eCommerce

NEW YORK — Most consumers have their wallets ready for Thanksgiving weekend and are armed with plans to spend an average of $224, according to Deloitte's pre-Thanksgiving shopping survey.

AMSTERDAM — Dutch supermarket operator Royal Ahold reported sales of $9.3 billion and profits of $347.8 million in third quarter 2011, the company said.

Those figures represented a 2.5% increase in sales and a 15.2% increase in profits over third quarter 2010.

MEMPHIS — Discount retailer Fred's realized positive third-quarter results, thanks to "strong customer traffic, higher gross margins in its general merchandise and pharmacy departments, as well as improved management of controllable operating costs," Fred's CEO Bruce Efird said.

Total sales for the retailer rose 2% to $444.4 million, compared with the year-ago period, while comparable-store sales were flat. Net income increased 16% to $9 million, compared with last year, while earnings per diluted share rose 20% to 24 cents.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Healthy growth in both sales and earnings at Hibbett Sports during the third quarter indicate that sports-related merchandise remains in demand despite an overall weak economic market.

Gritty and dry are not words normally associated with a delicious chocolate chip cookie, but that is how Consumer Reports described most of the cookies tested in its December issue, including Target’s Market Pantry and Archer Farm’s brands.

Third-quarter results at Target were pretty darn good, but they were actually even better than they seemed depending on how one compares this year’s number to the prior year performance. Profits grew 10.2% to 82 cents in the third quarter compared with 74 cents the prior year, thanks to a 4.3% same-store sales increase and ongoing improvement in the company’s credit card business.

Walmart continues to gain online momentum, judging from the most recent monthly report from measurement firm comScore Media Metrix.

Walmart consistently ranks in the firm’s Top 50 U.S. Web properties report, and that was the case again in October when Walmart.com was ranked 23rd with 45.2 million unique visitors. By comparison, Target.com, which experienced some difficulties with a major relaunch several months ago, was the only other traditional retailer on the list and ranked 46th with 27 million unique visitors.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS/pharmacy today announced enhanced shopping and prescription refill functionality for its mobile site, located at m.CVS.com, as well as iPhone and Android apps, enabling shoppers to use mobile devices to manage their ExtraCare Rewards accounts, scan and send prescription refills, and order photo prints from CVS Photo Centers.

Customers accessing CVS/pharmacy's mobile website can now take advantage of several features of the ExtraCare Rewards Program. This new functionality lets shoppers: