retail sector news stories on Newser

As Sales Slump, Wal-Mart Cuts Prices

Harry Kimball — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 11:42:00 CDT

Wal-Mart will discount around 10,000 items in the face of dipping sales, even as other retailers report increases in business. The move could be a ploy to hang on to middle-class shoppers, who flocked to the big-box behemoth in the depths of the recession but have been upgrading as...

Financials Push Dow Up 35

Nick McMaster — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:10:31 CST

A rally in financial stocks helped the major indexes overcome a slump in retail shares, pushing stocks to solid gains today and capping a 6.5% rise by the Dow in November, the Wall Street Journal reports. For the day: The Dow rose 34.92 points to close at 10,...

Lousy Retail Sales Will Delay Recovery

Kevin Spak — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 08:38:27 CDT

If the recession is indeed waning, nobody told consumers. Retailers of every kind reported lousy sales for the quarter ended Aug. 1, the Wall Street Journal reports. Target’s same-store sales fell 6.2%, Home Depot’s dropped 9.1% and Saks’ plummeted a whopping 15.5%. And with unemployment, stagnant wages,...

Retailers Slash Selection in Response to Recession

Kevin Spak — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:51:01 CDT

A fundamental shift is going on in the consumer product world as retailers decide that less is more, the Wall Street Journal reports. Big national retailers are expected to slash selection by at least 15%, analysts say. Gone will be 30% of Kroger’s cereals, 20 of the 24 tape measures...

Dow Up 173 on Housing, Retail

Harry Kimball — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:08:52 CDT

Markets rallied today on positive news from the retail and housing sectors, the Wall Street Journal reports. Major builders saw stocks go up as much as 15%, leading some to predict an end to the crisis in the housing market. In retail, meanwhile, companies such as Bed Bath and Beyond...