- Mark Levin Signs Multi-year Deal with ABC, Expands Show to 3 Hours
- Consumerist.com Adopted by Old-School Consumers Union, Stops Selling Ads
- For Auto Industry, 2009 Holds Even Tighter Ad Budgets
- User-Generated Magazine Publisher 8020 Media Shuts Doors
- Out-of-Home, Fueled by Digital, to Weather Recession Well
- Clear Channel Swaps Cincy Stations for Five in Green Bay
- Consumers Swarm to Discounters for Grocery Items, Don’t Switch Back
- Wikimedia Raises $6.2M to Keep Wikipedia Afloat
- Conde Nast’s Jan. Ad Pages Slip More than Most
- Aegis Faces Possible Sale or Spin-off of Non-core Businesses
- Top US Cities for Charitable Givers, by Category
- Online Fitness, Video Game Spending Outperforms Brick-And-Mortar
- RIM Must Fix Glitches, Boost Satisfaction To Hold Off iPhone
- LCD TV Revenue to Fall YoY for First Time Ever
- Top 10 Broadcast Media Websites - November 2008
- Top 10 Entertainment Online Advertisers by Image-Based Impressions - November 2008
- Top 10 Sports Websites - November 2008
- Eight in 10 Online Holiday Shoppers Read Web Reviews
- Top 40 Online Retail Satisfaction Index: Merry Outlook for Some, but Not Others
- Firefox Share Tops 20% in November
Dollar & Variety Stores
Consumers Swarm to Discounters for Grocery Items, Don’t Switch Back
Though consumer prices have fallen, those who started buying grocery itmes at discount stores have not switched back to their traditional grocery stores, reports the Gannett News Service.
Because canned foods and other staples are still cheaper at discount retailers like Dollar General and Wal-Mart, many are going more often to those stores for food and beverage purchases. Some 36% of consumers...
Continue Reading »
No Buyer, So Woolworths Begins Closing Down
Woolworths, the British general store that has been around for more than a century, is the latest victim of the consumer-spending slump that has pushed UK retailers like Ilva Furniture and MK One out of business, writes Bloomberg.
The 815-store chain had a four-year run of unprofitability due to competition from supermarkets and online retailers and was seeking a buyer to save the collapse of...
Continue Reading »
Dollar General Puts In Blind-Friendly POS Equipment
Discount retailer Dollar General is installing new point of sale (POS) equipment designed to protect the financial privacy of visually impaired shoppers.
The project is the result of collaboration between the company and two non-profit organizations: the American Council of the Blind and the American Foundation for the Blind.
Thanks to the tactile keys on the standard telephone keypad, anyone...
Continue Reading »
Dollar Tree Reports 24% Jump in Profits
Q3 net earnings at Dollar Tree increased 23.7% over 3Q07 as consumers continue to turn to discount retailers and dollar stores for their basic shopping needs, reports Retailing Today.
Earlier this month, Dollar Tree reported a healthy 11.6% sales growth to $1.11 billion and same-store growth of 6.2% over the previous year, helped by strong sales of food and seasonal items (e.g., back-to-school...
Continue Reading »
Retail Pins Hopes on ‘Black Friday’ Frenzy
“Black Friday”—the day after Thanksgiving, when consumers typically start their holiday shopping—is viewed by many retailers this year as the beginning of a make-or-break period, Reuters writes.
About 10% of total holiday sales take place during the three-day weekend during which retailers offer deep discounts and promotions to attract shoppers and gain momentum heading into the important...
Continue Reading »
Americans Take Stock in Dollar Stores
Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott may have proclaimed the present as the “time for Wal-Mart,” but ultra-discounters like Dollar Tree, 99 Cents Only, and Family Dollar Stores are outperforming even America’s biggest and competitively priced retail outlet.
Dollar stores target a different customer from Wal-Mart’s, however. Family Dollar says its typical customer is a woman, in her mid-40s and the head of her...
Continue Reading »
10 Retailers Bucking the Trend
Despite the slowdown in consumer spending and subsequent sales drops at retailers across most sectors, a few companies have managed to pull through, posting positive financial results and continuing their plans for expansion, writes Retail Info Systems News.
Below, the 10 “surprisingly successful” retailers that are beating the odds:
Target: Target announced plans to open 45 new stores and...
Continue Reading »
Value City Goes Under, Shutters Shops
Value City Department Stores (Columbus, OH) and its subsidiaries filed a voluntary Chapter 11 petition in Manhattan last week, announcing plans to close their 66 remaining stores, reports the Mansfield News Journal.
The filing follows a series of restructuring efforts and layoffs that included shuttering 75 stores since Dec. ‘07. But in the seven months ended Aug. 31, the discount retailers...
Continue Reading »
Consumers Changing Shopping Habits, Focusing on Value this Holiday Season
With the economy weighing heavily on their minds, many Americans plan to spend less and shop differently and more carefully during this year’s holiday season, according to Deloitte’s 23rd Annual Holiday Survey of retail spending and trends.
Among the findings of the study:
A record number of consumers say they are pessimistic about the economy: Over half (53%) say they expect the economy to...Continue Reading »
Higher Prices Haunt Halloween: Costumes, Candy More Expensive
Candy and costume accessories are more expensive this Halloween than last, with costume hair-coloring products showing a dramatic 126% increase over the same period in 2007 and chocolate candy up 4%, according to a report from the Nielsen Company, MarketingCharts reports.
Costume hair-coloring products now average $4.42, up $2.46 vs. the same period a year ago. Candy sales average $3.59, up...
Continue Reading »