Retailer Kohl's Corp. (KSS) shares have retreated slightly since hitting a high near $58, but just look on that dip as an opportunity to scoop up shares.

Kohl's is a retail sector winner amid the most challenging economic conditions for retailers in decades.

Kohl's same-store sales will likely increase about 5% to 6% in this year, FY2012, along with decent traffic. Kohl's also plans to open about 40 new stores. How many other retail chains are opening stores in a big way in 2011? Very few.

Continue reading Kohl's: Retail Sector Survivor and Winner

Kohl's: Retail Sector Survivor and Winner originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Feb 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's been a strange marriage right from the start. Kmart, the discounter, joined with Sears, the department store retailer in 2005.
Both lines are in stiff competition with other brands, the USA Today reports. Kmart's competing with Walmart (WMT) and Target (TGT), while Sears's competitors include Home Depot (HD) and Lowe's (LOW).

The Kmart-Sears combo has been lagging in the retail sector. On Thursday, Sears Holdings (SHLD) posted a loss of $218 million or $1.98 per share, compared with a loss of $127 million or $1.09 per share in the period last year. Revenue fell 5% to $9.68 billion. Analysts had expected $9.89 billion.

Continue reading Sears: A Retail Sector Laggard

Sears: A Retail Sector Laggard originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Retailers Enjoy Solid January, Led by Luxury Set

Retailers Enjoy Solid January, Led by Luxury Set originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Retailers don't like competition. As it is, they get enough of it from each other in the pursuit of razor-thin margins. It's standard practice to squeeze manufacturers for lower prices and more concessions as part of this battle.

For years, it's also been the norm for retailers to push back on manufacturers' direct-to-consumer models, as it gives consumers one less reason to enter the store, results in smaller basket sizes and greater pressure on wallet share. When a consumer product giant decides to bypass the retailers, eyebrows rise across the consumer business industry, with manufacturers thinking about new revenue possibilities while retailers worry that other product companies will follow.

Continue reading P&G Tinkers with Direct-to-Consumer Model

P&G Tinkers with Direct-to-Consumer Model originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The 2009 equity market recovery has led to an increase in Q ratios for the world's largest retailers. What does this mean? They're using their tangible assets effectively and have demonstrated the strength of intangible factors, such as brand and operational efficiency, to create shareholder value.

"Q" is the ratio of a public company's market capitalization to the market value of its tangible assets. So, a Q ratio of above one means that investors value the company's non-tangible assets -- e.g., brand, differentiation, innovation, customer experience and customer loyalty -- and see these factors as reasons to pay a higher price per share. A company with a Q ratio of below one can't generate a sufficient return on its physical assets. According to Deloitte, this could create an arbitrage opportunity, as it may be ripe for an acquisition.

Continue reading Emerging Markets and Electronics Retailers Sport Best Intangible Values

Emerging Markets and Electronics Retailers Sport Best Intangible Values originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Despite some early concerns that the action would be slow, seasonal hiring spiked 42% for the retail sector in 2009.

Even though growth was modest -- and based on the depressed baseline set last year -- 547,400 holiday workers showed up at stores across the country to help handle the increased foot traffic and what eventually became a small gain in sales. A year earlier, holiday hiring fell to a 22-year low of 384,300, according to an analysis revealed to BloggingStocks by Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

Continue reading Seasonal Retail Hiring Up 42%

Seasonal Retail Hiring Up 42% originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Retailers appear to have been rescued at the last minute, according to data from the International Council of Shopping Centers. Shoppers looking for deals the week before Christmas -- and making up for the day lost to stormy weather on the East Coast -- spent aggressively, sparing the retail sector a dismal 2008-like performance.

The healthy conclusion to the holiday season led to a positive change from November and made December one of only three months (including September and October) in which retail sales increased year-over-year.

