Continue reading Day After Christmas Tops All but Black Friday for Retailers

Day After Christmas Tops All but Black Friday for Retailers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Snowstorm Bad for Retailers; Online Retailers to Benefit?

Snowstorm Bad for Retailers; Online Retailers to Benefit? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It wouldn't reveal the number, but Amazon (AMZN) did announce that it realized record sales for its Kindle e-reader this month. And, there's still the rest of the month to go, including the run-up to Christmas. Just as the battle for e-reader market share began to flare up, it already seems to be over.

This year, Sony (SNE) released a new e-reader, and Barnes & Noble (BKS) entered the market with its Nook device. Both posted early successes, which quickly became problems. The two companies sold out of inventory and won't be able to ship new orders until the new year.

Continue reading Amazon Kindle Sets Record, E-Reader Race Is Over

Amazon Kindle Sets Record, E-Reader Race Is Over originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading For retailers, flat holiday sales this year would represent a moral victory

For retailers, flat holiday sales this year would represent a moral victory originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

No, don't expect to see windmills and solar panels -- consumers are leaning toward a different kind of green this holiday season: cash. Rather than hit their credit cards, shoppers will only be spending money they have (and can see and touch). Seventy-one percent of consumers are looking to cash and debit cards as their primary form of payment for holiday shopping this year, which the National Retail Foundation pegs as the highest level since 2005.

This could be a problem for the retailers.

Sure, you'd think that the merchant fees on credit cards make cash more attractive to the sellers. But, Ellen Davis, a spokesperson for the NRF, says that most retailers have found they can talk credit card buyers into up-sells more easily. That leads to a bigger basket size and more revenue. Done successfully, it should comfortably absorb the impact of merchant fees. James Roberts, a marketing professor at Baylor University, adds that using plastic makes consumers more likely to buy at all, let alone more.

Continue reading Shoppers going green for Christmas

Shoppers going green for Christmas originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Target's Black Friday prices are leaked

Target's Black Friday prices are leaked originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Wal-Mart (WMT) won't close Thanksgiving weekend -- not at all. The world's largest retailer is going to keep its stores open 24 hours in an attempt to manage demand for entry during the busiest shopping days of the year. The company has announced it will also implement other crowd-control measures. The festivities start at 5 AM on November 27, 2009. Of course, this doesn't involve any change fro the Wal-Mart Supercenters which already remain open 24 hours a day, but it does address the 800 stores that aren't.

The 24-hour access alone won't do much to alleviate the pressure from thrill-seekers and the bargain-crazed who will want to push through immediately. To help with this problem, Wal-Mart is allowing people to gather in different parts of the store when waiting for the deals to kick off. According to Wal-Mart spokesman David Tovar, "If you've got a 200,000-square-foot store, people will be dispersed throughout the store instead of lined up outside the store." Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

As the old infomercial guys love to say ... "But wait, there's more!"

Continue reading Wal-Mart amps up hours, crowd control for Black Friday

Wal-Mart amps up hours, crowd control for Black Friday originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If Amazon (AMZN) was comfortable with its spot atop the e-reader market, it just got a wakeup call from Barnes & Noble (BKS). The brick-and-mortar book retailer's e-reader, the Nook, which hasn't even hit stores yet, is in pre-order nirvana right now. The first run for the Nook occurred at the end of October (the product was introduced on October 20). These buyers were told the reader would ship on November 30. High demand resulted in backorders, so the next wave of pre-orders was scheduled to ship on December 7. Now, a third group will have to wait until December 11.

This product is on fire, and it still isn't even on shelves yet.

Mary Ellen Keating, a spokeswoman for Barnes & Noble wouldn't reveal how many of these devices have been pre-ordered, but she did say, "Demand for the product in our stores and online has surpassed our expectations." She also noted, "We are working hard to meet demand for the holidays."

Continue reading Barnes & Noble's Nook already makes a splash

Barnes & Noble's Nook already makes a splash originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Polo Ralph Lauren sees second-quarter income increase

Polo Ralph Lauren sees second-quarter income increase originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For retailers, the crucial season is on its way. Blow the Christmas rush, and next year starts off on a miserable foot. Success, of course, also delivers a healthy dose of momentum -- and a little bit of wiggle room, important in what will continue to be a tough economy through at least the first half of next year. For booksellers, now contending with a new variable in the form of digital readers, e-readers will play a major role in defining the winners and losers. So far, it looks like Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) is off to a great start, and it will take some genuine innovation for the competition to chip away at its market share.

Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS), once the leading names in literary retail, is expected to release its own e-reader this week. It will look a bit like Amazon's Kindle, according to Reuters, but with a touch screen intended to make the reader's experience easier. The price hasn't been disclosed yet, but rumor has it that it'll be higher than the Kindle's $259. BKS is staying mum on its plans in this space. There are others in the space, as well, including IREX Technologies, which is a spinoff of Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG), Asutek (tk: tk) and a project called FirstPaper that has Hearst behind it.

Continue reading Amazon in the lead, but Kindle competition is coming

Amazon in the lead, but Kindle competition is coming originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's going to get worse before it gets better, according to Stone & McCarthy Research. Early 2010 has "the more troublesome outlook," as the economy will have to walk on its own, the research firm says. This year, it's had a pair of crutches: tax credits for first-time home buyers and the cash-for-clunkers program. So, if the stimulus hasn't taken hold by the end of the year, the first quarter could be a bruiser.

The firm adds that "continued growth in aggregate demand" is needed, bringing the discussion back to consumer spending . . . which is where it will always land. We're likely to see the 3.2% growth rate from July through September drop to 2.4% at the end of the year because the crutches will have been gone. And, let's not forget that unemployment is expected to break the 10% level next year.

Continue reading Stone & McCarthy suggest: Make it to March

Stone & McCarthy suggest: Make it to March originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Tween retailers provide a glimmer of hope for the retail sector

Tween retailers provide a glimmer of hope for the retail sector originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

On Tuesday, discount retailer Target (NYSE: TGT) announced that it is going to do its best to stimulate the job market. The company announced that it will open 26 new stores, which will lead to 5,000 new jobs. These stores are set to open on October 11, and a majority of the stores will be of the general merchandise variety, with five of them full-grocery SuperTarget stores.

Target is making this move as the company is facing a tough market. A week ago, UBS cut the stock from "neutral" to "buy," citing a "tarnished image" for the retailer. Target saw quarterly profit fall for an eighth straight quarter after reporting a second-quarter drop. In addition, Target saw same-store sales fall 6.2%.

Continue reading Target opening new stores, creating new jobs

Target opening new stores, creating new jobs originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Target downgraded by UBS

Target downgraded by UBS originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Consumer confidence drops unexpectedly

Consumer confidence drops unexpectedly originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Well, last night I was checking out some articles at Brandweek.com, and lo and behold, I came across this one discussing the holiday card. You know how Christmas Clubs work at banks, correct? Same principle applies here. In a simple nutshell, you get the plastic, you store funds on it, and then you can access those funds later on in the season to acquire presents. It's basically like a gift card that you use for budgeting purposes. Not only is Sears involved in this, but so is Kmart. And there's a promotion going on that's mentioned in the article where you can earn a nominal amount of bonus money on it. I don't know the details; I would suggest checking with Sears/Kmart for further information.

Continue reading Interesting holiday campaign from Sears Holdings

Interesting holiday campaign from Sears Holdings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Holiday shoppers spent 3% less online in 2008

Holiday shoppers spent 3% less online in 2008 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 31 Dec 2008 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Before the Bell: Stocks seem to shrug off awful holiday spending data originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 26 Dec 2008 08:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Not such a Merry Christmas at eBay (EBAY)

Not such a Merry Christmas at eBay (EBAY) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Paul B. Toms Jr., chairman, CEO and president of Hooker Furniture (NASDAQ: HOFT) gave a less-than-inspiring business outlook the other day in the company's press release announcing fiscal 2009 third-quarter results.

"Over the course of the last several months, the economy has worsened with continued business closings, cutbacks and layoffs across many industries, including the home furnishings industry. Consumer confidence levels are at historical lows. With continued instability in the real estate, financial and credit markets, prospects for a near-term economic recovery appear dim."

Toms believes that the consumer will stay on the sidelines until the real estate and financial markets stabilize and some improvement in credit availability and consumer confidence materializes, which could be another nine to 12 months.

Predictably the shares sold off following the news. After all, even if entertainment units, office, dining, bedroom, accent, occasional and leather upholstered furniture for the home are high on people's holiday wish list this year, these items are likely not within their financial reach.

But there's more to this story than meets the eye.

Continue reading Get your hooks in Hooker Furniture (HOFT) now

Get your hooks in Hooker Furniture (HOFT) now originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.