All USA articles – Page 35
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News
Gap outlines growth plans
US Gap chairman and chief executive Glenn Murphy has outlined domestic and international growth plans and intends to expand the retailer’s Outlet business with new shops in the UK, Japan and Canada.Murphy said Gap’s online and international business has grown by $500m (£305.6m) between 2006 and 2008 and both areas ...
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Neiman Marcus considers selling lower-priced goods
US Luxury department store chain Neiman Marcus will consider selling some lower-priced goods after sales plunged 24 per cent year on year in its third quarter.Although Neiman Marcus will not abandon higher-priced products, it said it would merchandise goods with a greater range of price points.Chief executive Burt Tansky told ...
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US DIY spending ‘lowest in 60 years’
US DIY spending as a percentage of America’s GDP is at its lowest in 60 years, Home Depot boss Frank Blake said.However, the retailer expects a smaller fall in annual earnings than previously feared. Originally a decline of 7 per cent was forecast but it is now expected to be ...
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Court orders Amazon to pay Toys R Us £31m
Amazon has been ordered by an American court to pay $51m (£31.2m) to Toys R Us after the e-tail giant terminated an exclusive distribution deal in 2004.The partnership was due to last until 2010, with the toy retailer agreed as Amazon’s sole supplier of toys, games and baby goods.The fine ...
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NewsHollister secures deals to double UK portfolio
US fashion brand Hollister has pressed on with aggressive expansion plans across the UK, adding four more stores to its portfolio, and entering talks for another four to five.
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Same-store sales in US decline
Same-store sales declined 4.6 per cent in the US in May, according to a report from Goldman Sachs and the International Council of Shopping Centers. The results were worse than a forecast 3 per cent drop.Among a slew of disappointing like-for-likes, department store group Nordstrom reported a fall of more ...
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AnalysisNew Wal-Mart chief Mike Duke: ‘This is our time’
Changing consumer habits create opportunities, new Wal-Mart chief Mike Duke believes – but the retailer can’t afford to be complacent. George MacDonald reports from the US
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Aggressive Ackman falls flat after failed Target coup
The latest boardroom battle that William Ackman, head of US hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management, has waged has ended in tears – literally, according to US reports.
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Wal-Mart will not “accelerate” Marketside openings
Wal-Mart will not “accelerate” openings of Marketside, the store format developed in response to Tesco’s Fresh & Easy US chain.Wal-Mart Stores vice-chairman Eduardo Castro-Wright said: “The test we’ve had in Phoenix, we’re pleased with. Given the current economic conditions we are not accelerating the effort until we have better data ...
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Profits at Office Depot’s North American retail division decline
Operating profits at Office Depot’s North American retail division declined from $82m (£50m) to $81m ($49.4m) in the first quarter to March 28. Like-for-likes plummeted 17 per cent while total sales slumped 16 per cent to $1.4bn (£854.4m).The company, which includes a business solutions arm, reported a net loss of ...
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Target shareholders reject alternative director list
Shareholders in general merchandise retail powerhouse Target last week rejected an alternative list of directors put up by activist shareholder William Ackman.In a heated battle, Ackman, the head of Pershing Square Capital Management, sought to have his own roster of directors, including himself, replace the existing board to better compete ...
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Toys R Us acquires the FAO Schwarz toy stores
The world’s largest toy specialist Toys R Us has acquired the FAO Schwarz toy stores for an undisclosed sum.FAO Schwarz, which first opened in 1862, describes itself as the oldest toy retailer in the US. Toys R Us will operate all three FAO Schwarz stores – two in New York ...
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Unexpected profit revealed by Sears
Department store group Sears posted an unexpected first-quarter profit after slashing advertising costs and payroll expenses.The retailer also extended a credit agreement to increase the amount available to $4.1bn (£2.6bn) until March 24, 2010, and $2.4bn (£1.5bn) from March 25, 2010, to June 2012.Net income in the three months to ...
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Gamestop reveals profit hike
Games retailer Gamestop revealed a profit hike of 13.4 per cent to $70.4m (£44.4m) while like-for-likes fell 1.5 per cent in its first quarter to May 2.The world’s largest games specialist said the like-for-like decline was due to “sharper recessionary effects in Europe and a slowdown of new console sales”. ...
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Target experiences profit fall
General merchandise retailer Target experienced a profit fall from $602m to $522m (£379.4m to £329m) in the first quarter to May 2.Like-for-like sales in its retail arm deteriorated 3.2 per cent while total sales rose 0.4 per cent to $14.4bn (£9.08bn). It is the fifth consecutive quarter that Target’s sales ...
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Sales declines hit Gap profits
Sales declines across all four of Gap’s divisions have led to a 14 per cent slump in first-quarter profits at the clothing giant.In the quarter to May 2 earnings were 15m (£135.5m), down from 49m (£156.9m) the year before. First-quarter net sales were $3.13bn (£1.97bn) compared with $3.38bn (£2.13bn) the ...
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NewsScott Wheway to use Tesco and Boots experience after Best Buy move
US electricals retailer Best Buy will adopt the best practices of retail giants Tesco and Boots when it debuts in the UK next year.
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Lawson shelves plan to acquire rival
The country’s second largest convenience store chain Lawson has shelved plans to acquire rival am/pm. Lawson said it could not reach an agreement with the US-based competitor.The proposed acquisition would have cost the 9,500-store retailer ¥14.5bn (£97m). As part of the deal, am/pm wanted the majority of its 1,100 stores ...
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Abercrombie & Fitch report a net loss
Abercrombie & Fitch reported a net loss of $26.8m (£17.52m) in its first quarter to May 2 as like-for-like sales dived 30 per cent across the group.Sales at Ruehl shops plummeted 34 per cent on a like-for-like basis and the fashion retailer has now begun a strategic review of that ...
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Wal-Mart to end monthly sales reporting
Wal-Mart is to end its monthly sales reporting, which the retailer has been doing since 1979, to “better align investors with the retailer’s business plan and cut volatility caused by holiday shifts”, said Wal-Mart chief financial officer Tom Schoewe.Separately, Easter’s April timing helped improve US retailers’ same-store sales growth for ...