Continue reading Retailers Post Solid December, but Consumer Still Strapped

Retailers Post Solid December, but Consumer Still Strapped originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The job market looked grim at the beginning of 2009, but as we crossed into 2010, there seems to be a glimmer of hope. We still aren't seeing jobs added yet, but at least the cuts are headed in the right direction. Last month, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, announced layoffs fell 10% to 45,094. This is the lowest level seen since December 2007, exactly two years earlier, when there were only 44,416 job cuts. The most recent tally is also off 10% from November's 50,349, making it the fifth month in a row that layoffs have decreased. Since July, the stat has fallen 14% a month, on average.

Continue reading December Layoffs Lowest in a Year

December Layoffs Lowest in a Year originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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.

This week, the world's top retailers will tell investors how the much-discussed holiday season went. Analysts expect a year-over-year gain of 1.3% for stores open at least a year, which of course uses a dismal 2008 as a benchmark.

The holiday shopping season is the last chance retailers get to pump up their financial statements before the close of their fiscal year, which usually comes at the end of January. For some retailers, up to 40% of their revenue comes in the weeks heading into Christmas.

Continue reading Retail Results to Come this Week, but Spring Is the Test

Retail Results to Come this Week, but Spring Is the Test originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 03 Jan 2010 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The first estimates for the holiday shopping season have come in. MasterCard (MA) Advisors unit SpendingPulse, which tracks retail spending, puts the result at a year-over-year increase of 3.6%. This includes all form of payment and does not factor in gas and auto sales. The increase comes relative to the 2008 holiday season, which was the worst season in decades for retailers thanks to the global financial crisis.

Says Kamalesh Rao, director of economic research at SpendingPulse, "Last year the economy and consumer spending were in free fall. This year we're talking about an environment that has stabilized, that has seen a leveling off." But, that doesn't mean it's turned the corner yet. Holiday spending isn't enough to cure what ails us.

Continue reading Early Estimates for Retail Sales Favor Online

Early Estimates for Retail Sales Favor Online originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The holidays have ended, and the real sales have begun. Those choosing to sacrifice sentimentality for savings found retailers only too willing to help, as prices were slashed in the wake of the Christmas rush. Recipients of gift cards stand to see their purchasing power extended, as well, now that redemption time has arrived, and retailers are looking to squeeze in any extra sales they can to pump up their top lines before the books close on the fiscal year, which, for many, comes at the end of January.

Toys "R" Us has offered a deal on Nintendo (NTDOY) Wii games, with the second coming at half price, and Target (TGT) is nearly halving the price of wine glasses and dropping the tag on an argyle women's sweater by nearly a third. Walmart (WMT), which kicked off its cuts at the end of September, is throwing a $50 gift card on top of any Microsoft (MSFT) Xbox 360 buy.

Continue reading After Christmas, Retailers Pick Up the Pieces

After Christmas, Retailers Pick Up the Pieces originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Don't Put an Economic Recovery on Your Christmas List

Don't Put an Economic Recovery on Your Christmas List originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 25 Dec 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Anxious to grab every last dollar they can out of holiday shoppers, retailers are pulling out all the stops. Especially given the snowstorm on the East Coast last week, they have to make up some ground, and time is running out. They lost the Saturday before Christmas, one of the busiest shopping days of the year -- and a favorite of people like me who wait until the last minute.

"Super Saturday," as it's called, was off close to 13% compared to last year, says research firm ShopperTrak. Only $6.9 billion came in, off $1 billion-year-over-year. And, let's not forget that 2008 was a drag. Its $7.9 billion performance was down from $8.7 billion in 2007.

Continue reading With Christmas Looming, Retailers Make Up for Lost Time

With Christmas Looming, Retailers Make Up for Lost Time originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The online push from Black Friday continued into Cyber Monday. Coremetrics, a web analytics company, found that sales were up 19.6% year-over-year as of 1:00 PM Monday. Online may account for only 10% of spending during the holiday season (7% overall), but it remains the bright spot in what has been a lackluster kickoff to the holiday season.

