast, but that type of stuff happens in December. A bigger factor was that retailers were victims of their own success. Recall November was something of a promotionpalooza and shoppers found offers that arrived early and often to be irresistible.