Data & Analytics

Atlanta -- The Home Depot reportedly expects a continuing recovery in the U.S. housing market to improve its sales later this year. In an interview with Bloomberg, Frank Blake, CEO of Home Depot, Inc., said steady improvement in the housing market should lead to private equity firms and investors renovating properties for rental.

As a discount department store retailer, Kohl’s is targeting a middle-class consumer looking for decent quality merchandise at a fair price. Kohl’s array of in-store IT solutions reflects this “Middle America” marketing and merchandising approach by focusing on self-service technology that makes finding products and determining prices as quick and convenient as possible, rather than leading-edge solutions that might appeal to higher-income, connected shoppers.

Digital price display

HAMPSTEAD, Md. — Although JoS. A. Bank saw decreases across the board for its second quarter, president and CEO R. Neal Black focused on the momentum the company seems to have picked up during August.

Old Bridge, N.J. — Thanks to absorptions of numerous empty big-box space on Route 22, the vacancy rate in retail properties along northern New Jersey’s six major shopping corridors inched own to 8.1% from a high of 8.2% a year ago, according to the latest survey by R.J. Brunelli & Co.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens reported that same-store sales for the month of August rose 4.8%, beating Wall Street expectations of a 2.9% gain.

Results included a 6.4% gain from the pharmacy and a 2.2% rise from the front-end.

Total revenue for August rose 6% to $6.17 billion.

August seems to have delivered a mixed bag to various retailers, but Costco seems to have fared well with reported net sales of $7.95 billion for the four weeks ended Sept. 1, an increase of 7% from $7.44 billion during the prior-year period.

Comparable-store sales in the U.S., adjusted to exclude changes in gasoline prices, increased 5% for August and for the fourth quarter and increased 6% for the 52-week period.

For the fourth quarter, the company reported net sales of $31.8 billion, an increase of 1% from $31.5 billion in the prior-year quarter.

Camp Hill, Pa. -- Rite Aid Corp. saw same-store sales edge up 1.1% in August, hurt by a 1.7% front-end same-store sales drop. Pharmacy comps rose 2.5%.

For the quarter, total sales edged up 0.7% to $6.25 billion, and same-store sales rose 1%.

Hampstead, Md. -- JoS. A. Bank Clothiers reported that net income for the second quarter dropped 38% to $14.2 million, compared with $23.2 million in the same period last year, amid weaker sales.

Total sales fell 10.7% to $232.5 million. Same-store sales plummeted 15.9%; direct marketing sales decreased 1.9%.