Black Friday spending was up only 0.5% this year, though Black Friday online spending jumped 35%. For Friday and Saturday, ShopperTrak reports that retail sales were up 0.9% to $16.77 billion, while customer traffic dropped 2.7%.

Continue reading Cyber Monday a success, despite Black Friday

Cyber Monday a success, despite Black Friday originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 01 Dec 2009 08:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The next month is the one that matters most to the retail sector. It will dominate the conversation when Q4 and full-year financials are reported. A strong Black Friday brought with it concerns that momentum will fade, but opportunity is not dispensed equally. Some retailers will come through the season better than others, and industry experts have already chosen their favorites.

Michael Dart, senior partner at Kurt Salmon Associates, says, "We are seeing a paradigm shift in the way consumer interprets value and what they are looking for." The winners will do more than pitch deep discounts to convince consumers to part with their hard-earned cash.

Continue reading Nine (and then some) retail stocks to watch this holiday season

Nine (and then some) retail stocks to watch this holiday season originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

All the hope and hype that went into Black Friday preparations this year didn't give us much. Year-over-year, retail sales grew only 0.5%, from $10.61 billion to $10.66 billion, according to ShopperTrak. This follows a 3% gain last year, when the world was gripped by the panic triggered by the global financial crisis. In 2007, the situation was much better, with Black Friday sales leaping 8.3%.

The slight gain this year came even with the extra efforts retailers made, which included, in some cases, opening on Thanksgiving Day and making an extra push via social media. These measures effectively helped retailers tread water.

Continue reading Black Friday results: Minimal growth

Black Friday results: Minimal growth originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 29 Nov 2009 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Online retail sales are expected to increase 3% to $28.8 billion for this year's holiday season. The analysts at comScore include traditional retailers, like Macy's (M) in this estimate, but don't count auction sites like eBay (EBAY), travel or corporate sales. The estimate compares favorably against the National Retail Federation's forecast of a 1% year-over-year drop for all retail sales and exceeds the industry's most aggressive holiday season sales estimates of 2%.

Last year, online retail sales fell 3% for the holiday season, the first decline since the industry started keeping score in 2001. Even if we don't hit the 3% growth level this year, 2009 is still expected to be better than 2008, now that the economy has stabilized (at least relative to last year).

Continue reading Online sales to be darling of holiday season

Online sales to be darling of holiday season originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 28 Nov 2009 17:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Stores were busy on Black Friday, as deals lured recession-weary consumers out of their homes. The spending was cautious, but the crowds and transactions signaled strength.

Nonetheless, retailers are still concerned that the momentum is only temporary. With consumer spending still under pressure because of high unemployment, there's a risk that holiday shopping may not reach the levels the stores would like to see. The day after Thanksgiving is usually the hottest of the year and can account for close to 20% of annual retail sales.

Continue reading Black Friday busy, but momentum may not hold

Black Friday busy, but momentum may not hold originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 28 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If consumers try a little harder this year, the holiday season has a shot of hiding memories of last year's nightmare for retailers. The retailers are doing their part, with Walmart (WMT), Gap (GPS), RadioShack (RSH), Walgreens (WAG) and many others opening their doors Thanksgiving Day, giving shoppers the opportunity to start their spending early. There's a chance that consumers will spend a bit more this year to thank each other for keeping their belts so tight for so long.

Forecasts of the season's ultimate result remain difficult to pin down. Some expect a year-over-year decline of 3%, and predictions range to an increase of 2%. Credit is harder to come by, and unemployment remains over 10% and at a 26-year high. But, the pressures on spending are offset by pent-up emotion and a stabilizing financial environment -- even if it isn't getting better yet, it doesn't seem to be getting worse.

Continue reading Consumers sick of recession, may spend extra on holidays

Consumers sick of recession, may spend extra on holidays originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.