Data & Analytics

According to the Employment Situation report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national unemployment rate held at 8.2%. Nonfarm payroll employment continued to edge up in June, with 80,000 jobs added.

Professional and business services added 47,000 jobs in June, while health care added 13,000 jobs and wholesale trade added 9,000 in June.

It may be back to basics in Walmart’s apparel department, but shoppers still crave discounted brands and fashion as evidenced by continued strength at some familiar retailers.

TJX and Ross Stores both posted same-store sales increases of 7% during June, and both companies used the occasion of the better-than-expected results to elevate their profits forecasts. TJX said June sales increase 9% to $2.3 billion, while Ross said its June sales increased 12% to $886 million.

Total U.S. shopper traffic in retail stores and malls for June 2012

Summer retail is heating up. June brought high temperatures and a steady stream of shoppers to stores across the nation. Retail foot traffic in June increased 5.2% compared with the previous month and 7% over the same period last year.

The customer experience is fueling IT spending like never before. That was my main takeaway from Oracle Retail CrossTalk 2012, which was held June 26 -28, in Chicago. The following are some insights and observations from a few of the speakers at the event.

Gary Penn, VP e-commerce, Quiksilver:
“Handheld traffic is growing exponentially, and so is the revenue. You have to address it. If you don’t, you are leaving a good part of your audience out in the cold.”

DEERFIELD, Ill. and Camp Hill, Pa. — Walgreens and Rite Aid both reported declines in total sales for June.

Washington, D.C. -- A report issued Thursday by the Labor Department showed that applications for jobless benefits fell 14,000 in the week ended June 30, to 374,000.

The news eased some concern that the labor market is faltering further.

“Before today it was pretty clear the labor market had softened over the past few months,” Daniel Silver, an economist at JPMorgan Chase & Co., told Bloomberg. “Today’s reports show a little bright spot.”

 

MINNEAPOLIS — Target reported a 2.1% same-store sales increase that was toward the low end of the company’s expectations.

Despite June sales that were softer than expected, Target left its second quarter profit forecast intact as the weaker-than-expected result offset a better-than-expected performance the previous month.

Kendal King Group has created a unique event to be held in Northwest Arkansas later this summer that is designed to simultaneously benefit local charities while commemorating the firm’s 25th anniversary.