Retailers

Marketing in Disguise

Sarah O'Leary | Posted 11.16.2009 | Business


Sarah O'Leary

When marketers knowingly play in the darker parts of the gray to drive sales, they're doing a disservice to the consumer and the industry. A good deal not a good deal when it misinforms consumers.

Retail Sales Up 1.4 Percent In October On Big Boost From Auto Sales

AP | MARTIN CRUTSINGER | Posted 11.17.2009 | Business


WASHINGTON — Improved retail sales gave Wall Street a boost Monday but provided little hope for a robust holiday shopping season that might invi...

An Open Letter to Retailers About Keeping Customers Happy this Holiday Season

Jenny Darroch | Posted 11.12.2009 | Home


Jenny Darroch

It seems that many retailers have slashed inventory this year, perhaps more so than previous years.

Gifts Under $25: Retailers Offer More Affordable Gifts In 2009

AP | LISA A. FLAM | Posted 11.22.2009 | Business


NEW YORK — This gift-giving season, $25 and under is the place to be. The economy is slowly recovering, yet consumers remain nervous, leading ret...

CIT Bankruptcy Filed: US Will Likely Lose $2.3 Billion, Goldman Sachs Will Gain $1 Billion

AP / Huffington Post | By STEPHEN MANNING | Posted 11.01.2009 | Business


WASHINGTON -- Lender CIT Group has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, in an effort to restructure its debt while trying to keep loans flowing...

Tiffany's Looks To Africa As Diamond Industry Shifts

Wall Street Journal | By VANESSA O'CONNELL | Posted 10.26.2009 | Business


In a windowless factory in this African village, Tiffany is teaching more than 80 workers to transform raw diamonds into gems for Tiffany engagement r...

If You Want Sales, Don't Discount Marketing

Sarah O'Leary | Posted 09.29.2009 | Business


Sarah O'Leary

You don't need to be an economic scholar to understand the basics of supply and demand. If a consumer product falls in the retail forest and no one cares, the register won't make a sound.

Americans Are Finally Saving: A Disaster For Retailers

McClatchy | Kevin G. Hall | Posted 11.10.2009 | Business


After a year of economic crisis and an even longer slump, the nation's retailers are facing a consumer who's more reluctant to buy than ever before in...

Let's Face It -- We're Brandwashed.

Sarah O'Leary | Posted 08.14.2009 | Media


Sarah O'Leary

Consumers are the most important consideration in a marketing cycle, and they don't spend hours wondering if their yogurt is "perky yet confident," and "not afraid to share its opinion."

R.I.P. Gatorade (1965-2009): A Senseless Marketing Tragedy

Sarah O'Leary | Posted 08.04.2009 | Business


Sarah O'Leary

In an industry where experts have evangelized "brand equity" since the dawn of the ad man, the loss of Gatorade falls well outside of logic.

More Retailers Accept Food Stamps During Recession

usatoday.com | By Jayne O'Donnell and Rachel Huggins | Posted 08.29.2009 | Business


More retailers are accepting food stamps, as a record number of consumers are turning to government aid to pay for groceries. Nearly 39 million peopl...

Downsizing: Retailers Rid The Racks Of Plus-Size Clothes

New York Post | Posted 07.02.2009 | Style


Here's some more motivation to lose those extra pounds -- recession-stung retailers are dropping plus-size clothing from their collections because it'...

Filene's Basement files for Ch. 11 reorganization

AP | Posted 06.04.2009 | Business


WILMINGTON, Del. — Discount retailer Filene's Basement said Monday that it has filed to reorganize under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, less ...

Watch Walmart Spread: Interactive Chart

projects.flowingdata.com | Posted 04.13.2009 | Business


Over the weekend, I mapped the spread of Walmart using Modest Maps. It starts slow and then spreads like wildfire in the southeast and makes its way t...

Retail Sales Spending Better Than Expected

AP | MARTIN CRUTSINGER | Posted 04.12.2009 | Business


WASHINGTON — Retail sales fell in February for the seventh time in the past eight months. While the decline was less than expected, economists a...

Ann Taylor To Shutter 163 Stores By 2010

Bloomberg | Allison Abell Schwartz and Mark Clothier | Posted 04.06.2009 | Business


March 6 (Bloomberg) -- AnnTaylor Stores Corp. plunged the most in more than eight years in New York trading after a shrinking job market stifled deman...

Wal-Mart Beats The Street, Competitors With 5.1% Same-Store Sales

AP | Posted 04.05.2009 | Business


BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. says February same-store sales rose 5.1 percent, far above analyst expectations. The world's largest r...

Store Closings, Weak Sales Could Mean $27 Billion Boon For Competitors

AP | ANNE D'INNOCENZIO and MAE ANDERSON | Posted 04.03.2009 | Business


NEW YORK — Retailers left standing amid the carcasses of their competitors are going after orphaned customers. They're using aggressive mailers,...

Sears Store Closings Despite Stronger-Than-Expected Earnings

Reuters | Posted 03.29.2009 | Business


ATLANTA (Reuters) -- Retailer Sears Holdings Corp (SHLD.O) posted stronger-than-expected quarterly results on Thursday as it cut costs during the rece...

Fortunoff Liquidation Begins

Reuters | Emily Chasan and Phil Wahba | Posted 03.28.2009 | Business


NEW YORK, Feb 24 (Reuters) - A federal bankruptcy judge on Tuesday approved the sale of luxury retailer Fortunoff Holdings LLC to a group of seven li...

Economy In A Tailspin

Huffington Post | Julie Satow | Posted 03.08.2009 | Business


The number of Americans who applied for unemployment benefits last week surged to 626,000--the highest level since 1982. At the same time, the number ...

Madison Avenue's Shopping "Gold Coast" Finally Melts

New York Times | Terry Pristin | Posted 03.07.2009 | Business


After more than 30 years on Madison Avenue, the retailer E. Braun & Company is packing up its $3,500 hand-embroidered tablecloths and $2,390 bedding s...

25 Percent Of Retailers May Go Bankrupt

Clusterstock | Harry Blodget | Posted 01.27.2009 | Business


Retailing has always been a tough business. Now it's a brutal business. Some observers now predict that more than 25% of retailers may go bust in th...

236.com: Retailers To Consumers: "Thanks For Nothing, Jerks!"

236.com | Posted 11.22.2009 | Business


Dammit shoppers, you're ruining Christmas! Terrified of how low this Christmas season's sales might turn out to be, retailers have been slashing price...

Amazon.com's Holiday Season Turns Out Cheery

247wallst.com | Posted 01.26.2009 | Business


To the amazement of Wall St., Amazon today said it had "its best holiday ever". In the firm's statement it said "Amazon announced the 2008 holiday ...