Retail sales stir back-to-school shopping hope
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Retailers, including industry leader Wal-Mart Stores Inc. , reported June sales that topped Wall Street's lowered expectations on Thursday, raising hope for the back-to-school shopping season.
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Apparel retailers are hoping their back-to-school fashions will make the grade among style-conscious teens and young adults this fall, but it could be a tough sell, with students and parents keeping a tighter hold on their wallets.
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Amid reports yesterday of sluggish back-to-school sales from the nation's largest retailer, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. , analysts maintained forecasts for a decent retail season.
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The company backs September same-store sales growth forecast as back-to-school sales finally pick up.
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Many area retailers reported having a strong start to the holiday season as customers lined up early for after-Thanksgiving sales.
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U.S. chain store sales rose in the  fourth week of July, boosted by some back to school related  buying and summer clearance sales, a report said on Tuesday.
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Retailers hoping for a strong start to the holiday shopping season that gets underway Friday are flashing deals to jolt consumers into spending.
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Major retailers, led by discounters Wal-Mart Stores and Target Corp, turned in better-than-expected August sales on Thursday, as consumers went back-to-school shopping despite higher gas prices and the nation's housing meltdown.
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The August start of the back-to-school shopping season was a disappointment for major retailers, giving the industry a third straight month of tepid sales. Higher gasoline prices and consumers' ongoing worries about jobs contributed to the poor showing.
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U.S. chain store sales rose in the  first week of August, helped by back-to-school tax holidays in  some states and summer clearance sales, a report showed on  Tuesday.
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The holiday shopping season ended better than it started, and most retailers are on track to meet humble sales goals. Still, many hope for an extra boost this week as consumers cash in gift cards.
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The back-to-school shopping season was not a disaster, but the respectable, if lackluster performance of retailers may have been driven by discounts that obscure troubles ahead.
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With a weak back-to-school season behind them, the nation&#39;s retailers are focused on the holidays and what steps they need to take to get consumers excited about shopping again.
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Wal-Mart Stores Inc. WMT.N on Monday  maintained its September sales forecast and said back-to-school  demand picked up for key categories including electronics and  clothing after a sluggish start.
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After struggling through a disappointing holiday season, retailers were heartened by a surge in business last week, and a busy shopping day after Christmas, creating more hope that they would meet their modest sales goals.
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Chain store sales rose more than  expected last week mainly due to back-to-school shopping, in a  sign that consumers continue to spend despite a weaker economy,  two reports showed on Tuesday.
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U.S. retailers were hopeful on Monday that a dusting of snow on the East Coast would put consumers in the Christmas shopping mood after what has so far been a ho-hum holiday sales season.