September is back-to-school time, but many students this year are going back to the future. Data from Compete suggest that e-books may finally be sounding the death bell for printed textbooks.
Despite the struggling economy and high unemployment rates, consumers plan to stuff their holiday stockings a little fuller this year. According to ShopperTrak, national retail sales when compared to the same period last year, will rise 3.0 percent during November and December, while foot traffic will decrease 2.2 percent.
An Ikea store in Australia is testing out Manland, described as a place for husbands and boyfriends with short retail attention spans to hang out while their wives and girlfriends run the aisles of Ikea. Think ultimate man cave stuff such as video games, foosball tables, free hot dogs, and pinball machines.
Flash-sale website One Kings Lane has raised $40 million from venture capital and private equity firms led by Tiger Global Management, the latest sign of growth for an online shopping genre that's upending traditional fashion and home retailers.
Ascena Retail Group, owner of the Dressbarn, Maurices and Justice chains, reported that net income for the quarter ended July 30 fell to $28.2 million from $42 million in the year-ago period on one-time charges and a shorter quarter for the performance slide.
Toys"R"Us won’t open as many holiday pop-up stores this year as last, betting that offering more exclusive toys will do more to attract shoppers to its stores during the important holiday season.
Target's Missoni madness continues with a brand new mess. Many customers that placed orders online at Target.com for Missoni for Target are now receiving an email from the discount retailer saying their shipments are delayed or worse — they will be cancelled altogether.
Ikea has redesigned its medium-density fiberboard masterwork, the BILLY bookshelf, to sport deeper shelves and optional glass doors meant for decorative doodads. This has prompted a whole bunch of publications to declare the four-inch tweaking of BILLY as a clear signal of the demise of books in their non e-form.
Sears was one of the winners of the 2nd Annual Colloquy Loyalty Awards, an event that recognizes "transformative, customer-focused Enterprise Loyalty initiatives" around the world.
Pier 1 Imports reported that second-quarter profit rose to $16.6 million, from $14.4 million a year earlier, matching Wall Street expectations. Sales for the quarter increased 9.6 percent to $339.6 million, compared with $309.9 million in the year-ago quarter.
