News

Framingham, Mass. -- Staples Inc. reported Wednesday a loss of $596.3 million for the third quarter, compared with a profit of $326.4 million a year earlier. Without restructuring costs, the office supply retailer generated a profit that just edged Wall Street expectations.

Sales for the quarter dropped 2% to $6.35 billion, missing analysts’ expected $6.45 billion in sales.

Columbus, Ohio -- Abercrombie and Fitch reported Wednesday net income of $71.5 million for the third quarter, compared with $50.9 million in the year-ago period and beating Wall Street expectations. The retailer is forecasting annual earnings above analysts’ estimates.

Revenue rose 9% to $1.17 billion, boosted by a 37% rise in international sales. Same-store sales dipped 3%.

Washington, D.C. -- A report released Tuesday by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates said that import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 5.9% in November despite the temporary closure of some ports by superstorm Sandy.

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%.

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 -- 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.

Louisville, Colo. -- Video provider Envysion said Monday that chicken chain Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen has completed deploying the company's Envysion Insight solution to all corporate owned restaurant locations.

Popeyes will use Envysion's video-driven business intelligence in its 40 company-operated locations to improve loss prevention efforts, optimize operations and drive restaurant-level profitability.

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 -- 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.

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.