Department Store

Framingham, Mass. -- TJX Cos. reported Tuesday that net income for the quarter ended Oct. 27 rose to $461.5 million, from $406.5 million last year.

Sales rose 10.7% to $6.41 billion; same-store sales climbed 7%.

The parent to T.J. Maxx and Marshalls said it expects same-store sales during the holiday quarter to be flat to up 2%.

Chicago -- ShopperTrak released a forecast on Tuesday that indicates certain days during the holiday shopping season will be quieter than others. The "10 best days to shop," according to ShopperTrak, are those with the least amount of foot traffic in stores. The weekdays after the busy Thanksgiving weekend top the list.

New York -- Saks Inc. reported Tuesday that net income for the third quarter climbed 27.2% to $22.6 million, compared with $17.8 million in the same period last year. Results surpassed analysts’ expectations.
 
Revenue edged up 3% to $713.2 million, widely missing Wall Street’s expected $762.6 million in revenue. Same-store sales rose 3.3%.

New York -- Experian Marketing Services said Monday that its Consumer Expectation Index shows an increasing optimism about the economy. According to the CEI, U.S. consumers’ forward-looking view of the economy is at its highest level since the onset of the recession. During the first half of 2012, the average CEI figure was 92.7, which is above the index’s average of the first six months for each year dating back to 2008. The 2012 figure measured eight points above those for the first half of 2008 and one point over those for the first half of 2011.

Los Angeles -- Survey results released Tuesday by PriceGrabber found that 71% of consumers believe that retailers offer better deals during Thanksgiving weekend than they do during the rest of the winter holiday shopping season, up from 58% in 2011.

When consumers who indicated that the best deals can be found over the Thanksgiving weekend were asked which days retailers offer the best prices, 71% said Black Friday (Nov. 23), down from 80% in 2011 and 86% in 2010, and 41% said Cyber Monday (Nov. 26), up from 37% last year and 33% in 2010.

New York -- Survey results released Tuesday by Accenture found that half of U.S. consumers are likely to make a small luxury purchase in the next six months, including 53% who are likely to purchase specialty food or drinks, 48% to purchase luxury clothing and 48% to purchase luxury personal care products.

New York -- Foot Locker announced Tuesday the introduction of SIX:02, an elevated retail concept featuring fitness apparel and athletic footwear for women.

The first three stores will open for the holiday season in Stamford Mall in Stamford, Conn., Willowbrook Mall in Wayne, N.J., and North Star Mall in San Antonio, Texas.

SIX:02's concept is based on being the first-to-market design around a broad assortment of women’s athletic brands in an environment created specifically for that female customer, according to Foot Locker.

New York – Gap is feeling the love this holiday season.