Retail in Review: More Bah Than Sis-Boom
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Analysts have offered their latest judgment of the Christmas shopping season: good, but not great, although online sales set records.
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Two leading retail stalwarts &#151; J.C. Penney Co. and discounter Target Corp. &#151; reported on Thursday better-than-expected profits in the second quarter. Still, the outlook for consumer spending in the coming months remains muddled amid higher energy costs, rising interest rates, war in the Middle East, and the latest terrorist threat.
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As post-Christmas retail results began trickling in yesterday, this much became clear about the 2004 holiday shopping season: Consumers procrastinated; they gobbled up gift cards; they defected
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The "cheap chic" retailer's results are hit-or-miss.
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This retailer joins the in crowd -- retailers with good news for a change.
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When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping.
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The retailer posts strong gains in earnings and sales, but projections disappoint the Street.
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Investor's Business Daily - Brisk buying of video games and DVDs gave online retailers a leg up this holiday. But while they didn't end up with the lump of coal that offline stores got, their sales growth likely fell short of last year.
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The retailer shows its turnaround may be working.
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In spite of a burst of Friday spending, the holiday shopping season got off to a sluggish start, forcing retailers to reassess their strategies for luring buyers. Slow sales reported by three retail sales trackers on Tuesday were blamed on higher fuel costs and an overall lack of confidence in the economy.
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Returns cost retailers big bucks when customers' expectations don't match products' reality.
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Investors may have overreacted to the retailer's upbeat December same-store sales.
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Judging how this month's sales compare to those from a year ago.
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The nation's shoppers Â taking advantage of deep discounts and expanded hours Â jammed stores over the last weekend before Christmas to try to grab a hard-to-find Wii or scoop up bargains on other items. But the spending surge may not be enough to offset what is shaping up to be a mediocre December for some retailers.
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With a weak back-to-school season behind them, the nation's retailers are focused on the holidays and what steps they need to take to get consumers excited about shopping again. That could mean some quick merchandise changes and more aggressive discounting than they originally planned.
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Retail chains from discounters like Kmart to department stores like Sears are under renewed scrutiny, not so much for what they sell as for the ground they stand on.
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As post-Christmas retail results began trickling in yesterday, this much became clear about the 2004 holiday shopping season: Consumers procrastinated; they gobbled up gift cards; they defected, in greater numbers, from stores to the Web; and, overall, they appeared to spend more this year than last.