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Strategies & Market Trends : Can you beat 50% per month? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Smiling Bob who wrote (7430)	12/13/2004 10:39:15 AM
From: Smiling Bob	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 19256

KSS 46.32 bid - and retailers in general seeing spotty buying Sales are up in segments in which KSS doesn't do, and down on clothing etc. 39 eoy tgt becoming clearer with mid 20's to follow Message 20808580 Retail Sales Rise Slightly in November Monday December 13, 10:17 am ET By Jeannine Aversa, Associated Press Writer Retail Sales Climb by 0.1 Percent in November; a Bit Better Than the Flat Showing Forecast WASHINGTON (AP) -- Shoppers showed a bit of cheer at the cash registers in November, boosting sales at the nation's retailers by 0.1 percent. The newest snapshot of consumers' buying appetite, issued by the Commerce Department on Monday, turned out to be somewhat brighter than the flat showing in sales that economists were expecting. ADVERTISEMENT To be sure, consumers were more selective in their purchases in November, compared with October. Retail sales increased by 0.8 percent in October from the previous month, according to revised figures. That was much stronger than the 0.2 percent increase first estimated. Economists closely watch consumers' behavior because their spending accounts for roughly two-thirds of all economic activity in the United States. "Christmas has been saved," declared Anthony Chan, senior economist at JPMorgan Fleming Asset Management. "It's not going to be a blockbuster Christmas. But it will not be as some feared -- that Christmas is not going to happen this year." Shoppers in November spent on electronics and appliances, building materials and garden supplies, groceries and other items. They boosted sales at bars and restaurants. But they cut back on purchases of cars, clothes and sporting goods, books and music. Excluding sales of automobiles, which can swing widely from month to month, sales at all other merchants in November rose by a solid 0.5 percent, exceeding some analysts' forecasts for a more moderate 0.3 percent gain. In October, sales for this category excluding automobiles, went up by a brisk 1.1 percent. Concerns about high energy prices and the availability of jobs are taking their toll on some consumers and making them think twice about their spending, analysts said. Job growth slowed in November. The economy added a net 112,000 positions in that month, down from 303,000 in October. While the recovery in the labor markets has had ups and downs, the economy, however, has managed to move solidly ahead. And that is helping inflation to pick up. Economists expect the Federal Reserve on Tuesday to raise short-term interest rates for a fifth time this year, an effort aimed at making sure inflation doesn't become a threat. Analysts are predicting a quarter-point boost, which would leave a key interest rate at 2.25 percent. In Monday's report, sales of at automobile dealerships dropped by 1.3 percent in November, following a 0.5 percent decline in October. That was the biggest factor tempering the strength of retail sales for last month. Sales at clothing stores dipped 0.1 percent last month, compared with a 2.4 percent rise in October. Sales at sporting goods, books and music stores dropped by 1.2 percent, after a 0.3 percent gain. Department store sales in November slipped 0.1 percent, following a 0.6 percent rise. Major retailers, earlier this month, had reported a lackluster start to the holiday shopping season with disappointing sales during the Thanksgiving weekend. Furniture stores sales were flat in November, compared with a 0.9 percent advance in October. But consumers sent sales at electronics and appliances stores up by 1 percent in November, a turnaround from the 0.3 percent drop in October. Sales at building and garden supply stores rose 1.1 percent last month, after being flat in October. Grocery stores sales increased 0.7 percent, on top of a 0.4 percent rise. Sales at bars and restaurants rose 0.2 percent in November, following a 1.4 percent increase.

To: Smiling Bob who wrote (7430)	1/4/2005 5:32:30 PM
From: Smiling Bob	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 19256

Associated Press Discounting Seen Slicing Retail Profits Tuesday January 4, 5:08 pm ET By Anne D'Innocenzio, AP Business Writer Heavy Discounting to Lure Customers Into Stores Seen Slicing Into Retailers' Holiday Profits Message 20808580 NEW YORK (AP) -- A shopping spree before and after Christmas helped many of the nation's retailers meet their holiday sales goals, but heavy discounting to lure customers into the stores came at the expense of profits, Wall Street analysts believe. ADVERTISEMENT "Overall, it was a marginally disappointing holiday in terms of profits, but it wasn't a disaster because you had a big surge in post-holiday traffic," said John D. Morris, an analyst at Harris Nesbitt, an investment firm. "It was a holiday season marked by a stingier consumer who wanted to wait until the last minute for the markdowns." Morris noted that gift card redemptions and people buying items for themselves, though at reduced prices, helped boost holiday sales. Gift cards are only recorded as sales when they are redeemed. Ken Perkins, an analyst at RetailMetrics LLC, a research firm in Swampscott, Mass., said the retail industry will probably see the weakest profit gain for the year in the fourth quarter, which for retailers is over at the end of January. Based on 138 retailers he follows, the retail industry is averaging profit growth of 8.9 percent for the fourth quarter, versus the year-ago period when it averaged 14.7 percent. This year's figure is down from 10.2 percent right before Thanksgiving. But Perkins believes it could slip into the 7 percent range, after retailers report December sales figures on Thursday. The sales figures are based on same-store sales, or sales at stores opened at least a year, and are considered the best measure of a retailer's health. The International Council of Shopping Centers, the leading shopping center organization, reported Tuesday that same-store sales rose 4.6 percent for the week ended Jan. 1, from a year ago. That was the strongest gain since June 19, when the increase was 4.9 percent. Same-store sales rose 0.2 percent from the prior week. ShopperTrak, which tracks total sales at more than 40,000 retail outlets, said total sales for the week ended Jan. 1, rose 55.6 percent, compared with the same period a year ago. Michael P. Niemira, chief economist at the International Council of Shopping Centers, said the performance over the last two weeks "was a pleasant surprise to an uncertain and uneven season." The late sales surge is expected to put merchants on track for a projected same-store sales gain of 3.0 percent to 3.5 percent in December from the year-ago period, he said. Most Wall Street analysts have not yet revised their fourth-quarter earnings figures for retailers, and are awaiting December's same-store sales reports. Profits at stores that cut prices most aggressively -- like AnnTaylor Stores Corp., Limited Brands Inc.'s Express, and Gap Inc., or department stores like May Department Stores Co., Dillard's Inc., Federated Department Stores Inc. and Sears, Roebuck and Co. -- are expected to be hardest hit, according to analysts. Kris Marubio, spokeswoman at Gap Inc. and Sharon Bateman, a spokeswoman at May declined to comment, while other retailers could not be immediately reached for comment. In a research note, Todd Slater, an analyst at Lazard Freres & Co., expects that department stores will show same-store sales declines in December, after posting gains for two months in a row. The exceptions will be luxury chains including Neiman Marcus Group Inc. and Nordstrom Inc., which have continued to enjoy robust sales as their well-heeled customers have benefited from the economy's recovery. Another bright spot is the teen sector, particularly American Eagle Outfitters Inc., Abercrombie & Fitch Co., and Aeropostale Inc. Teen retailers heavily marketed gift cards this holiday season, and planned for the big surge in traffic after Dec. 25 by featuring a lot of full-priced spring apparel, Morris said. Perkins believes that profits will be healthy at Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, even though it was forced to step up discounting after a slow start to the holiday season. On Monday, the behemoth discounter said it expects December sales to be at the top end of its forecast of 1 to 3 percent for December. "They're good at squeezing costs out of the system," Perkins said. "I would think they would be OK." biz.yahoo.com