Cincinnati—Why wait until December 26? Throw the doors open on Christmas for returns and sales appears to be the message to retailers, particularly from Millennials. When LoyaltyOne Consulting, a firm specializing in assessing, designing and implementing analytics-driven loyalty and customer experience strategies, asked 1,267 American consumers nationwide in November what they would do if retailers […]

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Washington–As of this week, merchants and consumers in Europe will see some relief from the exorbitant fees paid to the credit card companies and banks to process debit and credit card transactions, which will help retailing prosper and save consumers a lot of money, according to the Merchants Payments Coalition. The 28 countries of the […]

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Madrid—Inditex, owner of Zara, said today that its profit for the first nine months of the year soared 20%, helped by a 16% increase in sales. In the nine months ending October 31, net profit rose by a fifth to 2.02 billion euros ($2.2 billion) on sales up 16% to 14.7 billion euros. In constant […]

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Washington–The National Retail Federation today called on Congress to reject a customs reauthorization bill set for a vote this week unless it includes a provision allowing states to require online merchants to collect sales tax the same as local stores. “As more and more Main Street retailers close their doors because they cannot compete, it […]

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Fort Wayne, IN—Vera Bradley Inc. today reported a 48% jump in its third quarter earnings due to better-than-expected sales stronger margins and fewer markdowns. For the three months ended Oct. 31, the handbag and accessories maker posted a profit of $10.3 million, or 27 cents a share, up from $6.9 million, or 17 cents a […]

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Vancouver—Lululemon Athletica today reported today that its third quarter profit fell some 12% resulting in a lowered forecast. The company, which reports in US dollars, said the cost of goods sold rose faster than revenue. Lululemon Athletica Inc. says its third quarter net income fell by 12 %o $53.2 million. Profit in the quarter ended Nov. […]

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Paris—Luxury conglomerate Kering SA said today it has agreed to its Sergio Rossi brand to Investindustrial, a private equity group. Investindustrial, will get all Rossi’s industrial assets, rights and a network of more than 80 stores, according to a joint statement today. The deal will ensure the long-term development of the brand, the companies said. […]

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Plymouth, MN—Christopher & Banks today reported a third quarter loss in line with expectations and blamed a difficult retail environment and unseasonably warm weather. The women’s specialty retailer posted a net loss of $300,000 or 1 cent a share, compared with a year-ago profit of $9.0 million, or 24 cents a share. Net sales declined […]

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Chicago–U.S. retailers hired 5% fewer workers in November, and October retail employment data was revised lower in a possible sign seasonal jobs may decline in 2015, reported outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas today. The firm cited the Bureau of Labor Statistics that indicated retail hiring rose by 394,100 last month, the weakest pace for […]

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Washington—Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to be essentially unchanged from last year this month as stores bring in the last round of merchandise for the holiday season, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. “The holiday season […]

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