Retail sales rose a sluggish 0.2 percent in October, matching economists' expectations, as a housing downturn and steep oil prices constrained consumer spending, Commerce Department data on Wednesday showed.
Most retail chains suffered through a dismal, record-warm October, with leader Wal-Mart Stores Inc falling short of Wall Street same-store sales estimates and the apparel sector continuing to struggle.
Gauging retail success or failure for the holidays is an increasingly difficult, and often unreliable, endeavor.
In the UK the Competition Commission has released an initial report on the groceries industry saying that “the UK groceries market is delivering a good deal for consumers.â€
Retail stocks jumped on Friday, with Family Dollar Stores, and Big Lots among the gainers.
Bank of China, the world's No. 6 bank by market capitalisation, is seeking acquisition opportunities to expand its British retail business, a senior executive said.
Retail shares were mostly higher on Monday, with gainers including Sears Holdings, Staples and Macy’s.
Dell Inc (DELL.O) said it would sell personal computers, printers, monitors and ink supplies in 1,400 Staples Inc (SPLS.O) stores in the United States, its latest move into retail after breaking from 23 years of selling directly to consumers.
Multinational retailers are waiting for India's chaotic industry to settle down.
Price comparison sites risk misleading consumers and should be governed by a code of practice, an independent body says. It would aim to ensure that such services display up-to-date information, disclose how much of the market they cover and are transparent in the commercial relationships they have with product providers.
U.S. shoppers may spend more money on holiday purchases this year, but that spending will increase at only about half the pace it did a year ago, an industry trade group study released on Tuesday found.
Retail stocks fell on Monday, outpacing losses in the broader market, with Big Lots leading decliners.
U.S. retail sales rose solidly in September while a key inflation gauge remained muted, data on Friday showed, suggesting the economy retained some buoyancy despite a weakening housing sector. With consumers flexing their spending power, the latest batch of data paints a less gloomy picture of an economy that is slowing, but not stalling.
Many of the leading U.S. retailers reported dismal September sales that missed Wall Street's expectations, hurt by unusually warm weather, prompting some to cut their outlook for the entire quarter. Industry leader Wal-Mart raised its outlook for the quarter but said sales came in at the low end of expectations.
Large and small U.S. retailers have reported signs of cautious spending by consumers, who are feeling the pain of higher food and gasoline prices as the housing market decelerates after buoying consumer confidence and spending for years. Retailers Men's Wearhouse, American Eagle Outfitters Inc and PetSmart Inc cut profit forecasts on Wednesday after a wave of weak sales reports.
Retail shares were mixed on Tuesday despite a strong performance from Costco Wholesale Corp, which rose sharply on expectations of higher profits.
India's diversified Mahindra Group is entering the retail sector, the latest deep-pocketed, family-run Indian company to jump into the fast-growing market.
Microsoft Corp plans to increase its share of the technology business in India as retail and small- and medium-sized firms step up investment in a booming economy, the chairman of its Indian unit said on Monday.
Warm weather in parts of the United States in recent weeks could hurt September same-store sales, as consumers put off purchases of fall items like fuzzy sweaters and outerwear.
India's rural retail market is expected to grow by 29 percent to 1.8 trillion rupees by 2010 helped by rising incomes and changing consumption patterns, an industry body report said.
China Shenhua Energy, the country's biggest coal producer, raised 66.58 billion yuan ($8.9 billion) in China's largest domestic IPO after pricing the share offer at the top of an indicative range.
Apple Inc. will start selling its popular iPhone smart-phone in the U.K with the Spanish-owned service provider O2, bringing the firm's highly-coveted device to Europe for the first time.
